150 



States and Canada. 3 Open water or active ice areas which persist throughout winter and 

 early spring are preferred hunting and feeding areas for polar bears, which eat primarily 

 ringed seals. These open water areas are called "polynyas" and run parallel to the 

 coastline. 4 



Maternity denning habitat is especially important to protect because, as noted by 

 the FWS, this is "where reproductive success can most easily be altered." 5 Pregnant 

 female polar bears typically build maternity dens in October or November, give birth to 

 one or two cubs in December, and remain inside the den until March or early April. 

 During this period, the new born cubs depend on the den and their mother for 

 protection. Successful rearing requires a relatively undisturbed denning environment 6 

 The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Russia's Wrangel Island 

 are two areas known to be especially important polar bear denning habitat of the United 

 State's two populations of polar bears. In the Beaufort Sea, the FWS has found that 

 43% of radio collared pregnant females come on shore to den within the Arctic National 

 Wildlife Refuge. 7 This represents a significantly higher concentration of polar bear dens 

 than would be expected if dens were distributed evenly across the coast. Apart from the 

 fact that Wrangel Island is an especially important denning area for members of the 

 Chukchi Sea population, less is known about other preferred denning locations for that 

 population. 



Current Threats to Polar Bear Habitat 



The protection of key polar bear ecosystems, especially denning, feeding and 

 migration areas, from industrial activities is vital to the long-term conservation of U.S. 

 polar bear populations and to the fulfillment of U.S. treaty obligations. As the FWS 

 recently noted: "Human activities in the Arctic, particularly those related to oil and gas 

 exploration and development, may pose risks to polar bears and other wildlife." 

 Moreover, the Marine Mammal Commission expressed concern about the impact of oil 



3 FWS, Draft Conservation Plan for the Polar Bear, 13 (December, 1993) ("FWSPjan"). 

 ' I. Stirling, Polar Bears , 63 (1988). 



5 FWS Plan at 17. 



6 Steven Amslrup & Douglas DcMastcr, Polar Bear , in Marine Mammal Commission, Selected Marine 

 Mammals of Alaska 45 (1988). 



7 FWS Plan , at 18. 



8 FWS Plan , at 18. 



