SAVE THE WHALES
James Taylor, Pierce Brosnan, Jean-Michel Cousteau
-----Original Message-----
From: Philip A. Kratzer [mailto:PhilK@Netbiz.com]
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 5:28 PM
To: Jan Ballard
A message from James Taylor, Pierce Brosnan, Jean-Michel Cousteau
Hi Jan,
I sent out a message on this problem a few months ago. Since then, I've
also seen a Discovery Science channel show on this very serious problem. On
the show they gave an example of problems occurring in Puget Sound,
Washington, where whales have been beaching themselves and dying. They
brought in a top scientist who examed the whale and discovered blood in the
hearing system of the whale. There are very serious ramifications to the
technology the navy is testing and planning to deploy. Please take a moment
to click on this link: http://www.nrdcaction.org/index.asp?step=2&item=518
It is a fast and easy process. If you can spare the time, please educate
yourself and others. Whales and other sea mammals have died and will
continue to die, if enough of us do not make our voices heard.
In Peace and Light,
Phil
=====
Dear Friend,
The three of us have never teamed up like this before. But we all share
something in common: a deep love of the ocean and marine mammals. That's
why we're very disturbed by a U.S. military program that, if approved, will
soon be bombarding millions of whales and dolphins around the world with intense noise.
You may have read about the U.S. Navy's "Low-Frequency Active" (LFA)
sonar program. The military has been testing this new, high-powered system in
secret for years. Now, the Navy wants to deploy it across 80 percent of
our planet's oceans. LFA sonar is designed to detect enemy submarines by
flooding vast expanses of the oceans with sound. Leaving aside the
military wisdom of this sonar -- which is still in dispute -- the environmental
dangers are becoming increasingly clear.
Here's the problem: LFA noise is billions of times more intense than
that known to disturb whale migration and communication. Whales and dolphins
depend on their sensitive hearing for survival. To put it simply, a deaf
whale is a dead whale. Deafening noise from the LFA system will
interfere with the vital biological activities of marine mammals. Scientists fear
that long-term exposure to LFA could push entire populations over the brink into extinction.
Inevitably, there will also be marine mammals unlucky enough to swim too
close to LFA loudspeakers. Imagine an acoustic wave so powerful that,
even at substantial distances, it can destroy your hearing, cause your lungs
or ears to hemorrhage, or even kill you.
We've already seen a glimpse of the resulting carnage. Last year, whales
from four different species stranded themselves and died on beaches
across the northern Bahamas during a Navy military exercise. All but one of the
dead animals examined by researchers had suffered hemorrhaging around
the inner ear -- the telltale sign of acoustic trauma. The U.S. Navy's own
report concluded that it is "highly likely" that the stranding was
caused by the use of mid-frequency active sonar. But despite this tragic event,
the Navy now wants to deploy LFA, the most extensive active sonar system ever devised.
We know that different frequencies will affect different marine mammals
and that the lower the frequency, the farther it penetrates the ocean. We
believe it is unconscionable to expose marine mammals around the world
to more high intensity sonar. If you agree, then please join us in taking
immediate action; it will take you only a few seconds.
Just go to http://www.nrdcaction.org/index.asp?step=2&item=518
http://www.nrdcaction.org/index.asp?step=2&item=518 . The Natural
Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Ocean Futures Society (OFS) have
set up this web page to make it easy for you to send electronic messages of
protest to your U.S. senators and representative. Congress is now deciding the
Navy's funding for next year -- tell them to "Turn Off LFA Sonar" by
cutting off its funding.
And please forward this message to your family, friends and colleagues.
NRDC used web activism to help generate a million messages of protest to
Mitsubishi and, just last year, stopped the company from destroying the
last unspoiled birthing ground of the Pacific gray whale.
Congress cannot ignore millions of us. Together, we can keep whales and
dolphins safe from high-powered sonar.
Thank you for your time and your concern.
Sincerely yours,
James Taylor, Pierce Brosnan, Jean-Michel Cousteau
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