URGENT, STOP NAVY LFA SONAR, MORE NEW CONTACTS !

[Guest guest]

STOP NMFS OF COMMERCE DEPARTMENT ISSUE

PERMIT FOR DEADLY NAVY'S " LFA " SONAR NOW !!!

 

A DEADLY THREAT TO ENTIRE MARINE MAMMALS !!!

US NAVY WANTS TO PUT " LFA SONAR " SYSTEM

INTO USE ACROSS EIGHTY PERCENT (80 %) OF THE

WORLD'S OCEANS . THE GENERATED NOISE IS

BILLIONS OF TIMES MORE INTENSE THAN THAT

KNOWN TO DISTURB WHALES.... IT IS NO LESS THAN

NUCLEAR EXPLOSION !!!

 

PLEASE BEST SEND YOUR COMMENTS BY

 

MAY 3RD, 2001

 

 

Dear Friend of animals,

 

The Navy wants to put the LFA system into use across

EIGHTY PERCENT (80 %) of the WORLD'S OCEANS .

The generated noise is BILLIONS of times more intense than that

known to disturb whales.

 

Now, lets write this important letter to all of the following key

people. Please read every line below so that you know who you

are writing to and what you are writing about . We listed two

different SAMPLE LETTERS and all of Contact info are listed

below for your convenience.

 

Note: if you previosly sent to Ms. Wieting your comments on the issue

by email. Please re-do it and send by Postal Mail or Fax. She does

not take emails !

 

We have increased more important contacts below .

Let's go for it . Thanks so much for caring our marine mammal friends.

 

C.C.

 

Source References site:

A: http://www.nrdc.org/action

B: http://www.seashepherd.org , click LFA Sonar.

==========================================

 

 

SAMPLE LETTER 1 : (The shorter version ):

 

Please STOP issue the Permit for

Navy's application to deploy LFA sonar

 

Dear Ms. Wieting ,

 

I am deeply concerned about the Navy's plan to flood

hundreds of thousands of square miles of our oceans with

intense, low-frequency noise, and about the Fisheries

Service's proposal to permit it. This proposed plan poses a

potentially devastating threat to all marine mammals, and other

ocean life, around the world.

 

The Navy's own research carried out a series of tests to see what

those effects might be. It showed that gray whales exposed to just

120 decibels of active sonar begin to swerve from their migration

paths. The louder the sound, the more the whales deviated from their

path. The actual LFA system is designed to run at 230 decibels --

billions of times more intense than the test noise levels that disturbed

the gray whales! According to the scientists, the difference between

160 and 235 decibels is like from a quiet breeze to a nuclear

explosion!

 

The Navy's high-powered Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar

system would operate at noise levels billions of times more

intense than those known to disturb the migration and

communication behavior of large whales. Yet the Navy has not

adequately addressed the long-term effects of the LFA system

on whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles and a host of

other marine animals. Nor has it adequately examined the

connection between active sonar and mass strandings of

whales and other marine life.

 

The Navy is planning to put the LFA system into use across

EIGHTY PERCENT (80 %) of the WORLD'S OCEANS .

The generated noise is BILLIONS of times more intense than that

known to disturb whales. This proposed plan poses a devastating

threat to entire marine mammals and other ocean life, around the world.

 

I strongly urge you to withdraw any of the proposed rule and to

stop and deny the Navy's application to deploy LFA sonar.

 

Thanks for your kindness, compassion , insight and help.

 

Sincerely Yours,

Your name,

Address,

City, State,

Country.

U.S. Constituent (if you live in USA )

Country. (if you don't live in USA )

 

------------------------------

SAMPLE LETTER 2: (The longer version ):

 

 

SUBJECT: Please STOP issue the permit for Navy's LFA Sonar.

 

Dear Ms. Wieting ,

 

I am deeply concerned about the Navy's plan to flood hundreds of

thousands of square miles of our oceans with intense, low-frequency

noise and about the National Marine Fisheries Service's proposal to

" permit " it. This proposed plan poses a potentially devastating threat

to entire marine mammals and other ocean life , around the world.

 

The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with plans to deploy a new extended-range

submarine detection system that will introduce into the world's oceans

noise Billions of times more intense than that known to disturb whales.

This risky technology -- Low Frequency Active Sonar, or LFA --

represents a potentially devastating and wide-ranging threat to our

planet's marine life.

 

The evidence that these high-power sonar systems can and do kill marine

animals emerged in early 2000, when four different species of whales and

dolphins suddenly began stranding themselves across a series of islands

in the Bahamas. Many of them died. An investigative report released by

the Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has

established with virtual certainty that the mass mortality was caused by

a Navy battle group using mid-frequency range active sonar in the

vicinity. It is the first time for the scientists to confirm the lethal

role of the sonar system. All but one of the whales suffered

hemorrhages in the inner ear, result of a sonic blast.

 

In 1995, NRDC demanded that the Navy comply with the law and disclose

how the sonar would affect marine mammals, sea turtles and other ocean

species. As a result, the Pentagon agreed to conduct a full-scale study

of environmental impacts before putting the LFA system into use across

EIGHTY PERCENT (80 %) of the WORLD'S OCEANS .

 

In July 1999, the Navy released a draft of its Environmental Impact

Statement, which fails to answer the most basic questions about its

controversial system: How will LFA affect the long-term health and

behavior of whales, dolphins and hundreds of other species?

 

A single LFA transmitter would generate sound at levels of 230 decibels

or higher, flooding hundreds of square miles of ocean with noise.

Two hundred thirty decibels is millions of times more intense than the

160-decibel level known to harm human divers.

(The difference between 160 and 235 decibels is like from a

quiet breeze to a nuclear explosion.)

 

According to the Navy's own study, scientists briefly exposed a

32-year-old Navy diver to LFA sonar at a level of 160 decibels --

a fraction of the intensity at which the LFA system is designed to

operate. After 12 minutes, the diver experienced severe symptoms,

including dizziness and drowsiness. After being hospitalized, he

relapsed, suffering memory dysfunction and seizure. Two years later

he was being treated with anti-depressant and anti-seizure medications.

 

The LFA sonar has been shown to divert bowhead and gray whales

and other whales from their migration paths, to cause sperm and

humpback whales to cease vocalizing, and to induce a range of other

effects from agonistic behavior to panic. A mass stranding of beaked

whales off the west coast of Greece in 1996 has been associated with an

LFA-type system being tested by NATO. And the whale deaths in 2000

add further evidence of the DEADLY RISKS of intense active Sonar.

 

Whales are equipped with exquisitely sensitive hearing; it is believed

they use " sound " to : follow migratory routes, locate one another over

great distances, find food and care for their young. Noise that

undermines their ability to hear these critical sounds can threaten

their ability to function and survive. As one scientist succinctly put

it :

 

" A DEAF WHALE IS A DEAD WHALE. " The sheer force of

LFA's 230-decibel sweeps will cause hearing loss, serious injury,

even death to whales and other creatures unfortunate enough to be

swimming near a transmitter.

 

But what concerns marine scientists even more than the short-term

effects on individual animals is the potential long-term impact that the

Navy's LFA system might have on the behavior and viability of

ENTIRE POPULATIONS OF MARINE MAMMALS.

 

The Navy's own environmental review determined that the large baleen

whales were the marine animals " most likely to be affected by

low-frequency sound. " So the Navy carried out a series of tests to see

what those effects might be. That research showed that gray whales

exposed to just 120 decibels of active sonar begin to swerve from

their migration paths. The louder the sound, the more the whales

deviated from their path. The actual LFA system is designed to run at

230 decibels -- billions of times more intense than the test noise

levels that disturbed the gray whales!

 

The Navy's high-powered Low Frequency Active (LFA) sonar

system would operate at noise levels billions of times more

intense than those known to disturb the migration and

communication behavior of large whales. Yet the Navy has not

adequately addressed the long-term effects of the LFA system

on whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea turtles and a host of

other marine animals. Nor has it adequately examined the

connection between active sonar and mass stranding of

whales and other marine life. According to the experts, the

long-term effects on vital activities, pose the greatest risk of pushing

endangered species over the brink into extinction.

 

I strongly urge you to withdraw any and all of the proposed rule and

to deny and stop Navy's application to deploy LFA sonar.

 

Sincerely Yours,

Your Name,

Address,

City, State, zip

U.S. Constituent (if you live in USA )

Country. (if you don't live in USA )

==============================================

 

CONTACT INFORMATION :

(Note: Please use Sample letter 1 or 2 above ,

Just change the title to the appropriate person. )

For example: Dear Mr. President,..... Dear Honorable Secretary

......etc.)

 

 

1 : CONTACT :

 

Donna Wieting, Chief

Marine Mammal Conservation Division

National Marine Fisheries Service

NMFS HQTR Route: F/PR2

BLDG: SSMC3 RM: 13635

1315 EAST-WEST HWY

SILVER SPRING, MD 20910-3282

U.S.A.

Tel: (301)713-2322 , x108

Fax: (301)713-0376 (in U.S.A. )

 

(note: This lady DOES NOT take emails !

If you have previously sent her an email ,

Please re-send it with Postal mail / Fax , thanks. )

 

(Please Address to: Dear Ms. Wieting, )

 

============================================

2: CONTACT :

 

Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans :

 

Address:

The Honorable Secretary Donald Evans

Office of the Secretary

Room 5854

U.S. Department of Commerce

14th & Constitution Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20230

U.S.A.

 

Tel: 202-482-2112 (in U.S.A. )

Fax: 202-482-2741 (in U.S.A. )

Email : DEvans (@doc.gov )

 

(Please Address to: Dear Honorable Secretary Evans, )

 

==================================

3: CONTACT:

 

Office of the Secretary of Commerce Help Desk:

 

Phone Number:(202) 501-0666

EMail: Hdesk (@doc.gov )

=================================

4: CONTACT :

 

Mr. Johnnie E. Frazier,

Inspection General,

U.S. Department of Commerce

Office of Inspector General

HCHB, Room 7898C

Washington, D.C. 20230

Tel: (202) 482-4661 (in USA )

 

(Please Address to : Dear Inspection General Frazier ,)

 

=================================

5: CONTACT :

 

Mr. GUDES, SCOTT B.

Acting Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere and

NOAA Administrator/

Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere

USEC EXEC Route: DUS

BLDG: HCHB RM: 5810

14TH & CONST AVE NW

WASHINGTON DC 20230-0001

U.S.A.

Tel: (202)482-4569

Fax: (202)482-1041 (in U.S.A. )

Email : Scott.B.Gudes (@noaa.gov )

 

(Please address to : Dear Undersectary Scott Gudes, )

 

=====================================

 

6: CONTACT :

 

Write/Call /Email to U.S. President Bush :

 

SAMPLE LETTER is similar to the above # 1 or # 2 .

The subject line : PLEASE STOP NAVY'S " LFA " SONAR.

 

Address :

 

President George W. Bush,

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW

Washington, DC 20500

U.S.A.

 

Tel: 202-456-1414 ( 8am-5pm, east time, Mon-Fri)

Fax: 202-456-2461 (in U.S.A.)

E-mail : president (@whitehouse.gov )

 

(PLEASE ADDRESS TO: DEAR Mr. President )

 

Please also CC to First Lady Laura Bush and

Vice President Dick Cheney and Mrs. Cheney :

(copy the following address and paste to CC field. ) :

note: must have comma between addresses.

The following 3 addresses has @whitehouse.gov

 

first.lady ,

vice.president ,

mrs.cheney ,

 

---------------------

7: CONTACT :

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ),

(Please address to : Dear EPA Administrator Christine Whitman , )

 

Tel: 202-564-4700 (in USA )

Fax: 202-501-1450 (in USA ).

EMAIL: whitman.christine (@epamail.epa.gov )

Address :

Christine T Whitman

EPA Administrator,

1101A

USEPA Headquarters

Ariel Rios Building

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W.

Washington, DC 20460

U.S.A.

 

----------------------

8: CONTACT :

 

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell :

(Please address to : Dear Secretary of State , )

 

Address :

 

Colin Powell,

U.S. Secretary of State

U.S. Department of State

Washington, D.C. 20520

U.S.A.

 

Tel: (202) 647-4000 (in U.S.A. )

(202) 647-6575

Fax: 202-261-8577 (in U.S.A.)

Secretary of State Email : Secretary (@state.gov )

 

=================================

 

9: CONTACT CONGRESS :

(You may have already sent to the Senators ,

now, let's send our concerns to the US House this time.)

 

SAMPLE LETTER: the same as above letter # 1 or # 2 .

Please Address to : Dear Honorable Congressman, )

 

(Please put your Name, Detail Address on the top of the letter

before : Dear Honorable Congressman :

 

 

a: First, please write/fax to ALL of the leaders in U.S. House

in both parties : (Address to : Dear Honorable Congressman ..... )

 

(please click each Item and find " contact " , by mail/fax/email)

http://www.house.gov/house/orgs_pub_hse_ldr_www.html

 

b: Write to your own US Representative : Please

click the following to get contact info of your Representatives :

Please click following : (the best way is to CALL/FAX them ! )

 

(Please address to: Dear Honorable Congressman........, )

Don't forget your name and detail address and sign as

" CONSTITUENT(S) " .

 

http://www.vote-smart.org/index.phtml

http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html

 

 

c: Write to the following partial list of U.S. Representatives :

(You may refer: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html )

Please Copy and Paste following list into BCC field in your Email.

Then put your own email address or a desiganted address in the

TO field before you hit Send. Before you send this letter, you

may make an alias name in your Address Book to designate an

address

as : " The Congressman " .

(if don't know how, just put your own addres in the TO field.)

Please address to : Dear Honorable Congressman,

 

(note: it must have comma between addresses.

All of the Addresses below have @mail.house.gov )

 

 

jay.inslee,

jclyburn,

jdhayworth ,

JER,

jerrold.nadler,

jerry.moran,

jerry.weller,

jerry4wi,

jfc.il12,

jim.barcia-pub,

jim.demint,

jim.kolbe,

jim.mccrery,

jim.mcgovern ,

jim.moran,

jjduncan,

jmoakley,

joann.emerson,

joe.moakley,

joe.skeen,

john.boehner,

John.Conyers,

John.Hostettler,

john.lewis,

john.linder,

john.mica,

john.olver,

john.tanner,

jserrano,

jthune,

judiciary,

ken.bentsen,

kuykendall,

lane.evans,

lazio,

leach.ia01,

lloyd.doggett,

lobiondo,

lois.capps,

loretta,

louiseny,

luis.gutierrez,

Lynn.Rivers,

lynn.woolsey,

m.thompson,

mac.collins,

mail.gibbons,

major.owens,

mark.foley,

mark.green,

mark.udall,

martin.frost,

martin.sabo,

matt.salmon,

max.sandlin,

mcintosh,

menendez,

mhinchey,

mike.forbes,

mike.mcnulty,

mike.oxley,

millender-mcdonald,

miller13,

mn03,

mtmeehan,

murtha,

myrick,

nc12.public,

neil.abercrombie,

nick.lampson,

ninthnet,

nita.lowey,

njohnson,

nrahall,

nussleia,

ok01.largent ,

owen.pickett,

patrick.kennedy,

paul.kanjorski,

pawizard ,

pdeutsch.pub,

pease,

petemail ,

peter.defazio,

peter.king,

petes,

pitts.pa16,

porter.goss,

portmail,

pryce.oh15,

public.dingell,

rangel,

rborski,

rep.barton,

rep.boehlert,

rep.boswell.ia03,

rep.boyd,

rep.brady,

rep.cardin,

rep.carolyn.maloney,

rep.carson,

rep.charles.canady,

rep.coburn,

Rep.Cummings ,

rep.doyle,

rep.e.b.johnson,

rep.earl.pomeroy,

rep.ehlers,

Rep.Ganske

 

 

======================================

 

Thanks so much for your care, kindness, compassion and help.