All: As many of you know, on January 9, 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed protecting the Polar Bear as a "threatened" species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The U.S. government is now seeking peer review and public comment on its proposal through April 9, 2007, prior to making a final determination about protecting the polar bear under the Act. I want to encourage anyone with relevant information on the proposed listing to submit comments and participate in this important process. In particular, comments from polar bear specialists, Arctic ecologists, and climate scientists are essential to ensure that the U.S. government considers the best available scientific information when making a final decision about whether to grant polar bears protection. Comments may be as brief or as lengthy as you wish, but even a short letter concerning the petition will be valuable. NRDC and the Center for Biological Diversity have prepared a "Question and Answers" fact sheet for scientists about how to submit comments and what type of information to include. A copy is available at: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/polarbear/Comment-Fact- Sheet.pdf. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me directly. Thanks, Andrew Andrew E. Wetzler Director, Endangered Species Project NRDC 544 White Oak Place Worthington, OH 43085 (614) 84-0-0891 PRIVILEGE AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE. This message is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law as attorney client and work-product confidential or otherwise confidential communications. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication or other use of a transmission received in error is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, immediately notify us at the above telephone number.