Great piece by Lois Kazakoff in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle about how an upcoming decision on the future of a key habitat in Alaska will have important implications for birds here in California. The Department of Interior is set to announce a final management plan for the blandly-named National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which is one of the most important places for migratory birds in all of North America. The current preferred alternative is the one Audubon backed, but we're still waiting for the final announcement.