Today the Department of Interior approved the contested Oil Lease Sale 193 in the Arctic Ocean, opening the door for Shell to push for drilling this summer. Audubon Alaska’s Jim Adams said, “The agency’s decision to move forward with oil leasing despite a 75 percent chance of a major spill is stunning and does a real disservice to the American people and our wildlife resources.”

(Photo: The Ivory Gull specializes in feeding in sea-ice habitats.)