MN Explorer Doubts New Status Of Polar Bears Will Mean More Protection

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By KBJR News 1

Story Published: May 15, 2008 at 10:41 AM CDT

Story Updated: May 15, 2008 at 11:28 AM CDT

Polar explorer Will Steger says he doubts the decision to list the polar bear as a threatened species will mean much more protection for the endangered animals.

But he says Wednesday's decision by the Interior Department at
least puts the problem of global warming on the front burner, and
he supports anything that focuses attention on that.

Steger spoke via satellite phone from the Canadian Arctic, where
he's leading a dogsled expedition to Ellesmere Island, the
northernmost island in Canada.

The team is less than 500 miles from the North Pole.

Steger says their progress has been complicated by a large concentration of polar bears who have come to hunt seals.

The expedition includes six people in their 20's from the U.S.,
Canada, Britain and Norway.

They're seeking to build support among young people for solutions to global warming.