Free Willy

Naval exercises kill whales by giving them the equivalent of "the bends," according to a study published several years ago in Nature. Autopsies showed that whales exposed to military sonar ended up with deadly gas bubbles in their blood and seriously damaged organs. Although no one knows exactly why whales' bodies might react to sonar in this way, the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission, an organization that reviews measures governing whaling practices, says that the evidence linking sonar to whale strandings is nevertheless convincing.

Yet the use of underwater sonar appears to be spreading globally, according to the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Although the organization successfully restricted the U.S. Navy's use of one powerful sonar system in 2003, the Navy now wants to put up a sonar training range next to a migratory route for endangered whales off the coast of North Carolina. Luckily, the NRDC isn't going to let this happen without making a big fuss first.

And you can help. With just a few clicks, you can contact the U.S. Navy yourself and tell them how you feel. The whales -- not to mention many other species of marine life -- will thank you.