Subglacial Antarctic lake environments (SALE) have attracted great scientific and lay public interest during the last decade.Subglacia is broadly defined as those localities under substantial (kilometer-scale) ice overburdens that cause long-term (at least thousands of years) isolation from direct subaerial contact. Subglacial environments are at or below the ice-bed interface of glaciers and ice sheets including ice-water contacts above subglacial lakes and ice shelves. For at least the next decade or more, SALE exploration and research will be a focus of intense interest in Antarctica as one of the last remaining unexplored and difficult to access environments on Earth. SALE is also a primary focus for the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 scientific theme, exploring new frontiers. In the United States, a strong and diverse community interested in SALE exploration and research has developed over the last several years. Although several workshops and meetings have been convened, U.S. SALE interests need better coordination and advocacy. To this end, those involved in establishing the SALE agenda in the United States and internationally have joined together to form the U.S. SALE Program (see Eos article titled Exploring Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments, 86(20), 17 May 2005, p. 193).