On Sunday, Dec. 6th, join polar bears, caribou, and myriad of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl to celebrate 60 years of protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Tragically, President Trump has just announced the sale of oil and gas leases on the Arctic NWR’s 1002 area of the coastal plain, the critical calving grounds for the Porcupine Caribou herd. This push is the result of Congress passing a controversial tax bill in 2017 that mandates leasing on the coastal plain, sacred lands of the Gwich’in people and vital habitat for caribou, polar bears and migratory birds.
I am privileged to have spent several weeks on both the Canning and Hulahula Rivers in the Arctic Refuge. With that privilege, I carry a weighty responsibility to advocate for its vital protection.
Join me on a virtual trip in the coastal plain by viewing my presentation Stories from the Arctic Plain. Check out Jill LaRue’s and my slideshow featuring wildflowers- Summer blooms of the North Slope and Huluhula River. Watch a YouTube clip by Paul Ballinger of a caribou on their summer range in early August- (Disclosure: the video was taken along the Nigu River, Gates of the Arctic National Park, of the Western Arctic Herd).
In Alaska, for thousands of years, the Gwich’in people of Canada and the U.S. have regarded the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge as “the sacred place where life begins,” because it has been the most frequently used birthing and nursery grounds for the Porcupine caribou. Each year the Porcupine caribou migrate between winter habitat in Canada and Alaska south of the Brooks Range, and summer habitat (calving and post-calving) on the Arctic Refuge coastal plain, the longest land migration route of any land mammal on earth.
How can you learn more? Read Tim and Mary Gallagher’s article in the North Central Washington Audubon December 2020 newsletter here, that includes ways you can advocate this week. My go-to source for advocacy is the Alaska Wilderness League, and their fact-based summary of the issues here. It is easy to submit a comment using their fast action form. Voice your opposition to oil and gas development in the Arctic Refuge this week. The BLM is only accepting hardcopy mailed comments received by Dec. 17th – write to: State Director, BLM, Alaska State Office, 222 W 7th Ave., Mailstop 13, Ancorage AK 99513-7504
I agree with this Alaska Wilderness League’s description: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, located in the northeast corner of Alaska, is one of the finest examples of wilderness remaining anywhere in the world. It is a perfect example of intact, naturally functioning Arctic and subarctic ecosystems. In fact, such a broad spectrum of diverse habitats occurring within a single protected unit is unparalleled in North America.
My love for the Arctic began in my mid-20s, after reading Mardy Murie’s autobiography, Two in the Far North. A woman who chose to spend her winter honeymoon on a dogsled camping trip in northern Alaska, studying caribou, is certainly a woman to admire. Mardy Murie was an outspoken advocate to Congress and to Presidents, advocating for wilderness protection. Her efforts helped to pass the Alaska Lands Act and the formation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. I hope you will join me and follow in Mardy’s footsteps to advocate for permanent protection of the coastal plain, forever free of threats from oil and gas drilling.
“If we allow ourselves to be discouraged, we lose our power and momentum. That’s what I would say to you of these difficult times. If you are going to that place of intent to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or the wild lands in Utah, you have to know how to dance.” -Mardy Murie