Protections - The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most storied lands in the world. President Eisenhower began the bipartisan legacy of protecting this wondrous area for future generations when he set aside 8,900,000 acres as the Arctic National Wildlife Range in 1960. In 1980, President Carter continued this legacy by expanding the area, designating much of the land as protected Wilderness, and renaming it the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Wilderness areas are permanently protected from oil development and other harmful activities.
However, the 1.5 million-acre Coastal Plain of the Refuge was not protected as Wilderness. To permanently protect the entire Coastal Plain, Congressmen Ed Markey (D-MA) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) introduced H.R. 39, a bill “to preserve the Arctic coastal plain . . . as wilderness in recognition of its extraordinary natural ecosystems and for the permanent good of present and future generations of Americans.”
Unparalleled Wilderness - The 19.6 million-acre Refuge is spectacular wilderness of boreal forests, rugged mountains, sweeping tundra vistas, wild rivers, coastal lagoons, and barrier islands. Located in the northeastern corner of Alaska, the Refuge features a complete range of arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems and extraordinary wildlife. The Refuge is a place so wild and untrammeled that one may walk for days without seeing signs of another human.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls the Refuge’s Coastal Plain “the center for wildlife activity” for the entire Refuge. There is no greater place in America to experience wild nature, hike, fish, hunt, raft, or camp. The Coastal Plain is also the epicenter of the drilling debate. Unfortunately, throughout its history, oil companies and their allies in the White House and Congress have lobbied hard to open the biological heart of the Refuge to drilling.
Polar Bears and other Wildlife - Polar bear habitat is threatened by the effects of global warming and oil development. Now more than ever the bears depend on the Coastal Plain of the Refuge to survive. The Coastal Plain is the most significant onshore polar bear denning habitat in the U.S.—an increasingly important distinction as researchers confirm that global warming is significantly reducing offshore ice flows, polar bear’s preferred denning habitat. Recently, unusually large numbers of the bears have been gathering along the Refuge’s beaches, often huddled around whale carcasses. Development in the Refuge would further compound the polar bear’s problems. Denning polar bears are extremely sensitive to industrial activity. Females may abandon their dens if disturbed, which is usually fatal for cubs unable to fend for themselves.
The Refuge provides vital habitat for some of America’s most spectacular wildlife. Polar bears, grizzly bears, caribou, wolves, and muskoxen are just a few of the more than 250 species that rely on the Coastal Plain for their habitat. Millions of birds, representing some 180 species, migrate to the Coastal Plain to nest, rear their young, molt, and feed. Birds from all 50 states and six of the seven continents migrate to the Refuge for summer.
Indigenous People - The Gwich’in people’s livelihood and culture have been dependant on the Porcupine Caribou Herd for centuries. The herd travels hundreds of miles from their wintering grounds to use the Coastal Plain as their calving area. For the caribou, there is no alternative to this vital and sensitive habitat that they have depended on for millennia. The herd’s migration and calving is a spectacle reminiscent of the Serengeti’s wildebeest and of the buffalo herds that once thundered across the Great Plains. The Gwich’in, who refer to the Coastal Plain as the “Sacred Place Where Life Begins,” adamantly oppose drilling in the area and strongly support permanent protection. Designating the Coastal Plain of the Refuge as Wilderness would not only permanently protect one of the last remaining great American wilderness areas, but also this vital native culture.
Protections - The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the most storied lands in the world. President Eisenhower began the bipartisan legacy of protecting this wondrous area for future generations when he set aside 8,900,000 acres as the Arctic National Wildlife Range in 1960. In 1980, President Carter continued this legacy by expanding the area, designating much of the land as protected Wilderness, and renaming it the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Wilderness areas are permanently protected from oil development and other harmful activities. 