The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:
Creation and Legacy Worth Preserving
Set aside in 1960 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower for its incomparable wildlife, scenic, and wilderness values, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is unlike any place in America. The refuge is one of the few remaining lands where the original American wilderness can be experienced on an epic scale – mountains, rivers, plains, seacoast and abundant wildlife. It is the “crown jewel” of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Often mischaracterized as a “wasteland” by drilling proponents, the refuge is a rare convergence of six distinct ecosystems -- with a diverse spectrum of habitats, and fish and wildlife populations that are unparalleled in the entire circumpolar north.
Nearly 200 species of birds from all 50 states, including tundra swans, snow geese, golden eagles and peregrine falcons, use the refuge to rest, feed, and/or raise young.
Populations of caribou, bear, moose, wolf, fox, musk ox, Dall sheep, wolverine, ermine, bowhead whale, and ringed seal depend upon the refuge and its adjacent coastal waters.
The footprint associated with drilling will not be small as some claim. It will contain drilling pads, roads, pipelines, power plants, processing plants, airports, gravel mines, power lines, worker housing, and other infrastructure sprawling over hundreds of miles.
Oil drilling in the arctic is a heavy industrial activity with inherent impacts such as noise, odors, spills, air pollution, and large-scale water consumption.
Once altered by industrial development, the refuge’s wild character would be lost forever.
Currently 95 percent of the Alaskan North Slope is open to oil and gas production. It is imperative that we keep this ecologically vital last 5 percent in its wild state as a bequest to future generations.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a unique part of our American heritage. It is a special land of breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife, where visitors can experience the wildness that shaped America’s history and culture. Following in the tradition of great Republicans such as Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, we have a duty as patriotic citizens to take good care of our natural heritage on behalf of Americans who will follow us.
“The farther one gets into the wilderness, the greater is the attraction of its lonely freedom.” -- President Theodore Roosevelt, 1905
