Arctic Wildlife Range Alaska

Photographic documentation of the necessity to preserve this precious area.

Examines the threats to the ecological stability of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from global warming and oil development.

Examines the threats to the ecological stability of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from global warming and oil development.

Tucked away in the northeastern corner of Alaska is one of the most contested landscapes in all of North America: the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Considered sacred by Indigenous peoples in Alaska and Canada and treasured by environmentalists, the refuge provides life-sustaining habitat for caribou, polar bears, migratory birds, and other species. For decades, though, the fossil fuel industry and powerful politicians have sought to turn this unique ecosystem into an oil field. Defending the Arctic Refuge tells the improbable story of how the people fought back. At the center of the story is the unlikely figure of Lenny Kohm (1939–2014), a former jazz drummer and aspiring photographer who passionately committed himself to Arctic Refuge activism. With the aid of a trusty slide show, Kohm and representatives of the Gwich'in Nation traveled across the United States to mobilize grassroots opposition to oil drilling. From Indigenous villages north of the Arctic Circle to Capitol Hill and many places in between, this book shows how Kohm and Gwich'in leaders and environmental activists helped build a political movement that transformed the debate into a struggle for environmental justice. In its final weeks, the Trump administration fulfilled a long-sought dream of drilling proponents: leasing much of the Arctic Refuge coastal plain for fossil fuel development. Yet the fight to protect this place is certainly not over. Defending the Arctic Refuge traces the history of a movement that is alive today—and that will continue to galvanize diverse groups to safeguard this threatened land.

The rich biological resources and wilderness values of north-eastern Alaska have been widely known for about 50 years, and the rich energy resource potential for much of that time. The future of these resources has been debated in Congress for over 40 years. The issue for now is whether to open a portion of what is now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to allow the development of potentially the richest on-shore source of oil remaining in the United States, and if so under what restrictions. The coastal northern plain of the Refuge is the focus of the debate. This remote and largely untouched area is an example of an arctic ecosystem that, by virtue of being essentially intact, is increasingly rare. It has been called 'America's Serengeti', for vast herds of caribou, for the many nesting and feeding migratory birds, and for its predators such as grizzly bears, polar bears, wolves and golden eagles. The area also has immensely promising oil prospects, which some feel could be as productive as Prudhoe Bay. It is heralded as a place which could help reduce national dependence on foreign oil and keep the Alaskan oil pipeline in use for decades. Advocates for development foresee benefits to the oil industry, the people of Alaska, and the national economy. This book provides basic material for analysing possibilities and implications of the major issues that have been the focus of the debate over its fate.

CLICK HERE to download the first 40 pages of Midnight Wilderness * Presents the original foreword by Margaret E. Murie * Features a new afterword by the author, providing context for the Refuge today * Includes a new map and an updated bibliography Originally published more than twenty years ago, Midnight Wilderness is a passionate and vivid account of one of Alaska's greatest natural treasures, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Author Debbie Miller draws on her years of exploring this unique, magical, and expansive territory, weaving chilling adventure, personal anecdote, wildlife observation, and Native American life into a beautiful and compelling memoir of place. Proceeds from sales of this book will benefit the Alaska Wilderness League in its ongoing efforts to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Frames the current debate over potential oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by presenting a detailed history of the establishment of ANWR. Features interviews with survivors from the initial push to establish ANWR in the 1940s and 1950s and with family members and associates of those who are no longer living. Also chronicles the 1980 expansion of ANWR.--(Source of description unspecified.)