"In some places, such as the Arctic Refuge, the wildlife and natural
values are so magnificent and so enduring that they transcend the value
of any mineral that might lie beneath the surface. Such minerals are
finite. Production inevitably means changes whose impacts will be
measured in geologic time in order to gain marginal benefits that may
last a few years." -Cecil Andrus, former Secretary of the Interior

A Brief History Of The Refuge
In 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower established the Arctic National Wildlife Range in recognition of the area's unparalleled scenic, wildlife and recreational values. In 1980 Congress renamed the Range as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and enlarged the Refuge to 19 million acres. Most of the former Range became a part of the Wilderness Preservation System. The only area not designated as wilderness was the 1.5 million acre coastal plain. Known as Section 1002, the coastal plain was designated as a study area at the behest of the oil and gas industry. As a study area, the coastal plain is not open to drilling, nor is it permanently protected from drilling or development. It is an official gray area, without a permanent designation.

Wildlife
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls the coastal plain the "center of wildlife activity" in the Refuge. Known as "America's Serengeti," the coastal plain supports large populations of caribou, muskoxen, all three species of bear (brown, black and polar), gray wolves, Dall sheep, and thousands of migratory birds.

The annual migration of the 129,000-member Porcupine caribou herd evokes images of the long-gone buffalo herds of the Great Plains. For centuries this vast herd has traveled hundreds of miles from the Porcupine River region of Canada to the coastal plain to give birth each spring. The herd undertakes this arduous migration because the plain is a perfect nursery—almost no predators, few mosquitoes, and a lush garden of flowers, lichen, and plants to support pregnant and newborn caribou alike.

Reintroduced muskoxen thrive in the Arctic. They disappeared from Alaska's North Slope more than 100 years ago. The muskoxen were brought back to the Refuge in 1969 and today about 350 muskoxen live in the Refuge. The Arctic Refuge protects habitats for this ice-age relic. It's one of the many reasons this special Refuge was created.

The Arctic Refuge is the most consistently used polar bear denning area on American soil. Denning polar bears are extremely sensitive to human activity. Females may abandon dens-with fatal results for newborn cubs-if disturbed, even at a distance of nearly 250 yards. 43% of all polar bears who den on American soil do so in the coastal plain.

Among the 134 bird species that gather on the coastal plain of the Refuge for breeding, nesting, and migratory stopovers are snow geese, tundra swans, red-throated loons, sandhill cranes and a variety of shorebirds. Most states, as well as a number of nations in South America, the Pacific Rim and beyond, are visited each year by birds from the Arctic coastal plain. The snow geese, for example, depend on the coastal plain as a place to rapidly build their fat reserves for the 1,200-mile nonstop migration to southern California and Mexico. Drilling in the coastal plain would affect the summer homes of birds from six continents.

What's At Stake
The coastal plain is the only area along Alaska's entire North Slope that is not open to oil and gas drilling. It is also one of the most pristine. There are no roads, developments, or trails. The Refuge is the lone conservation area in the nation that provides a complete range of Arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems and the only wholly unspoiled part of America's Arctic. As one of the last true vestiges of a world untouched by humans and a natural wonder to pass on to the next generation, it deserves the highest level of protection. For more information, go to Why Save The Arctic Refuge?

The Threat
The Bush Administration, ExxonMobil, and their allies in Congress are trying to open the coastal plain to oil drilling by any means possible. In 1992, the four major oil corporations operating on Alaska's North Slope in the National Petroleum Reserve- Alaska (NPRA)-BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and ChevronTexaco-joined together to create Arctic Power, a single-issue lobbying organization dedicated to opening the Arctic Refuge. In the last few years-and largely in response to U.S. PIRG's Corporate Campaign-three of the four companies (all but ExxonMobil) have dropped out of Arctic Power. Nevertheless, with the Bush Administration staunchly behind drilling as a symbolic-if not a rational-move the vote in the Senate will almost certainly come down to only one or two votes. The threat is very real- and the Refuge is now in greater peril than ever before.

Act Now!
The biggest battles over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be fought in the coming weeks and months on the floors of Congress. Contact your Senators and Representatives now by going to our How You Can Help page and tell them to save the Arctic Refuge, one of America's last true natural wonders.