Protect
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Where is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Read a comprehensive history of the refuge, view detailed maps, photographs and a detailed explanation of how little stands to be gained by drilling for oil in the small but last remaining untouched refuge. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Irreparable Damage to the Arctic Tundra: claims of environmentally friendly exploration are not supported by the facts According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service far more damage to the arctic tundra will be done by exploration than the general public is being led to believe. Congress authorized seismic exploration on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge in the winters of 1984 and 1985. Refuge staff have monitored the recovery of the seismic trail damage on the Refuge. 15 years later, many trails had still not recovered. Some of the trails have become troughs visible from the air. Others show changes in the amount and types of tundra plants. In some areas, permafrost (permanently frozen soil) melted and the trails remain wetter than they were previously. Some of these impacts are expected to persist for decades. The new technology used for exploration is more not less destruction than the technology used in the mid-1980's. A new technology used to create a 3-deminsional subsurface image, known as3-D seismic, requires a much denser grid of trails than 2-D seismic. This new type of exploration currently is occurring on the north slope of Alaska, including an area with a half mile of the Refuge's western border. Whle the 1984-85 trails on the Refuge were usually only four miles apart, the 3-D seismic trails currently impacting these other areas are one half mile or less apart. A 1998 Environmental Impact Statement from the Bureau of Land Management states: "because 3-D seismic involves more tight turns by heavy equipment than does 2-D, the potential for vegetation damage is greater. For this reason, it can be assumed that the medium and high disturbance levels to tundra would occurin greater proportions from 3-D seismic lines than that presented for 2-D." Impact on Polar Bears Polar bears, a protected marine mammal, den in the refuge in higher numbers than anywhere along the Arctic coast. Females move in off ice floes in the winter, emerging in March and April with their young. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has already begun issuing permits to oil companies to kill "nuisance" polar bears. Read these government approved slaughter permits for yourself. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, only 53 dens have been located on the mainland coast of Alaska and Canada! Of these 53 dens, 22 (42%) were within the Arctic Refuge's drilling area (Section 1002). Seismic exploration methods require numerous vehicles to move in a grid pattern across the tundra. Maternal polar bears with newborn cubs can be prematurely displaced from their winter dens by the noise, vibrations and human disturbance associated with oil exploration activities. this displacement may result in potentially fatal human-bear conflicts, and may expose the cubs to increased mortality due to harsh winter conditions for which they are not yet prepared. See www.r7.fwd.gov/nwr/arctic/issues1.html. That is, when polar bears come into contact with people, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will grant permits to kill them. Impact on Birds All told, the refuge hosts more than 160 species of birds, 135 migratory and the rest resident. Among them are a growing population of peregrine falcons, once an endangered species; about 500 resident tundra swans; and as many as 300,000 snow geese that stage on the coastal plain in the fall, fattening up on cotton grass before their 1,200 mile flights to California and Mexico for the winter. Other Links Read a description of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the government agency charged with protecting the refuge. Read what the National Resource Defense Council has to say about the harmful effects of oil drilling in ANWR. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Write to your senator or house representative to oppose drilling in ANWR. For a sample letter click here. |
Why
is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) So Important? ANWR is a
place of rare diversity. Unlike any other conservation area on the
continent, the arctic refuge protects a spectrum of six contiguous
ecosystems, each a distinct zone with its own associated terrain, habitat
and wildlife characteristics. Chief among them is the 1.5 million
acre coastal plain, a narrow swath of rivers and tundra along the Beaufort
Sea to the north. It is this 120-mile long and 40 mile wide stretch
of coastline that is designated for potential oil development. But
it also is the area that refuge managers call the most critical for
wildlife. Its been called the American Serengeti, with animals as
far as you can see. 
