Time for a Change
Save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

What It Is

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the last remaining wild places in North America. Located in the northeast corner of Alaska, it encompasses areas both north and south of the massive Brooks Range. The slender coastal plain between the Brooks Range and the Beaufort Sea is at the heart of ANWR. During the summer, it teems with wildlife. Tens of thousands of migratory birds spend their summer there--the Arctic Tern makes the trip from Antarctica!--and there are foxes, wolves, grizzlies, musk oxen--and caribou. The plain is the birthing ground for the 140,000-strong Porcupine Caribou herd.

Having made their way to the plain during late spring, the female caribou give birth to 40,000-50,000 calves during a week's span in June of each year. It is a place well-suited to be a massive maternity ward. There is plenty of food; there is a constant wind to keep insects at bay; and it is an open flat area, so that predators can easily be spotted and avoided.

Who They Are

The Gwich'in people are caribou people. For ten thousand years they have lived off the herd, using the animals for food, tools, clothing, shelter, and culture. Living in several communities along the migration routes of the caribou, these Native Americans set up hunting camps during the spring and fall. For the most part, men do the hunting, women maintain the camps, and children learn ancient traditions around the evening campfires.

Lately, the arrival of the caribou has been less dependable. The Gwich'in believe this is due to increased small plane traffic and the intrusion of hikers and campers on the coastal plain. But what really concerns them is the possibility of opening up the plain for oil exploration.

To drill or not to drill…that is the question

About 95 percent of the northern coast of Alaska is already open to drilling. Some members of the U.S. government and oil companies want to drill in the remaining 5 percent that contains the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It is thought that this part of Alaska may contain 30-40 billion barrels of oil. That sounds like a lot, but pumped out a little at a time for perhaps 15 years, it would only provide 2-3 percent of the nation's annual petroleum needs at any given time. (We consume about 20 million barrels a day.) Thus, it would do little to offset dependence on foreign suppliers.

The Gwich'in fear that drilling on the coastal plain will seriously disrupt the caribou's birthing process, pushing them into the mountains (and closer to the predators) and disrupting their migration patterns--destroying the Gwich'in way of life as a consequence.

They also are deeply disturbed that the coastal plain would be intruded upon in this way because of the reverence they have for it. They call it "the sacred place where life begins," and will not go there to hunt even during a time of famine.

And we'd go there for a few percentage points of our petroleum needs.

Take Action

• Write your members of Congress to urge them not to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Remind them that we could easier save as much oil as we'll eventually find there by raising fuel efficiency standards by only a couple of miles per gallon. Also point out that for the Gwich'in people, their way of life is at stake. (U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510; U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515)
• Launch a petition campaign in your school. Make posters and hand-outs to educate others, then get signatures and addresses and send them off to your members of Congress.
• Set up a teach-in on issues related to drilling in the Arctic. Contact a local environmental center for a speaker (or contact the New Community Project at ncp@newcommunityproject.org, toll-free: 888-800-2985).
• Organize a Drive the Car Fast day at school or church. Encourage everyone who normally drives to "fast" from driving--to carpool, walk, bike, or take mass transit. Add up how many miles you together didn't drive that day. On average, every 20 miles not driven saves a gallon of gas.

The new video The Gwich'in--A Matter of Survival is available for free rental from videographer Ed Groff, participant in the 2004 Arctic Village Learning Tour. Contact Ed at: 12305 NE 27th St., Vancouver, WA. 98684; groffprod1 @msn.com