America's Refuge
JB: This is Earth and Sky for Thursday, December 6. On this date in 1960, a public land order designated close to nine million acres in Alaska as a wildlife refuge.
DB: Twenty years later, it was expanded to 18 million acres. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – or ANWR – was designed to protect an entire ecological region on the north coast of Alaska – all the plants and animals that live there. Because it’s so big and remote, the refuge also preserved two less tangible things – wilderness and solitude.
JB: ANWR is big – the state of South Carolina could almost fit inside. Winter is harsh there. The sun disappears in mid-November, and nighttime is continuous until mid-January. To say it’s windy and cold in the refuge would be an understatement.
DB: Contrary to popular belief, northern Alaska isn’t a barren wasteland. About 180 bird species – and over 70 fish and mammal species – call it home. People live in the region, too. An Inupiaq Eskimo village and an Athabascan Indian community border its north and south sides. There are no roads, developments, or trails in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But it’s open to public use year-round for unparalleled solitude, challenge, and adventure.
JB: Our thanks today to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
The following individuals were interviewed for today’s show. Our thanks to:
Fran Mauer
Wildlife Biologist
USFWS
Fairbanks, AK
Bruce Woods
External Affairs Officer
USFWS
Anchorage, AK,
Cathy Curby
Wildlife Biologist
USFWS
Fairbanks, AK
For More Background Info:
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (US Fish and Wildlife Service)
Author’s Notes (Much of the following information comes from the official ANWR web site):
The move to protect this part of Alaska began in the early 1950s. Visionary conservationists George Collins, Lowell Sumner, and Olaus and Mardy Murie, considered founders of the Refuge, launched a spirited campaign to permanently safeguard the area. Their effort mobilized thousands, including conservation leaders, sportsmen’s groups, garden clubs and individuals. The effort succeeded.
The Terrain
The refuge has five distinct ecological regions – the Brooks Mountain Range, arctic tundra, meadows, coastal plain, and forest. It is the only national conservation area that provides a complete range of arctic ecosystems. Permafrost underlies most of the refuge, helping to keep the landscape wet and productive in summer.
The majestic Brooks Range rises from its coastal plain only 10-40 miles from the Beaufort Sea. It includes the four highest peaks and most of the glaciers in the Brooks Range. There are 18 major rivers: three designated as Wild (Sheenjek, Ivishak, and Wind). It contains North America’s two largest and most northerly alpine lakes (Peters and Schrader).
Life on the Refuge
ANWR contains the greatest variety of plant and animal life of any conservation area in the circumpolar north. All three bear species are found there – black, brown and polar. The world’s second largest caribou herd spends the summer in the refuge. There are over 70 fish and mammal species there. All of the lower 48 states of the U.S. have birds that migrate to the refuge for some part of the summer. The Nation’s northernmost breeding population of golden eagles occurs there. Its coast is a major migration route for several waterfowl species. It is home to North America’s farthest north Dall sheep population.
There are hundreds of species of mosses, grasses, wildflowers, shrubs and other plants.
People live in the region too. Kaktovik, an Inupiaq Eskimo village, and Arctic Village, an Athabascan Indian community, border its north and south sides.
Recreation
There are no roads, developments, or trails in ANWR. There is no visitor’s center. You must fly, boat, or walk to get there. It is open to public use year-round, offering unparalleled opportunities to experience solitude, challenge, and adventure.
Additional Teacher Resources
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Renowned for its wildlife, the Arctic Refuge is inhabited by 45 species of land and marine mammals ranging from the pygmy shrew to the bowhead whale. Eight million acres of Arctic Refuge are designated wilderness, and three rivers are designated wild rivers. Perhaps the most unique feature of the refuge is that large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes continue here, free of human control or manipulation. This report provides an overview of the natural history of the Refuge and the prominent flora and fauna within it.
American Museum of Natural History, Earth Bulletin: Northern Alaska, Rich in Wildlife and Oil
This site is a great resource for covering not only the history of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge as well as the flora and fauna that reside within it, but also the controversial energy issues surrounding the area. This site also has a great interactive slide show “Drilling in ANWR, Risks and Benefits,” a worthwhile tool for students of all ages.
NASA, Multi-Angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer: MISR Image Gallery: Summer in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
This site provides colorful satellite imagery of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as a brief history of the Refuge as well as a description of the ecosystem and biodiversity within.
