Nestled between Alaska’s Brooks Range and the Arctic Ocean, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge supports around 250 species, including caribou, musk oxen, Dall sheep, wolves, and millions of migratory birds. It also hosts the most significant onshore polar bear denning area in the U.S. Each year, hundreds of thousands of Porcupine caribou travel the world’s longest mammal land migration to give birth on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge along the Alaska-Canada border. Defending this landscape against oil and gas extraction would meaningfully contribute to upholding climate resiliency, biodiversity, and critical wildlife habitat, and safeguarding areas with immense cultural and livelihood significance to the Native Gwich’in people.
If extraction activities are allowed to take place, public access to places that recreationists and outdoor enthusiasts cherish would be at risk as well. It would also harm the tourism industry, which relies on globally significant lands, waters, wildlife, and experiences. Over the next year, Alaska Wilderness League will work to ensure this landscape remains free from oil and gas development, so that a future Congress and administration can invoke stronger protections.
