Editing Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

{{Short description|Protected area in Alaska}}
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{{Infobox protected area
| name            = Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
| iucn_category   = IV
| photo           = Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.jpg
| photo_caption   = Refuge during summer
| map_image       = {{Infobox mapframe |frame=yes |type=shape |frame-lat=65.06 |frame-long=-152.03 |stroke-width=2 |zoom=3 |point=none}}
| map_caption     = Location in northern Alaska
| location        = [[North Slope Borough, Alaska|North Slope Borough]] and [[Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska|Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area]], [[Alaska]], United States
| nearest_city    = [[Utqiaġvik, Alaska]] pop. 3,982<br>[[Kaktovik, Alaska]] pop. 258
| coordinates     = {{Coord|68|45|N|143|30|W|region:US-AK|display=inline, title}}
| area_acre       = 19286722
| established     = 1960
| visitation_num  =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body  = [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]]
| website         = [http://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/ Arctic National NWR]
}}

The '''Arctic National Wildlife Refuge''' ('''ANWR''', pronounced as “''ANN-warr''”) or '''Arctic Refuge''' is a [[national wildlife refuge]] in northeastern [[Alaska]], United States, on traditional [[Inupiaq|Iñupiaq]] and [[Gwichʼin|Gwich'in]] lands. The refuge is {{convert|19286722|acre|km2}} of the [[Alaska North Slope]] region, with a northern coastline and vast inland forest, [[taiga]], and [[tundra]] regions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fws.gov/refuges/land/pdf/AnnLandsReport_2009.pdf|title=USFWS Annual Lands Report, 30 September 2009|accessdate=22 May 2023|archive-date=2 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202135903/https://www.fws.gov/refuges/land/pdf/AnnLandsReport_2009.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> ANWR is the largest national wildlife refuge in the country, slightly larger than the [[Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge]]. The refuge is administered from offices in [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]]. ANWR is home to a diverse range of [[endemism|endemic]] mammal species; notably, it is one of the few North American locations with all three endemic American [[bear]]s—the [[polar bear]], [[grizzly bear]], and [[American black bear]], each of which resides predominantly in its own [[ecological niche]]. Besides the bears, other mammal species include the [[moose]], [[Reindeer|caribou]], [[Grey wolf|wolves]], [[red fox|red]] and [[Arctic fox]], [[Canada lynx]], [[wolverine]], [[pine marten]], [[American beaver]], and [[North American river otter]]. Further inland, [[mountain goats]] may be seen near the slope. Hundreds of species of [[Bird migration|migratory birds]] visit the refuge yearly, and it is a vital, protected breeding location for them. [[Snow geese]], [[eider]]s and [[snowy owls]] may be observed as well.

Just across the border in [[Yukon]], [[Canada]], are two [[National Parks of Canada|Canadian National Parks]], [[Ivvavik National Park|Ivvavik]] and [[Vuntut National Park|Vuntut]].

==History==
The Arctic Refuge is part of the traditional homelands of many bands or tribes of the [[Gwichʼin]] people. For thousands of years, the Gwich'in have called the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge "Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit" (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins).<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Coastal Plain – The Sacred Place Where Life Begins|url=http://ourarcticrefuge.org/about-the-refuge/the-coastal-plain-the-sacred-place-where-life-begins/|access-date=2021-11-11|website=Gwich'in Steering Committee|language=en|archive-date=9 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109162130/https://ourarcticrefuge.org/about-the-refuge/the-coastal-plain-the-sacred-place-where-life-begins/|url-status=live}}</ref> 
Climate change is rapidly affecting the Arctic region, with melting polar ice caps leading to rising sea levels and warming due to the albedo effect. The potential oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge threatens the Porcupine caribou herd's calving grounds, while climate change forces polar bears to change their hunting and denning patterns. Additionally, the unique marine ecosystem of the Arctic basin is being disturbed by industrial noise and oil exploration. The Inupiaq village of Kaktovik, a community that has adapted to this harsh environment over thousands of years, also faces potential disruption.

The [[National Wildlife Refuge|National Wildlife Refuge System]] was founded by [[Theodore Roosevelt|President Theodore Roosevelt]] in 1903,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fws.gov/midwest/insider3/May17Story6.htm|title=Diversity of species calls wildlife refuge home|last1=Burke|first1=Leann|publisher=U.S Fish & Wildlife Service|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-date=31 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731195038/https://www.fws.gov/midwest/insider3/May17Story6.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> to protect immense areas of wildlife and wetlands in the United States. This refuge system created the [[Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918]] which conserves the wildlife of Alaska.

In 1929, a 28-year-old forester named [[Bob Marshall (wilderness activist)|Bob Marshall]] visited the upper [[Koyukuk River]] and the central [[Brooks Range]] on his summer vacation "in what seemed on the map to be the most unknown section of Alaska."<ref name="Sierra Club 2018">{{cite web | title=The Last Stand of the Last Great Wilderness | website=Sierra Club | date=2018-10-29 | url=https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2018-6-november-december/feature/last-stand-last-great-wilderness | access-date=2018-11-30}}</ref>

In February 1930, Marshall published an essay, [[s:The Problem of the Wilderness|"The Problem of the Wilderness"]], a spirited defense of wilderness preservation in ''[[The Scientific Monthly]],'' arguing that wilderness was worth saving not only because of its unique aesthetic qualities, but because it could provide visitors with a chance for adventure.<ref name="Shabecoff 2012 p. ">{{cite book | last=Shabecoff | first=P. | title=A Fierce Green Fire: The American Environmental Movement | publisher=Island Press | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-59726-759-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K8NfpCunXEkC | access-date=2018-11-30 }}</ref> Marshall stated: "There is just one hope of repulsing the tyrannical ambition of civilization to conquer every niche on the whole earth. That hope is the organization of spirited people who will fight for the freedom of the wilderness."<ref name="Nash Miller 2014 p. 200">{{cite book | last1=Nash | first1=R.F. | last2=Miller | first2=C. | title=Wilderness and the American Mind: Fifth Edition | publisher=Yale University Press | year=2014 | isbn=978-0-300-15350-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQupAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA200 | access-date=2018-11-30 | page=200}}</ref> The article became a much-quoted call to action and by the late 20th century was considered seminal by wilderness historians.<ref>Glover, p. 116</ref> According to environmental journalist Brooke Jarvis, "Marshall saw the enormous, largely unsettled Arctic lands he had explored as a possible antidote to this—not another chance to keep chasing America's so-called Manifest Destiny but a chance to finally stop chasing it." Even for Americans who would never travel there, "he thought they would benefit knowing that it still existed in the condition it always had." "In Alaska alone," Marshall wrote, "can the emotional values of the frontier be preserved."<ref name="Sierra Club 2018"/>

In 1953, an article was published in the journal of the [[Sierra Club]] by then National Park Service planner George Collins and biologist Lowell Sumner titled "Northeast Alaska: The Last Great Wilderness".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kaye|first1=Roger|title=The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: An Exploration of the Meanings Embodied in America's Last Great Wilderness|url=https://www.wilderness.net/library/documents/science1999/Volume2/Kaye_2-10.pdf|access-date=16 July 2014|work=Volume 2|agency=USDA Forest Service Proceedings|issue=15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231115044/http://www.wilderness.net/library/documents/science1999/Volume2/Kaye_2-10.pdf|archive-date=31 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Collins and Sumner then recruited [[The Wilderness Society (United States)|Wilderness Society]] President [[Olaus Murie]] and his wife [[Margaret Murie]] with an effort to permanently protect the area.

In 1954, the [[National Park Service]] recommended that the untouched areas in the Northeastern region of Alaska be preserved for research and protection of nature.<ref name="U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service">{{cite web | title=Time Line: Establishment and management of Arctic Refuge - Arctic | website=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | url=https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/timeline.html | access-date=2018-11-30 | archive-date=1 December 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201051421/https://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/timeline.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> The question of whether to drill for oil in the National Wildlife Arctic Refuge has been a political controversy since 1977. The debate mainly concerns section 1002 in the ANWR. Section 1002 is located on the coastal plain where many of the Arctic's diverse wildlife species reside. There are two sides of this debate: support for drilling and the opposition of drilling.

In 1956, Olaus and Mardy Murie led an expedition to the [[Brooks Range]] in northeast Alaska, where they dedicated an entire summer to studying the land and wildlife ecosystems of the Upper [[Sheenjek River|Sheenjek Valley]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Krear, PhD|first1=Robert|title=The Muries Made the Difference|journal=The Muries Voices for Wilderness & Wildlife|date=July 2000|pages=19–20}}</ref> The conclusion resulting from these studies was an ever-deeper sense of the importance of preserving the area intact, a determination that would play an instrumental part in the decision to designate the area as wilderness in 1960. As Olaus would later say in a 1963 speech to a meeting of the Wildlife Management Association of New Mexico State University, "On our trips to the Arctic Wildlife Range we saw clearly that it was not a place for mass recreation... It takes a lot of territory to keep this alive, a living wilderness, for scientific observation and for esthetic inspiration. The Far North is a fragile place."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Murie|first1=Olaus|title=Look Ye Also While Life Lasts|work=The Muries: Voices for Wilderness and Wildlife}}</ref> Environmentalist Celia M. Hunter met the Muries and joined the fight. Founding the Alaska Conservation Society in  1960, Celia worked tirelessly to garner support for the protection of Alaskan wilderness ecosystems.<ref>alaskaconservation.org</ref>

The region first became a [[Protected areas of the United States|federal protected area]] on December 6, 1960, via an order authored by [[Ted Stevens]], Solicitor of the Interior,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/senator-has-long-pushed-for-drilling/ | title=Senator has long pushed for drilling | date=3 November 2005 | access-date=5 May 2023 | archive-date=5 May 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505120740/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/senator-has-long-pushed-for-drilling/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sen. Ted Steven's History of Ethics Violations and Antipathy Toward the Environment |url=https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/legacy/Global/usa/planet3/PDFs/ted-stevens-chronology.pdf |website=greenpeace.org |access-date=22 May 2023 |archive-date=20 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420152237/https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/legacy/Global/usa/planet3/PDFs/ted-stevens-chronology.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and signed by [[Fred Andrew Seaton]], [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]] under [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. In 1980, [[United States Congress|Congress]] passed the [[Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act]].   The bill was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on 2 December 1980.<ref>King, Seth S. (3 December 1980). "[https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/03/archives/carter-signs-a-bill-to-protect-104-million-acres-in-alaska-warning.html Carter Signs a Bill to Protect 104 Million Acres in Alaska]". ''New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved 14 December 2017.</ref>

{{convert|8|e6acre|km2|spell=In}} of the refuge are designated as [[National Wilderness Preservation System|wilderness area]], the [[Mollie Beattie Wilderness]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&WID=364 |title=Mollie Beattie Wilderness |author=Wilderness Institute, University of Montana |year=2011 |publisher=Wilderness.net |access-date=29 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016091841/http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=wildView&WID=364 |archive-date=16 October 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The expansion of the refuge in 1980 designated {{convert|1.5|e6acre|km2}} of the coastal plain as the [[1002 area]] and mandated studies of the [[natural resource]]s of this area, especially [[Oil exploration|petroleum]]. Congressional authorization is required before [[oil drilling]] may proceed in this area. The remaining {{convert|10.1|e6acre|km2}} of the refuge are designated as "minimal management," a category intended to maintain existing natural conditions and resource values. These areas are suitable for wilderness designation, although there are presently no proposals to designate them as wilderness.

Currently, there are no roads within or leading into the refuge, but there are a few Native settlements scattered within. On the northern edge of the refuge is the [[Inupiat people|Inupiat]] village of [[Kaktovik, Alaska|Kaktovik]] (population 258)<ref name="factfinder.census.gov">{{Cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en  |access-date=13 September 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and on the southern boundary the [[Gwich'in people|Gwich'in]] settlement of [[Arctic Village, Alaska|Arctic Village]] (population 152).<ref name="factfinder.census.gov"/> A popular wilderness route and historic passage exists between the two villages, traversing the refuge and all its [[ecosystem]]s from [[Boreal ecosystem|boreal]], interior forest to [[Arctic Ocean]] coast. Generally, visitors gain access to the land by [[aircraft]], but it is also possible to reach the refuge by boat or by walking (the [[Dalton Highway]] passes near the western edge of the refuge).  In the [[United States]], the geographic location most remote from human trails, roads, or settlements is found here, at the headwaters of the [[Sheenjek River]].

== Geography ==
[[File:Arctic National Wildlife.jpg|thumb|Natural-color satellite image of the refuge. Thick white lines delineate refuge boundaries, and thin white lines separate areas within the park.]]
[[File:Anwrmap.jpg|thumb|Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Map.]]The Arctic is mostly an ocean surrounded by land. The Arctic is relatively covered by water, much of it is frozen. The [[glacier]]s and [[iceberg]]s in the Arctic make up about 10% of Earth's land area. Most of the Arctic's liquid [[Saline water|saltwater]] is from the Arctic Ocean's basin. Some parts of the ocean's surface are frozen all or most of the year. The Arctic area is mainly known for sea ice surrounding the region. The Arctic experiences extreme solar radiation. During the [[Northern Hemisphere]]'s winter months, the Arctic experiences cold and darkness which makes it one of the unique places on [[Earth]].
North America's two largest [[Alpine Lakes Wilderness|alpine lakes]] (Peters and Schrader) are located inside the refuge. ANWR is nearly the size of [[South Carolina]]. [[File:Brooks Range Mountains ANWR.jpg|thumb|Area 1002 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, looking south toward the [[Brooks Range]] mountains.]]

The refuge supports a greater variety of plant and animal life than any other protected area in the [[Arctic Circle]]. A continuum of six different [[biome|ecozone]]s spans about {{convert|200|mi|sigfig=1}} north to south.

Along the northern coast of the refuge, the [[barrier island]]s, coastal [[lagoon]]s, [[salt marsh]]es, and [[river delta]]s of the [[Arctic coastal tundra]] provide habitat for migratory [[waterbird]]s including [[sea duck]]s, [[geese]], [[swan]]s, and [[shorebird]]s. Fish such as [[Dolly Varden trout|dolly varden]] and [[Cisco (fish)|Arctic cisco]] are found in nearshore waters. Coastal lands and sea ice are used by [[porcupine caribou|caribou]] seeking relief from biting insects during summer, and by [[polar bear]]s hunting [[pinniped|seals]] and giving birth in snow dens during winter.

The Arctic coastal plain stretches southward from the coast to the foothills of the [[Brooks Range]]. This area of rolling hills, small lakes, and north-flowing, braided rivers is dominated by tundra vegetation consisting of low [[shrub]]s, [[Cyperaceae|sedges]], and [[moss]]es. Caribou travel to the coastal plain during June and July to give birth and raise their young. Migratory birds and [[insects]] flourish here during the brief Arctic summer. Tens of thousands of [[Snow goose|snow geese]] stop here during September to feed before migrating south, and [[muskox]]en live here year-round.

South of the coastal plain, the mountains of the eastern Brooks Range rise to nearly {{convert|9000|ft}}. This northernmost extension of the [[Rocky Mountains]] marks the continental divide, with north-flowing rivers emptying into the [[Arctic Ocean]] and south-flowing rivers joining the great [[Yukon River]]. The rugged mountains of the Brooks Range are incised by deep river valleys creating a range of elevations and aspects that support a variety of low [[tundra]] vegetation, dense shrubs, rare groves of [[Populus|poplar]] trees on the north side and [[spruce]] on the south. During summer, [[peregrine falcon]]s, [[gyrfalcon]]s, and [[golden eagle]]s build nests on cliffs. [[Harlequin duck]]s and [[red-breasted merganser]]s are seen on swift-flowing rivers. [[Dall sheep]], muskoxen, and [[Alaskan tundra wolf|Alaskan Arctic tundra wolves]] are active all year, while [[grizzly bear]]s and [[ground squirrel|Arctic ground squirrels]] are frequently seen during summer but hibernate in winter.
[[File:Dall sheep ewe and lamb (5896652039).jpg|thumbnail|[[Dall sheep]] at ANWR]]
The southern portion of the Arctic Refuge is within the [[Interior Alaska-Yukon lowland taiga]] ([[taiga|boreal forest]]) ecoregion. Beginning as predominantly treeless tundra with scattered islands of black and white [[spruce|spruce trees]], the forest becomes progressively denser as the foothills yield to the expansive flats north of the Yukon River. Frequent forest fires ignited by lightning result in a complex mosaic of birch, aspen, and spruce forests of various ages. Wetlands and south-flowing rivers create openings in the forest canopy. Neotropical migratory birds breed here in spring and summer, attracted by plentiful food and the variety of habitats. Caribou travel here from farther north to spend the winter. Other year-round residents of the boreal forest include [[Alaska moose|moose]], [[Arctic fox|polar foxes]], [[North American beaver|beavers]], [[Canada lynx|Canadian lynxes]], [[American marten|martens]], [[red fox]]es, [[North American river otter|river otters]], [[North American porcupine|porcupines]], [[muskrat]]s, [[American black bear|black bears]], [[wolverine]]s, [[wolves]] and [[American mink|minks]].

Each year, thousands of waterfowl and other birds nest and reproduce in areas surrounding [[Prudhoe Bay, Alaska|Prudhoe Bay]] and [[Kuparuk River|Kuparuk]] fields and a healthy and increasing caribou herd migrates through these areas to calve and seek respite from annoying pests.

==Drilling==
{{main|Arctic Refuge drilling controversy}}

{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage=[[File:1002 Area ANWR.jpg|210px]]
 | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hey_WIAFVA Protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge], [[The White House]], 0:58<ref name="WH">{{cite web | title =President Obama Calls on Congress to Protect Arctic Refuge as Wilderness | date =25 January 2015 | url =https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/01/25/president-obama-calls-congress-protect-arctic-refuge-wilderness | via =[[NARA|National Archives]] | work =[[whitehouse.gov]] | access-date =26 January 2015 }}</ref> }}
The question of whether to drill for oil in the ANWR has been an ongoing political controversy in the United States since 1977.<ref>Shogren, Elizabeth. [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5007819 "For 30 Years, a Political Battle Over Oil and ANWR."] ''[[All Things Considered]]''. [[National Public Radio|NPR]]. 10 November 2005.</ref>

The controversy surrounds [[Oil well|drilling for oil]] in a subsection of the coastal plain, known as the "1002 area".<ref name="usdoe">{{cite web|url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/analysis_publications/arctic_national_wildlife_refuge/html/overview.html|title=Potential Oil Production from the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Updated Assessment|publisher=US DOE|access-date=2009-03-14| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090403054058/http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/analysis_publications/arctic_national_wildlife_refuge/html/overview.html| archive-date= 3 April 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> ANWR is {{convert|19286722|acre|km2}}. The coastal plain is {{convert|1500000|acre|km2}}. The current proposal would limit development to {{convert|2000|acre|km2}} of that plain.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/19/congress-moves-drill-baby-drill-alaska-anwr-refuge-heres-what-you-should-know/874187001/ Congress moves to 'drill, baby, drill' in Alaska's ANWR. Here's what you should know] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317102638/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/11/19/congress-moves-drill-baby-drill-alaska-anwr-refuge-heres-what-you-should-know/874187001/ |date=17 March 2018 }}<br />"Surface development on the federal land would be limited to 2,000 acres."</ref>

Much of the debate over whether to drill in the 1002 area of ANWR rests on the amount of economically recoverable oil, as it relates to world oil markets, weighed against the potential harm [[Hydrocarbon exploration|oil exploration]] might have upon the [[National Wildlife Refuge|natural wildlife]], in particular the calving ground of the [[Porcupine caribou]].<ref name=natgeo>Mitchell, John. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080105054927/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/08/01/html/ft_20010801.3.html "Oil Field or Sanctuary?"] ''National Geographic'' 1 August 2001.</ref> The Arctic was found to have an immense amount of oil and [[natural gas]] deposits. Specifically, ANWR occupies land beneath which there may be {{convert|7.7|to|11.8|e9oilbbl|e9m3|abbr=unit}} of oil. In Alaska, it is known for major oil companies to work with the indigenous groups, [[Alaska Native corporation|Alaska native corporations]], to drill and export millions of barrels of oil each year.

Nearly all countries in the Arctic are rushing to claim the resources and minerals found in the Arctic. This rivalry is known as the "New Cold War" or "Race for the Arctic". [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] argued for years that drilling should be allowed since there would be over $30 million of revenue and create as many as 130,000 jobs. Furthermore, Republicans claim that drilling will make the United States more independent from other countries because it will increase the [[oil reserves]] of the country. For Republicans to enable exploitation of the oil, they would need 51 votes in the Senate to pass the House bill that cannot include the ANWR drilling language.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

People who oppose the drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge believe that it would be a threat to the lives of [[Alaska Natives|indigenous tribes]]. Those tribes rely on the ANWR's wildlife, the animals and plants that reside in the refuge. Moreover, the practice of drilling could present a potential threat to the region as a whole. When companies are exploring and drilling they are extracting the vegetation and destroying [[permafrost]] which can cause harm to the land.

In December 2017, Congress passed the Trump administration's tax bill which
included a provision introduced by Senator [[Lisa Murkowski]] that required Interior Secretary [[Ryan Zinke]] to approve at least two lease sales for drilling in the refuge.<ref>{{cite web |last1=D'Angelo |first1=Chris |title=Trump Says He 'Really Didn't Care' About Drilling Arctic Refuge. Then A Friend Called |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-arctic-drilling-anwr_us_5a735a04e4b06ee97af09f89 |website=HuffPost |date=February 2018 |access-date=29 July 2018 |archive-date=29 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729042506/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-arctic-drilling-anwr_us_5a735a04e4b06ee97af09f89 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/CT2VYZEHFUY Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20180729193904/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT2VYZEHFUY&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |last1=Trump begins to speak at minute 1:40 |title=ANWR wildlife refuge |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT2VYZEHFUY |website=YouTube |date=29 July 2018 |access-date=29 July 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In September 2019, the administration said they would like to see the entire coastal plain opened for gas and oil exploration, the most aggressive of the suggested development options.  The Interior Department's [[Bureau of Land Management]] (BLM) has filed a final [[environmental impact statement]] and plans to start granting leases by the end of the year. In a review of the statement the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service|U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]] said the BLM's final statement underestimated the climate impacts of the oil leases because they viewed global warming as cyclical rather than human-made. The administration's plan calls for "the construction of as many as four places for airstrips and well pads, {{convert|175|mi|km|disp=sqbr}} of roads, vertical supports for pipelines, a seawater-treatment plant and a barge landing and storage site."<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump administration opens huge reserve in Alaska to drilling |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/trump-administration-chooses-most-expansive-approach-to-oil-gas-exploration-in-alaska-wildlife-refuge/2019/09/12/cfac63cc-d597-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-date=21 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021010930/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/trump-administration-chooses-most-expansive-approach-to-oil-gas-exploration-in-alaska-wildlife-refuge/2019/09/12/cfac63cc-d597-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Holden |first1=Emily |title=Trump opens protected Alaskan Arctic refuge to oil drillers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/12/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-oil-gas-drilling |website=The Guardian |date=12 September 2019 |access-date=22 October 2019 |archive-date=22 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022043231/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/12/trump-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-oil-gas-drilling |url-status=live }}</ref>

In response to public outcry and concerns of worsening climate change, U.S. banks [[Goldman Sachs]], [[JPMorgan Chase]] and [[Wells Fargo]] publicly announced that they will not fund oil and gas projects in the Arctic region.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-oil-alaska-idUSKBN20Q0H2|title=Wall Street backs away from Arctic drilling amid Alaska political heat|date=2020-03-03|work=Reuters|access-date=2020-03-04|language=en}}</ref> These decisions come as President Donald Trump's administration is proceeding with planned lease sales in the Refuge.

On August 17, 2020, Interior Secretary [[David Bernhardt]] announced an oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Gregory Wallace and Chandelis Duster|title=Trump administration announces plans to drill in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/trump-arctic-wildlife-drilling/index.html|access-date=2020-08-17|website=CNN|date=17 August 2020|archive-date=17 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817144600/https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/trump-arctic-wildlife-drilling/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This will allow for future drilling in the Refuge.

An auction for the land leases was held on January 6, 2021. Of the twenty-two tracts up for auction, full bids were offered for only eleven tracts. An Alaskan state entity, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, won the bids on nine tracts. Two small independent companies, Knik Arm Services LLC and Regenerate Alaska Inc, won one tract each. The auction generated $14.4 million, significantly lower than the $1.8 billion estimate from the [[Congressional Budget Office]] in 2019, and the auction did not receive bids from any oil and gas companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-alaska-oil/oil-drillers-shrug-off-trumps-u-s-arctic-wildlife-refuge-auction-idUSKBN29B0KR|title=Oil drillers shrug off Trump's U.S. Arctic wildlife refuge auction|work=www.reuters.com|author1=Nichola Groom|author2=Yereth Rosen|date=January 6, 2021|accessdate=June 1, 2021}}</ref> A second auction in December 2024 and January 2025 also did not receive bids from any oil and gas companies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Frazin |first=Rachel |date=December 8, 2025 |title=Companies decline to drill in Alaska wildlife refuge |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5074074-alaska-wildlife-refuge-interior-department-drilling/ |access-date=January 8, 2025 |work=The Hill}}</ref>

On January 20, 2021, newly inaugurated President [[Joe Biden]] issued an executive order to temporarily halt drilling activity in the refuge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-news-alaska-wildlife-arctic-cdd89af06cb892e042782ace3abca8eb|title=Biden plans temporary halt of oil activity in Arctic refuge|date=20 January 2021|website=AP NEWS|access-date=22 January 2021|archive-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120231107/https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-us-news-alaska-wildlife-arctic-cdd89af06cb892e042782ace3abca8eb|url-status=live}}</ref>

On June 1, 2021, President Biden suspended all of the oil drilling leases issued by the previous administration, pending a review of the environmental impacts and legal basis of the leases.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Davenport|first1=Coral|last2=Fountain|first2=Henry|last3=Friedman|first3=Lisa|date=2021-06-01|title=Biden Suspends Drilling Leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/climate/biden-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge.html|access-date=2021-06-01|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=6 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606204749/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/climate/biden-drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-suspend-oil-leases-arctic-refuge_n_60b677b6e4b0c5658f995387|title=Biden Administration to Suspend Trump-Era Oil Leases in Arctic Refuge|date=June 2021}}</ref> On September 6, 2023, the Biden administration cancelled the leases.<ref>{{cite news |title=Biden to cancel oil and gas leases in Alaska issued by Trump administration |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/06/alaska-biden-cancels-gas-oil-drilling |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=6 September 2023 |access-date=7 September 2023}}</ref> In January, 2025, the [[List_of_governors_of_Alaska|Dunleavy administration]] sued the Biden administration, claiming Arctic refuge lease sale restrictions violate a 2017 law mandating development.<ref>{{cite news |last1=DeMarban |first1=Alex |title=Dunleavy administration sues Interior over ANWR lease sale |url=https://www.adn.com/business-economy/energy/2025/01/07/alaska-is-suing-the-biden-administration-over-fridays-arctic-refuge-oil-lease-sale-will-there-be-much-bidding-this-time/ |work=Anchorage Daily News |date=January 8, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

On January 20, 2025, President Trump declared the protected wildlife refuge open for gas and oil exploration and exploitation via executive action on his first day in office.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frazin |first=Rachel |date=January 20, 2025 |title=Trump issues orders aiming to drill in contentious Alaska areas, revisit Biden climate rules |url=https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5097241-trump-executive-orders-oil-drilling-climate-electric-vehicles/ |access-date=January 20, 2025 |website=The Hill}}</ref>

== Climate change ==
Scientists are noticing that sea levels are rising at increasing rates. Sea levels are rising because polar ice caps are melting at a rapid pace. This process starts in the Arctic region, specifically in Alaska. Researchers at [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]] explained that increasing temperatures, melting glaciers, thawing permafrost, and [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]] are all indications of warming throughout the Arctic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/arctic-meteorology/climate_change.html|title=Climate Change in the Arctic {{!}} National Snow and Ice Data Center|website=nsidc.org|access-date=2018-04-25|archive-date=13 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413211531/https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/arctic-meteorology/climate_change.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sea ice|Sea Ice]] has thinned and decreased. Thinning has occurred due to the sun melting the ice at a higher pace. This backs up the concept of how the Arctic region is the first to be affected by climate change. Shorefast ice tends to form later in fall. In September 2007, the concentration of sea ice in the [[Arctic Ocean]] was significantly less than ever previously recorded. Although the total area of ice built up in recent years, the amount of ice continued to decline because of this thinning.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web|url=https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/quickfacts/seaice.html|title=Quick Facts on Arctic Sea Ice {{!}} National Snow and Ice Data Center|website=nsidc.org|access-date=2018-04-25}}</ref> [[Climate change]] is happening faster and more severe in the Arctic compared to the rest of the world. According to [[NASA]], the Arctic is the first place that will be affected by global climate change.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/|title=Global Climate Change: Effects|last=Jackson|first=Randal|work=Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet|access-date=2018-04-25|archive-date=15 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515132048/https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/|url-status=live}}</ref> This is because shiny ice and snow reflect a high proportion of the sun's energy into [[space]]. The Arctic gradually loses snow and ice, bare rock and water absorb more and more of the sun's energy, making the Arctic even warmer. This phenomenon is called the [[Albedo|albedo effect]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.npolar.no/en/facts/albedo-effect.html|title=Albedo effect|website=Norwegian Polar Institute|access-date=2018-04-25}}</ref>

=== Porcupine caribou herd ===
This area for possible future oil drilling on the coastal plains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, encompasses much of the [[Porcupine caribou]] calving grounds. Migratory caribou herds are named after their birthing grounds, in this case the [[Porcupine River]], which runs through a large part of the range of the Porcupine herd.<ref name=Alaska /><ref name=Kolpashikov /> In 2001, some biologists feared development in the Refuge would "push caribou into the foothills, where calves would be more prone to predation."<ref name=natgeo /> Though numbers fluctuate, there were approximately 169,000 animals in the herd in 2010.<ref name=Alaska>{{citation|institution=Alaska Department of Fish and Game|first=Cora|last=Campbell|location=Juneau, Alaska|number=99811|date=2 March 2011|series=Press release|title=Porcupine Caribou Herd shows growth|url=http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=pressreleases.pr03022011|access-date=15 January 2014|archive-date=16 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116112048/http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=pressreleases.pr03022011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Kolpashikov>{{citation|last1=Kolpashikov|first1=L.|first2=V.|last2=Makhailov|first3=D. |last3=Russell|title=The role of harvest, predators and socio-political environment in the dynamics of the Taimyr wild reindeer herd with some lessons for North America|journal=Ecology and Society}}</ref> Their annual land migration of {{convert|1500|miles|km}}, between their winter range in the boreal forests of Alaska and northwest Canada over the mountains to the coastal plain and their calving grounds on the [[Beaufort Sea]] coastal plain,<ref name=natgeo1>{{citation|last=Mitchell|first=John|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/08/01/html/ft_20010801.3.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105054927/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/08/01/html/ft_20010801.3.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 January 2008|title=Oil Field or Sanctuary?|publisher=National Geographic|date=1 August 2001|access-date=15 January 2014}}</ref> is the longest of any land mammal on earth.

In 2001, proponents of the development of the oil fields at [[Prudhoe Bay]] and Kuparuk, which would be approximately {{convert|60|mi|km}} west of the Refuge, argued that [[Central Arctic caribou herd]], had increased its numbers "in spite of several hundred miles of gravel roads and more than a thousand miles of elevated pipe." However, the Central Arctic herd is much smaller than the Porcupine herd, and has an area that is much larger.<ref name=natgeo /> By 2008 the Central Arctic caribou herd had approximately 67,000 animals.<ref name=Kolpashikov />

=== Polar bears ===
[[File:Polar Bears - Marko Dimitrijevic.jpg|thumb|Two Polar Bears]]
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is directly connected to Polar Bears. These bears are known for traveling in the region to den and give birth. Nearly 50 of these species migrate along the coast to the refuge in September. These bears extend more than {{convert|800|mi}} along the coast of [[Northern Alaska]] and [[Canada]]. Due to changes in climate, Polar bears are recorded to now spend more time on land waiting on new sea ice to form, as they depend on sea ice for much of their hunting. This limits their ability to hunt seals to build up fat for hibernation. Much controversial, the polar bears are widely affected by the climate change happening in this region. Pregnant females are forced to move onshore at unusual times to dig their dens. Usually, the bears are known to dig their dens in November, then give birth to one to two tiny cubs in December or January. The mothers then nurse and care for the young until March or early April, when they loom from the dens. After several days adapting to the outside environment, the families leave the dens. They move back to the sea ice to hunt [[ringed seal]]s and other prey. The cubs always stay with their mothers for about the next two and a half years.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|url=http://www.fws.gov/|title=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service|last=Service|first=U.S. Fish and Wildlife|website=www.fws.gov|access-date=2018-04-25|archive-date=16 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016224008/http://www.fws.gov/|url-status=live}}</ref> Polar Bears follow the trace of current carrying sea ice which leads them to travel south. This often leads them to relying on trash abundances for [[nutrition]]. This food source impacts the health of polar bears negatively. They also begin targeting unusual animals as prey.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/arctic-wildlife-refuge-tax-bill-oil-drilling-environment/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223094823/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/arctic-wildlife-refuge-tax-bill-oil-drilling-environment/|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 December 2017|title=Arctic Refuge Has Lots of Wildlife—Oil, Maybe Not So Much|date=2017-12-19|access-date=2018-04-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/threats/|title=Threats to Polar Bears|access-date=2018-04-25|archive-date=24 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824190105/http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/arctic/wildlife/polar_bear/threats/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the only refuge that regularly dens polar bears in that local region, and contains the most consistent number of polar bears in the area.{{citation_needed|date=June 2018}}

=== Marine ecosystem ===
The [[Arctic Basin|Arctic basin]] is the shallowest ocean basin on Earth. It is the least salty, because of low [[evaporation]] and large current of freshwater from rivers and glaciers. [[River mouth]]s and calving [[glacier]]s, are continually moving [[ocean current]]s contribute to a unique marine ecosystem in the Arctic. The cold, circulating water is rich in minerals, as well as the microscopic organisms (such as [[phytoplankton]] and [[algae]]) that need them to grow. Marine animals thrive in the Arctic. There are 12 species of [[marine mammal]]s of the Arctic found in the refuge. They consist of four species of [[whale]]s, polar bears, the [[walrus]] and six species of ice-associated seals, sperm whales, [[blue whale]]s, [[fin whale]]s, [[humpback whale]]s, [[Orca|killer whales]], [[Harbour porpoise|Harbor Porpoise]]. The Arctic marine [[food web]] consists of Primary consumers, Secondary consumers, Tertiary consumers, and [[scavenger]]s. [[Marine mammal]]s in the Arctic are experiencing severe impacts, including effects on migration, from disturbances such as noises from industrial activity, offshore seismic oil exploration, and well drilling.

== People ==
The people who live in this Refuge have become accustomed over thousands of years to both survive and prosper in these harsh conditions. There are two villages whose history are tied to the Arctic Refuge and have been for thousands of years which are the [[Kaktovik, Alaska|Kaktovik]] and the [[Arctic Village, Alaska|Arctic Village]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/ANWR/anwrculthistory.html|title=Arctic National Wildlife Refuge|website=arcticcircle.uconn.edu|access-date=2018-04-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206232430/http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/ANWR/anwrculthistory.html|archive-date=6 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kaktovik is an Inupiaq village of about 250 current residents located within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge along the [[Beaufort Sea]]. The Inupiaq Village is used as a traditional summer fishing and hunting location. Furthermore, this location also became a usual place for commercial whalers in the late 1800s, which led them to become permanent residents in the Refuge.

The Arctic Village is a [[Gwichʼin|Gwich'in]] village <ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Amy |date=2022-08-23 |title=Preserving Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit |url=https://narf.org/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-2/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Native American Rights Fund |language=en-US}}</ref> found just south of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s borders. The Gwich’in people are Indigenous to the Arctic regions of Alaska and Canada and have a profound connection to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). For centuries, their livelihoods and cultural practices have been intertwined with the land and its wildlife, particularly the [[Porcupine caribou|Porcupine Caribou Herd]], which migrates annually to the refuge’s coastal plain to calve .<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Magazine |first1=Smithsonian |last2=Holland |first2=Eva |title=For the Gwich'in People, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Isn't a Political Issue, It's Home |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/gwichin-people-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-180979001/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}</ref> This area, known to the Gwich'in as “Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit” or “the sacred place where life begins”, <ref name=":0" /> is central to their subsistence and spiritual and cultural traditions. Given this deep relationship with the land and its wildlife, any threat to the refuge reverberates through the Gwich’in community in profound ways.

The proposed oil and gas development in ANWR’s coastal plain poses significant threats to the Gwich’in way of life. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Graybeal |first=Pam M. |title=Framing and Identity in the Gwich'in Campaign against Oil Development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge |url=https://escholarship.org/content/qt2m42j5g6/qt2m42j5g6_noSplash_8eac113420b117196b368465bf007583.pdf?t=krnmnp |journal=EScholarship}}</ref> The Porcupine Caribou Herd’s reliance on this calving ground means that any disruption could lead to adverse effects on the herd’s health and migration patterns,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Chris |last2=Russell |first2=Don |title=Long-term distribution responses of a migratory caribou herd to human disturbance |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320714002341 |journal= Biological Conservation|date=2014 |volume=177 |page=52 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2014.06.007 |bibcode=2014BCons.177...52J |url-access=subscription }}</ref> thereby impacting the Gwich’in’s primary food source and cultural practices. This concern is not only about environmental preservation but also about protecting human rights and food sovereignty. In their advocacy, the Gwich’in emphasize the inseparable bond between their identity and the caribou. <ref>{{Cite web |last=protectthearctic.com |title=Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic Refuge {{!}} Gwich'in and Iñupiat |url=https://www.protectthearctic.org/indigenous-peoples-arctic-refuge-gwichin-and-i%C3%B1upiat#:~:text=The%20Gwich'in%20creation%20story%20tells%20that%20long%20ago,%20the,the%20other's%20heart%20within%20themselves |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=www.protectthearctic.org |language=en}}</ref> This deep-seated connection drives their ongoing resistance to [[Arctic Refuge drilling controversy|oil exploration and drilling in ANWR]], as they strive to protect both their cultural heritage and the ecological integrity of their ancestral lands.

==See also==
* [[Alaska Wilderness League]]
* [[Arctic Refuge drilling controversy]]
* [[Jonathon Solomon]]
* [[National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska]]
* [[Natural resources of the Arctic]]
* [[Arctic policy of the United States]]
* ''[[The Last Alaskans]]'' (television series)

==References==
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{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Arctic National Wildlife Refuge}}

* [http://www.fws.gov/refuge/arctic/ Official ANWR website]
* [https://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/partners/UNTGD/browse/?q=arctic+national&t=fulltext&fq=untl_collection%3ACRSR Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150518103955/http://www.sacredland.org/arctic-national-wildlife-refuge/ An article about the land and the people of Arctic Wildlife Refuge]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130214144503/http://wilderness.nps.gov/document/wildernessAct.pdf Text of Wilderness Act of 1964]
*[https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Arctic/about.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website about the Refuge] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425235512/https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Arctic/about.html |date=25 April 2020 }}

{{Protected areas of Alaska}}
{{National Wildlife Refuges of the United States}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska]]
[[Category:Protected areas of North Slope Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Wetlands of Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of North Slope Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Landforms of Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Ted Stevens]]