Difference between revisions of "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge" - New World Encyclopedia
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| − | The '''Arctic National Wildlife Refuge''' ('''ANWR''') is a [[national wildlife refuge]] in northeastern [[Alaska]]. It consists of {{convert| | + | The '''Arctic National Wildlife Refuge''' ('''ANWR''') is a [[national wildlife refuge]] in northeastern [[Alaska]]. It consists of {{convert|19300000|acre|km2}} of the north [[Alaska]]n coast. The [[Beaufort Sea]] is to the north and [[Prudhoe Bay, Alaska|Prudhoe Bay]] is to its west. It abuts the Canadian border on its east. It is the largest [[National Wildlife Refuge|protected]] [[wilderness]] in the United States and was created by [[United States Congress|Congress]] under the [[Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act]] of 1980. Section 1002 of that act deferred a decision regarding future management of the {{convert|1500000|acre|km2}} coastal plain, known as the "1002 area." The controversy surrounds [[Oil well|drilling for oil]] in this area of ANWR. |
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"Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the eastern part of the Brooks Range, is considered by many to be one of the world’s ecological treasures; it is home to some 160 species of birds, more than 35 different kinds of land mammals (e.g., caribou, musk oxen, wolverines, and wolves), and several species of marine mammals and fish. This refuge is the subject of controversy between environmentalists and proponents of oil drilling." | "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the eastern part of the Brooks Range, is considered by many to be one of the world’s ecological treasures; it is home to some 160 species of birds, more than 35 different kinds of land mammals (e.g., caribou, musk oxen, wolverines, and wolves), and several species of marine mammals and fish. This refuge is the subject of controversy between environmentalists and proponents of oil drilling." | ||
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==Drilling== | ==Drilling== | ||
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| − | http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.htm | + | |
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| + | ''US Fish and Wildlife Service''. [http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.htm History of the Arctic Refuge as it relates to Oil in Alaska] Retrieved February 10, 2009. | ||
http://www.nrdc.org/land/wilderness/arcticrefuge/facts2.asp | http://www.nrdc.org/land/wilderness/arcticrefuge/facts2.asp | ||
Revision as of 21:06, 10 February 2009
| Arctic National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area) | |
  | |
| Location: | North Slope Borough and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, USA |
| Nearest city: | Barrow, Alaska pop. 3,982 |
| Area: | 19,049,236 acres (77,090 km²) |
| Established: | 1960 |
| Governing body: | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska. It consists of 19,300,000 acres (78,000 km²) of the north Alaskan coast. The Beaufort Sea is to the north and Prudhoe Bay is to its west. It abuts the Canadian border on its east. It is the largest protected wilderness in the United States and was created by Congress under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. Section 1002 of that act deferred a decision regarding future management of the 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km²) coastal plain, known as the "1002 area." The controversy surrounds drilling for oil in this area of ANWR.
"Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in the eastern part of the Brooks Range, is considered by many to be one of the world’s ecological treasures; it is home to some 160 species of birds, more than 35 different kinds of land mammals (e.g., caribou, musk oxen, wolverines, and wolves), and several species of marine mammals and fish. This refuge is the subject of controversy between environmentalists and proponents of oil drilling."
Geography
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge supports a greater variety of plant and animal life than any other protected area in the Arctic Circle. It contains remote, complete, and undisturbed lands across five different ecological regions within a continuum of six different ecozones that span some 200 miles (300 km) north to south. These include the Arctic Coastal Plain, with lagoons, beaches and saltmarshes; Arctic Foothills, containing coastal plain tundra; Brooks Range consisting of alpine tundra; Interior Highlands, which along with the Interior Forested Lowlands & Uplands, comprise the forest-tundra transition south of the mountains; and the Ogilvie Mountains, containing tall spruce, birch, and aspen of the boreal forest.[1]
The Refuge is located in a region of extensive cold, and much of its soils are underlain with permafrost. The Beaufort Sea washes against the north coast of the Refuge. These waters remain ice-covered for eight or more months each year. The ice pack is the winter home for polar bear and numerous seals. During the summer, whales migrate through these waters.
Along the northern boundary of the refuge, barrier islands, coastal lagoons, salt marshes, and river deltas provide habitat for migratory waterbirds including sea ducks, geese, swans, and shorebirds. Fish such as dolly varden and arctic cisco are found in nearshore waters. Coastal lands and sea ice are used by caribou seeking relief from biting insects during summer, and by polar bears hunting 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 shrubs, sedges, and mosses. 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 geese stop here during September to feed before migrating south, and musk oxen live here year-round.
South of the coastal plain, the mountains of the eastern Brooks Range rise to over 9000 feet (3,000 m). 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 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 poplar trees on the north side and spruce on the south. During summer, peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, and golden eagles build nests on cliffs. Harlequin ducks and red-breasted mergansers are seen on swift-flowing rivers. Dall sheep and wolves are active all year, while grizzly bears and arctic ground squirrels are frequently seen during summer but hibernate in winter.
The southern portion of the Arctic Refuge is within the taiga (boreal forest) of interior Alaska. Beginning as predominantly treeless tundra with scattered islands of black and white 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. Year-round residents of the boreal forest include moose, lynx, marten, wolverines, black and grizzly bears, and wolves.
Each year, thousands of waterfowl and other birds nest and reproduce in areas surrounding Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk fields and a healthy and increasing caribou herd migrates through these areas to calve and seek respite from annoying pests. Oil field facilities have been located and designed to accommodate wildlife and utilize the least amount of tundra surface.
Conservation area
History
A grassroots movement seeking to protect this corner of Alaska began in the early 1950s. National Park Service planner and conservationist George Collins and biologist Lowell Sumner, along with Wilderness Society President Olaus Murie and his wife Margaret Murie, launched a spirited campaign to permanently safeguard the area. Their efforts ignited a movement which was supported by thousands of the era's prominent conservationists, sportsmen's groups, and garden clubs. Collins, Sumner, and the Muries are considered founders of the Refuge.
The region first became a federal protected area in 1960 by order of Fred Andrew Seaton, Secretary of the Interior under U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was created by Public Land Order 2214 "For the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values..."
In 1980 the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act enlarged the area, designated much of the original Range as Wilderness under the 1964 Wilderness Act, and renamed the entire area the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Description
Eight million acres (32,000 km²) of the refuge are designated as wilderness area. The expansion of the refuge in 1980 designated 1.5 million acres (6,100 km²) of the coastal plain as the 1002 area and mandated studies of the natural resources of this area, especially oil exploration. Congressional authorization is required before oil drilling may proceed in this area. The remaining 10.1 million acres (40,900 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.
There are no roads within or leading into the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, though there are settlements there. On the north shore of Barter Island at the Refuge's northern edge is the Inupiat village of Kaktovik. Arctic Village is a Gwich'in settlement on the east fork of the Chandalar River on the southern boundary of the Refuge. A popular wilderness route and historic passage exists between the two villages, traversing the refuge and all its ecosystems from 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.
Drilling
US Fish and Wildlife Service. History of the Arctic Refuge as it relates to Oil in Alaska Retrieved February 10, 2009.
http://www.nrdc.org/land/wilderness/arcticrefuge/facts2.asp
Because the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is believed to contain a large supply of crude oil, the question of whether to drill for oil in the 1002 section has been an ongoing political controversy since 1977.[2]
Notes
- ↑ US Fish and Wildlife Service. ANWR Wildlife and Wild Landscapes Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ↑ Shogren, Elizabeth. "For 30 Years, a Political Battle Over Oil and ANWR." All Things Considered. NPR. 10 Nov. 2005.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Cogwell, Mathew T. 2002. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. New York: Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 9781590333273
- Haugen, David M. 2008. Should drilling be permitted in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? At issue. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. ISBN 0737739312
- Kaye, Roger. 2006. Last great wilderness: the campaign to establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Fairbanks, AK: University of Alaska Press. ISBN 9781889963846
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Retrieved February 10, 2009.
External links
- Photo panoramas by Dr. Matthew Nolan, Professor, University of Alaska, Fairbanks Retrieved February 10, 2009.
Coordinates:
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