Wildlife Preserves

Lesson 1: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

This refuge, created by Public Order in 1960, and expanded in 1980, is one of the largest in the Wildlife Refuge System. In this lesson, you will visit the refuge to learn about its ecosystems, wildlife, and importance to its owners -- the American people.

History

The northern-most treasure in the National Wildlife Refuge System is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska. At over 18,000,000 acres, it is also one of the largest. Created in 1960 by Public Order 2214, and enlarged in 1980, its primary goal is to protect wildlife and habitats for the benefit of people now and in the future. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The Arctic Refuge has recently been spotlighted in the news as the battleground between politicians who want to tap into oil reserves possibly located beneath the permafrost, and environmentalists who want to make the refuge off-limits to oil and gas leases. When the refuge was created, language in Public Order 2214 withdrew the land from all forms of resource appropriation except mineral leasing, and the 1980 Act which re-named and enlarged the refuge specifically permits oil and gas leasing if extraction of the resources can be proven compatible with the purposes of the refuge. Congress must authorize such leases. Studies and reports completed since the 1980's are contradictory in their conclusions about the effects of oil and gas extraction on the pristine habitat and its resident wildlife.

1  2  3  4  5  6