A book & public history site
A book & public history site
Though the defense of the Arctic Refuge over the last four decades has been driven by the grassroots, on-the-ground organizing of Alaska Natives and their allies, but the fate of the Refuge has always ultimately been determined through federal politics. As Refuge defenders have made the protection of the coastal plain from fossil fuel development …
Since its creation in 1960, the existence of the Arctic Refuge has only been possible because of the efforts of numerous environmental organizations, Indigenous communities, and individual advocates. The earliest efforts to protect the lands in northeastern Alaska from development were inspired by George L. Collins and Lowell Sumner’s “Northeast Arctic: The Last Great Wilderness” …
Since the earliest efforts to protect northeastern Alaska, photographer and filmmakers have played a central role in building support for the cause. In many cases, their images have been effective because they evoke the scenic beauty of northeastern Alaska. During the first campaign of the Alaska Coalition in the 1950s, Olaus Murie and other wilderness …
The United States federal government has supported research on the wildlife of the Arctic Refuge through the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) since the agency’s creation in the mid-twentieth century. Initially, biologists studied the region’s caribou using aerial photography, leading to the identification and naming of the Porcupine caribou herd in the 1950s. The creation …
Long before the Porcupine caribou became the object of scientific study or conservation campaigns, the Gwich’in were stewards of the animals. As the herd has been threatened by development since the mid-twentieth century, the Gwich’in have continued performing this role in cooperation with settler-governments. The Gwich’in advocated for the 1987 US-Canada treaty, which allows for …