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Jewel of the North
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In March 2001, Subhankar Banerjee arrived in the Alaskan hamlet of Kaktovik. The 34-year-old scientist had quit his job in Seattle to pursue his dream of photographing wildlife in pristine landscapes. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 19.5 million acres of wilderness stretching 200 miles south of the coastal village, fit the bill perfectly. At 40 degrees below zero, though, the temperature didn’t. "I couldn’t help thinking, when is the next plane out of here?" he recalled later.
But he stayed and, with the help of a native guide, learned how to live and work in the Arctic. He spent much of the next two years crisscrossing the vast refuge on foot and snowmobile, living in a tent and braving frostbite to capture on film the creatures and scenery found there. The experience, he says, “completely blew my mind—that such a variety of life is possible in such a harsh environment.”
The editors at The Mountaineers Books in Seattle agreed to publish Banerjee’s images in a large-format book. Even before its publication last May, the book was causing a stir in the nation’s capital. Proofs of “Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land” were displayed on the floor of the U.S. Senate in March to help rally opposition to a proposal to drill for oil in the refuge. Shortly afterward, an exhibition of Banerjee’s photos at the Smithsonian Institution was banished to a museum basement.
In the past year, Banerjee has toured the country to talk about his experiences and share his images of the refuge. And, despite their repeated failures, oil-drilling advocates have kept pushing to open the refuge to development. Says Banerjee: “I believe we will have the moral courage to keep places like the Arctic refuge free of development so that future citizens of the world will continue to have the opportunity to meet nature in its wildest form.”
Defending The Arctic Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is often called "America's Serengeti" because of its profusion of wild creatures. Three dozen different kinds of mammals, including the 130,000 strong Porcupine caribou herd, live in the refuge, and nearly 180 species of birds converge there from four continents.
Despite its incomparable ecological value, Big Oil wants to drill the refuge. Conservationists point out that the estimated amount of economically recoverable oil there would only be enough to supply America's oil needs for about six months, and wouldn't even be available for ten years. The U.S. Senate has voted repeatedly against giving oil companies access to the refuge, but the Bush administration continues to push this proposal. The White House recently included the drilling proposal in its 2005 budget, but at press time Congress appeared ready to repudiate the president's plan.
"Those of us who care about the Arctic refuge must remain vigilant, as energy-industry backers have shown they will do or say just about anything to throw open the refuge to the oil companies," says Defenders President Rodger Schlickeisen. To learn more about the refuge and what you can do to help protect it, go to Help Save the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.
