The Last Expanse
Stay Wild
It’s Our Responsibility to Understand Our Impact on the Arctic
By Aundre Larrow // @aundre // thelastexpanse.com
Home to the migrating Porcupine Caribou herd and denning polar bears, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the last expanse. The refuge spans a length of over 19 million acres (about the size of South Carolina) and it needs your help. This land is held sacred by the Gwich’in people, who are connected to caribou as their main food source and way of life, as they have been for thousands of years.
The Trump administration, working with Republicans in Congress and an Alaska Native corporation, is pushing for oil exploration in the refuge.
Approval from Congress to open the area to oil exploration was included in the 2017 tax bill as a way to generate new revenue for the federal government.
By next year, the Interior Department expects to begin selling the first drilling leases.
This is one of the last wild, pristine pieces of land in America, let alone the world. It is public land that belongs to all Americans and is your land to protect.
“Seismic testing,” although it sounds banal, will bring noise, sound, and physical pollution to an area that is home to animals and the indigenous communities that live and depend on this land, the Gwich’in people. This austere and incredible landscape could quickly be no more, robbing the Gwich’in of their way of life and their main sources of food.
Lastly, the Arctic is ground zero for climate change; temperatures in the Arctic are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. The permafrost in the refuge store carbon from the atmosphere, and are at risk of release as they continue to melt. It is a delicate place that needs to be protected.
The thing that struck me most was the effect our temporary presence had on such a pristine environment. Even just camping there for a couple days: When we picked our tents up, the ground was different. Where the snowmobiles were, the ground was different. Our presence changed the landscape. If we sat still for long enough, animals would just walk really close to our campground. We were visitors in their home.
Being out there was a recalibration of self and made me realize that we as humans have a responsibility to understand the impact we make on our shared environment.
How You Can Help
1 // Reach out to your Senator to support bill H.R. 1146, repealing the provision in the tax bill that allows Arctic Refuge drilling. alaskawild.org
2 // Register to vote and vote for politicians that have the environment and climate change on their agenda. At a post office, or usa.gov/register-to-vote
3 // Donate to Alaska Wilderness League. alaskawild.org
This story was made possible by The North Face who passionately support the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. Major thanks to the Gwich’in Steering Committee and the Alaska Wilderness League.