The lands within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — “ANWR” to those who would like to see it opened to oil development — have sustained the native Gwich’in people for thousands of years.
The coastal plain, referred to as “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins” by the Gwich’in, supports thousands of calving caribous in the spring, nesting migratory birds in the summer, and denning polar bears in the winter. The survival of the Gwich’in is dependent on the well being of these animals.
I have spent nearly two months with the Gwich’in and have seen firsthand their dependence on and connection to the caribou.