Under the act most of the refuge was designated as wilderness and therefore closed to development. A tiny corner of the refuge 1.5 million acres that came to be known as Area 1002 could be explored if Congress specifically authorized it. In a recent speech, Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton compared the size of Area 1002 to the equivalent of a toaster in a four-bedroom house. ANWR is the only protected intact arctic ecosystem in the United States, and it contains a wide range of habitats including coastal lagoons, barrier islands, arctic tundra, foothills, mountains, and boreal forests. It is also sacred ground to the Gwichin Indians who live on the edge of the reserve and rely on the herds of porcupine caribou that calve in 1002 for food, clothing, tools, and ornaments.
Birds come from four continents to breed, rest, or feed in the refuge.
Half of Alaska's polar bears den there, and it is home to muskoxen, wolves, and Dall sheep. Conservationists estimate that about 130 migrating species pass through Area 1002, in addition to species that make their home in the refuge full time. Conservation Not Extraction The NRDC and other environmental groups argue that conservation, not extraction, is a more responsible way to deal with the energy problem. Average fuel efficiency standards for new cars, SUVs, and light trucks have not been increased in nearly a decade. The Democrats have introduced their own bill prohibiting drilling, and the early stages of the titanic battle are being fought on the editorial pages of newspapers, as well as in the halls of Congress over the last great wilderness.