Just as Teddy Roosevelt's protection of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and forestlands demonstrated a foundling American land ethic, protection of the Arctic Refuge would show how contemporary Americans relate to the natural world. The Arctic Refuge lies in the northeast coast of Alaska. It is home to vast populations of waterfowl and wildlife that native peoples depend on. Among them are the Gwich'in, who have lived in the area for millennia, and are one of America's last subsistence cultures. The coastal plain is the heart of the Refuge, the most vital and fragile organ in the timeless wilderness that is one of the last intact, self-sustaining wilderness habitats in the world.
Many animals use the coastal plain of the Refuge for nesting and calving grounds.
Chief among these is the majestic Porcupine River Caribou, the lifeblood of the Gwich'in. Each year, the entire herd migrates from Canada to the coastal plain to give birth to new calves. Development in the coastal plain threatens the caribou, and with them the Gwich'in culture. It threatens millions of migratory birds that visit nearly all the lower 48 states during migration. Drilling also threatens Arctic water quality, which sustains the base of an incredible food chain culminating in the wildlife of the Refuge and the Beaufort Sea.