In a significant moment for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, President Obama has made a historic recommendation to protect 12 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlfie Refuge, including the coastal plain, as wilderness.
To celebrate, take a moment to watch this great video with Gwich'in leader Trimble Gilbert, who describes in his own language the importance of the Arctic Refuge to his people in the past, present, and future.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is our nation's greatest wilderness icon. Located in the northeast corner of Alaska, it is the only refuge specifically designed for wilderness purposes and is home to some of our most beloved species of wildlife. For centuries the Gwich'in and Inupiaq people have relied on the bounty of the Arctic for their livelihood. The Gwich'in refer to the coastal plain as the "Sacred Place Where Life Begins," a place vital to their native culture.
The wonder of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and its importance to native cultures, has not stopped continued attempts to open this special place to oil drilling. Though Big Oil would profit from drilling in the Refuge, the American people will not.