Last Great Wilderness : The Campaign to Establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is at the center of the conflict between America’s demand for oil and nature at its most pristine. Three decades before the battle over oil development began, a group of visionary conservationists launched a controversial campaign to preserve a remote corner of Alaska. Their goal was unprecedented—to protect an entire ecosystem for future generations. Among these conservationists were Olaus and Margaret Murie, who became icons of the wilderness movement. Last Great Wilderness chronicles their fight and that of their compatriots, tracing the transformation of this little-known expanse of mountains, forest, and tundra into a symbolic landscape embodying the ideals and aspirations that led to passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. Contents......Page 6 Map of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 color plates......Page 114 1 Genesis of the Campaign......Page 22 2 To Northeast Alaska......Page 44 3 A Last Great Wilderness......Page 62 4 The 1956 Sheenjek Expedition......Page 102 5 Wilderness, Wildlife Range, or Both?......Page 142 6 Finally, Legislation Introduced......Page 182 7 Senate Hearings......Page 198 8 House Passage, Senate Inaction, Executive Action......Page 230 9 A Symbol of Wilderness......Page 242 Epilogue......Page 256 Notes......Page 258 References......Page 288 Index......Page 298 Frames the current debate over potential oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by presenting a detailed history of the establishment of ANWR. Features interviews with survivors from the initial push to establish ANWR in the 1940s and 1950s and with family members and associates of those who are no longer living. Also chronicles the 1980 expansion of ANWR.--(Source of description unspecified.)