When was ANWR founded?

On December 6, 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower made their vision a reality by establishing the 8.9-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Range specifically for its “unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values.” In 1980, President Jimmy Carter continued this legacy by expanding the area, designating much of ...

1. Who founded ANWR?
2. Is ANWR federal land?
3. How long has the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge been protected?
4. What is ANWR and where is it located?
5. How was ANWR created?
6. What is ANWR known for?
7. Who owns the ANWR?
8. How long would the oil in ANWR last?
9. Why is ANWR so special?
10. Why is drilling in ANWR good?
11. Does anyone live in ANWR?
12. Are we drilling in the ANWR?
13. Why is ANWR protected?
14. When was the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ANWR designated for protection?
15. When did oil drilling start in Alaska?

Who founded ANWR?

The Arctic Refuge encompasses coastal tundra and mountains in northeast Alaska. The article's authors, National Park Service planner George Collins and biologist Lowell Sumner, recruited Wilderness Society President Olaus Murie and his wife Margaret into an effort to permanently protect the area.

Is ANWR federal land?

Founding the Alaska Conservation Society in 1960, Celia worked tirelessly to garner support for the protection of Alaskan wilderness ecosystems. The region first became a federal protected area in 1960 by order of Fred Andrew Seaton, Secretary of the Interior under U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

How long has the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge been protected?

But it's what lies beneath the permafrost that has been sparking political debate since the refuge was created. In 1980, Congress passed a law that protected 80 percent of ANWR.

What is ANWR and where is it located?

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is one of Alaska's crown jewels in the Arctic region and encompasses 19.6 million acres in remote northeastern Alaska. The refuge straddles the eastern Brooks Range from the treeless Arctic Coast to the taiga of the Porcupine River Valley.

How was ANWR created?

The Secretary of Interior in the Eisenhower administration signed a Public Land Order establishing the 8.9 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Range. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act, establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System and provisions for wilderness use and protection.

What is ANWR known for?

ANWR is rich in fauna and flora and also has significant oil and natural gas potential. ... This area is viewed as a promising onshore oil prospect and is also a center of activity for caribou and other wildlife. It is designated as critical habitat for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. §§1531-1544).

Who owns the ANWR?

It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with headquarters in Fairbanks. One of the great pristine and largely undisturbed wilderness areas of North America, the refuge has been the subject of much controversy because of the potential hydrocarbon reserves within it.

How long would the oil in ANWR last?

At the most optimistic estimates, drilling in ANWR would maintain 110,000 existing jobs and provide 170,000 new jobs. Assuming the USGS mean estimate from its 1998 study, the amount of recoverable oil would have “a production period of nearly 40 years” (Parnell and Sullivan 203).

Why is ANWR so special?

ANWR is one of the least disturbed ecosystems on Earth, giving it global significance for scientific research and as part of Earth's natural heritage. ANWR is also thought to hold considerable reserves of oil and gas.

Why is drilling in ANWR good?

ANWR is the largest oil reserve in North America . If we have it than we should use it, especially since it is needed more than ever before. Drilling will also increase oil revenues for the state of Alaska , which is a huge benefit. And drilling oil in ANWR could possibly lower gas prices at the pump.

Does anyone live in ANWR?

The advancement of transportation over the last hundred years has also allowed a greater variety of building materials to be brought in resulting in familiar housing structures. The Athabascan Indians live in interior Alaska and western parts of Canada and have the largest land base of any other Alaska Native group.

Are we drilling in the ANWR?

The decision blocks, for now, oil and gas drilling in one of the largest tracts of undeveloped wilderness in the United States.

Why is ANWR protected?

The Coastal Plain and surrounding areas were federally protected through an order issued by the Secretary of the Interior in 1960 “for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values” of the area.

When was the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ANWR designated for protection?

On December 6, 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower made their vision a reality by establishing the 8.9-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Range specifically for its “unique wildlife, wilderness, and recreational values.” In 1980, President Jimmy Carter continued this legacy by expanding the area, designating much of ...

When did oil drilling start in Alaska?

Alaska's petroleum history began long before statehood in 1959 and the major oilfield discovery two years earlier. The first Alaskan oil well with commercial production was completed in 1902 in rugged, coastal territory where oil seeps had been known for years.