I hope everyone who takes the DM Register will read the article in the
Metro/Iowa section today about Rep. Steve King being heckled at the state
fair soapbox for his comments about the "need" to drill for oil in the
Arctic.  "King said there is no forest or trees in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge", as if that were an issue.

This is a great opportunity for a letter to the editor on the Arctic.


The following are excerpts from several sources.

Located in the northeast corner of Alaska, the 19 million-acre Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge is one of America's greatest wild natural
treasures.

The coastal plain is a sliver of coastline, the biological heart of the
refuge - it's where polar bears have their dens, where massive herds of
caribou come to birth their calves, and where migratory birds from every
state flock in the summer. Drilling for oil will destroy the unique plants
on which caribou, musk oxen, wolves, polar bears and other animals depend
for survival.

It is a remote and pristine wilderness, untouched by development. Nestled
between the Brooks Mountain Range and the shores of the Beaufort Sea, the
narrow coastal plain of the refuge is truly the heart of biological activity
in this untamed wilderness. The foothills, braided rivers and tundra of the
coastal plain is home to a diversity of wildlife unlike any other place in
the United States.

The shores along the Beaufort sea are one of the most important on-shore
denning areas for polar bears in the United States. Musk-oxen, reintroduced
in the wake of over hunting, have made a comeback on the coastal palin and
rely on its resources year-round. Grizzly bear and wolves roam the open
tundra and Dall sheep thrive in the foothills of the mountains. More than
125 species of birds rely on the coastal plain for breeding, nesting and
migratory stopovers on trips from the Baja peninsula, the Chesapeake Bay as
well as every state in the lower 48.

The coastal plain is also the calving grounds of the 130,000 member
Porcupine River caribou herd. Each spring, these caribou migrate over 400
miles to reach the coastal plain where they give birth to their young and
feed on the abundant plant life. These animals sustain the Gwich'in Indians
of interior Alaska and Canada whose traditional life is inextricably linked
with the caribou which provide food clothing and medicine. The Gwich'in call
the coastal plain "the sacred place where life begins."

Even though it constitutes a small piece of the immense Arctic Refuge, the
coastal plain is the most biologically-productive area and the center of
wildlife activity. The Porcupine caribou herd migrates annually to the
coastal plain to give birth to and nurse its young. The area's isolation
from predators and high quality vegetation maximize calf and herd survival.
Archaeological evidence shows that the herd has used the coastal plain as a
calving area for over two million years. More than 200 other species of
wildlife call the coastal plain home, including grizzly and polar bears,
wolves, Dall sheep, wolverines, arctic foxes, musk oxen,
arctic peregrine falcons, and golden eagles. The coastal plain provides
important habitat for the Beaufort Sea polar bear population, and is the
most significant area for on-shore denning in the United States. More than
125 bird species from four continents utilize the coastal plain during
migration. In addition, the rivers and coastal waters are vital habitat for
more than 36 species of fish.

The Refuge offers unsurpassed opportunities for visitors to find solitude
and adventure in a land still wild and untrammeled by civilization. That's
why visitors from around the world come to camp, float wild rivers, hike the
high country, and watch wildlife spectacles in the vast open spaces.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the only national wildlife refuge in
North America that protects a complete spectrum of Arctic landscape features
and wildlife populations. The fight to save the Arctic Refuge hinges on
keeping the coastal plain safe from the devastating effects of oil and gas
drilling. We must succeed in this effort, not only for the benefit of the
refuge's birds and wildlife, but also to preserve its beauty, it's enduring
wilderness value, and the overall integrity of America's natural heritage.

The Arctic Refuge represents the essence of wilderness, where the forces of
nature prevail without human intrusion or manipulation. Because of a unique
combination of landscape features, the Refuge possesses the
greatest diversity of Arctic animal and plant life of any conservation area
in the U.S. It is home for all three species of North American bears -
grizzly bears, black bears, and polar bears. The coastal plain of the Arctic
Refuge - where drilling is threatened -- also provides habitat for the
highest denning concentration of polar bears in America's Arctic.

First set aside by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the Arctic National
Wildlife Range in 1960, this is the United State's only conservation unit
that encompasses an intact arctic ecosystem. Combined with the adjacent
Ivvavik and Vuntut national parks in Canada, the Arctic Refuge represents
one of the largest protected landscapes in the world. Moreover, the Arctic
Refuge's coastal plain is a rare example of an ecosystem where ecological
and cultural processes continue to interact much as they have for thousands
of years. Unlike the adjoining refuge lands, that are designated Wilderness,
the coastal plain is not permanently protected from development. Most of the
original wildlife range was designated as a Wilderness. Only the 1.5
million-acre coastal plain was omitted. And today, this oversight remains a
significant concern.

Five decades of biological study and scientific research have confirmed that
the coastal plain of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge forms a vital component of the biological diversity
of the refuge and merits the same
kind of permanent safeguards and precautionary management as the rest of
this original conservation unit. In
contrast to the broad (greater than 150 mi.) coastal plain to the west of
the Arctic Refuge, the coastal plain within the refuge is much narrower
(15-40 mi.).

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