Fairbanks Daily News-Miner editorial
Editor’s note: The following editorial from May 1, 1961, followed up on the News-Miner’s long editorial campaign in favor of establishing what would become the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska’s northeastern corner. However, as this editorial reflects, concepts of how the area should be used then differed considerably among the interest groups advocating the designation.

Some politically potent Alaskans are urging Secretary of the Interior Steward L. Udall to rescind his predecessor’s 1960 order which created the Arctic Wildife Range.

The Wildlife Management Institute has taken note of new attacks against the wildlife range by the Legislature, Governor Egan and Alaska’s congressional delegation.

Fred A. Seaton, former Interior secretary, had the authority to establish the wildlife range on the federal government’s public lands. He asked Congress for the authorization bill, however, because it contained a provision designed to protect both the wildlife and mining interests. Secretary Seaton felt it unwise to exercise his authority to withdraw the range and leave it open to mining under existing laws. Under applicable laws, he feared impairment of the area’s wildlife, scenic and wilderness values. Seaton issued his widely acclaimed order after the Senate failed to move on the House-approved bill, and the area now is closed to mining.

Conservationists told Congress they were willing to accept miners on the Arctic Wildlife Range, providing title to the land surface remained with the U.S. and that ingress, egress and other pertinent matters were subject to federal approval.

In our opinion, it is regrettable the Arctic Wildlife Range had to be established by executive order of the Secretary of the Interior. Action by Congress in approving Secretary Seaton’s bill providing multiple use of the wildlife range would have enabled us “to have our cake and eat it too.”

However, there is nothing to prevent the present Congress from enacting a “multiple use bill” that will provide mining rights with similar privileges to mining rights on state-owned lands ... a bill that also will largely satisfy the Wildlife Management Institute and other conservationists.

We urge our Alaska congressional delegation to support multiple use legislation for the Arctic Wildlife Range.