Alaska’s Arctic Refuge: on the Minds of Many

There are other glorious wilderness areas in America but none quite as magnificent, as controversial or as far north as this one

By Jim Doherty

Smithsonian Magazine |
March 1996

Commonly known as ANWR or simply "the Arctic," the refuge is only slightly smaller than the state of Maine. It is a brawny land full of mountains, tundra, rivers and wildlife, including grizzlies and musk oxen. It was saved by a handful of hardy conservationists who were determined to preserve it intact; it has been necessary to defend it ever since against developers' continuing efforts to get in. The author went there to discover for himself what's at stake.

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