The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) covers about 19.3 million acres in northeast Alaska and is the largest national refuge in the United States. And unfortunately, it is a huge target for oil and gas drilling despite its protections currently in place.
The Refuge includes diverse habitats that support an abundance of species including caribou, brown, black and polar bears, Dall sheep, moose, foxes, muskoxen, marine mammals including whales and seals, and thousands of different birds. The calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd, which have sustained Gwich’in people for generations, are within the Coastal Plain of the Refuge. The Refuge’s coastal plain also provides an important denning area for female polar bears in winter. It is SO important that we protect this incredible place.
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