ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Iizik Gwantsan Gwandai Goodlit: The Sacred Place Where Life Begins
THIS POSTER IS SOLDOUT.
A Project to Benefit the Gwich'in Peoples in the Protection
of their Way of Life and the Refuge Wildlife
Click HERE to view a full-size PDF of the descriptive text on the back of the poster
SPECIAL THANKS goes to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Dick Bancroft, International Crane Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administation and Alaska Fish and Game for their assistance in providing images and information for this poster, as well as to Luci Beach and Sarah James of the Gwich'in Steering Committee. The design and printing of the poster have been donated by PANGAEA for educational purposes.
SIZE 9 inches x 29.5 inches
FULL TEXT of poster
In the far northeast corner of Alaska lies the biological heart of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). This is one of the most magnificent breeding grounds in the world. Approximately 40,000 Porcupine caribou herd calves are born and/or nurse here in the early part of June each year. Birds from all 50 states and four continents migrate here for nesting and staging. It is the most important denning area on land for polar bears in the United States.
The Arctic Refuge is one of the largest refuges within the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System. It
is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. The 19.6 million-acre
Arctic Refuge is among the most complete and undisturbed ecosystems left on Earth. Here coastal lagoons,
barrier islands, arctic tundra, foothills, mountains and boreal forests provide a combination of habitats,
climate and geography unmatched by any other northern conservation area幼onditions that support the
Refuge痴 diverse community of life. The Arctic Refuge supports an impressive variety of arctic wildlife. Dominated by the rugged Brooks Range of
mountains, the Refuge is the domain of the Porcupine caribou, packs of wolves, hardy musk oxen,
lone wolverines, flocks of snow geese and other wilderness-dependent species.
The rich pageant of wildlife found within the Refuge includes more than 160 bird species,
36 kinds of land mammals, nine marine mammal species and 36 types of fish. The Gwich段n Traditions and Culture The Gwich段n are a nation of native Athabascan peoples who have lived a traditional subsistence
way of life on these same lands for over 20,000 years. Their ancestors lived as nomadic hunters and
gatherers. More than 7,000 Gwich段n live in 15 villages on their prehistoric homelands in northeast
Alaska and northwest Canada, above the Arctic Circle. Their way of life remains among the most
traditional of the surviving North American cultures. Just as the caribou熔ver 100,000 at post-calving time妖epend on the Arctic Refuge to survive,
the Gwich段n depend on the caribou for their survival. They are known as the Caribou People.
The caribou provide the Gwich段n with food, clothing, shoes, shelters, medicines, blankets, sleds, tools, and more. The Gwich段n tell caribou stories, sing caribou songs, dance caribou dances. The land and the caribou are the foundation of the Gwich段n culture and life.
There are many similarities between the caribou of the Arctic and the buffalo that once lived on the Great Plains of the US and Canada. Both buffalo and caribou are migratory animals that travel in great herds. They both require large, healthy ecosystems to survive. They both define the heart of the subsistence needs and cultural way of life of the indigenous peoples who live along with them. The Gwich段n people pray that the caribou do not go the way of the buffalo.
The Threat to ANWR No one knows for certain how much commercially recoverable oil there is in the Arctic Refuge, however
best estimates by the US Geological Survey indicate it would fuel current US consumption for less
than 200 days. How do you trade that for the life of one of the largest, most migratory caribou herds
on Earth? Or for an aboriginal culture that has flourished for thousands of years? Or for a safe haven for
birds and land and sea animals from all over the world that come here to breed? The choice is irreversible. A Future for Native Peoples and Wildlife The Gwich段n Steering Committee was authorized by the Gwich段n Nation to educate the world about the
importance of protecting The Sacred Place Where Life Begins. The Gwich段n Steering Committee is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit that accepts and welcomes
tax-deductible contributions to help protect the Arctic Refuge:
Gwich段n Steering Committee Please help us conserve The Sacred Place Where Life Begins, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR),
to honor the Earth and all her living creatures. Design and printing contributed by PANGAEA, www.pangaea.org. Printed in the United States of America 2004. Complete listing of FAMILIES OF ANWR (Source
US Fish and Wildlife Service) The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge poster is no longer available in print, but the text can be downloaded in
PDF format HERE. For more information on the Gwich'in and the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, and to learn more about the issues, please visit the following sites: US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE Conservation organizations with special emphasis on ANWR include: DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE and its campaign,
SAVE THE ARCTIC REFUGE
122 First Avenue, Box 2
Fairbanks, AK 99701 USA
Tel (907) 458-8264 Fax (907) 457-8065
www.alaska.net/~gwichin
ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
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