I have never been to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and yet, it is a part of me, and I a part of it. I have been an Alaskan since 1972 when my husband and I packed our earthly belongings into our VW bus sporting a sign declaring, “Alaska or Bust!” and headed west. I am captivated by Alaska’s vast natural beauty and rich history, and have written four books about my adopted home.
As a member of the Episcopal Church, I am in communion with Christians from many walks of life, including many of the Gwich’in people, whose ancestral land lies in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Nine out of ten Gwich’in people are not only my fellow Alaskans, but they are also my brothers and sisters in Christ as part of the Episcopal Church.
The Gwich’in culture and spirituality is rooted in the Arctic wilderness and its creatures. Gwich’in people are so interdependent with the Porcupine caribou that they have a myth that the Gwich’in and the caribou share a piece of each other’s heart. Each spring, on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Porcupine caribou give birth. The Gwich’in call the birthplace of the caribou, “the sacred place where life begins.” Besides caribou, the Refuge provides critical habitat for millions of birds, polar bear and marine mammals.
This sacred place is also believed to be rich in oil, and for decades, oil companies have sought to drill there. Oil exploration and drilling could devastate the Porcupine caribou herd, thus devastating the culture, spirituality, and traditional source of sustenance of the Gwich’in.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge can be opened for drilling by the US Congress at any time, and each time a threat arises, the Gwich’in people have fought threat after threat to their land. The Gwich’in people have asked their broader Episcopal Church community to stand with them in their struggle, and in 2016, the Episcopal Church has made it a top priority to do so. We are all calling on Congress and the Administration to ensure the strongest possible protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In recent years, we have seen encouraging developments. In January of 2014, President Obama announced a recommendation for permanent Wilderness protection for the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This recommendation was in a Comprehensive Conservation Plan crafted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Now, Congress is equipped with a scientifically-grounded document to inform future decisions affecting the Coastal Plain.
In January of 2015, Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced “The Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act” (HR 239). This proposed legislation would designate 1.5 million acres of wilderness along the Coastal Plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Such a designation would protect the Refuge against oil and gas development.
Given the encouraging momentum from the Administration and Congress, an unprecedented diverse coalition is joining together to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Along with the Episcopal Church, many other faith communities, including Creation Justice Ministries and Church World Service, as well as environmental groups and veterans have joined in the campaign.
I urge Alaska’s Congressional delegation to protect this land critical to humans and wildlife by giving wilderness protection for the Refuge’s Coastal Plain.
We know that the Arctic has spiritual, moral, and ecological significance for all of us. That is why we are saying together, we are the Arctic.
• Bonnie Demerjian is a retired teacher and writer from Wrangell.
