The Arctic Petroleum Reserve for National Geographic
No place in the Arctic is less famous yet more important than the wetlands of the politically named National Petroleum Reserve. At the junction of several migratory bird flyways, it’s the densest concentration of birds in the Arctic. I spent a month over two seasons photographing this epic and intensely living landscape, and I am forever changed by it.
For birds, it has been called “Heathrow at the top of the world.”
-Chris Solomon, Alaska’s last vast wild place is open for drilling, National Geographic
Unfortunately, the reserve also has sizable oil and gas deposits, in particular around the critical wetland areas of Teshekpuk Lake. And the special protections put into place previously are being dismantled by the Trump administration.
It is more important, there are more birds, of higher density, in the NPR-A than in the Arctic [National Wildlife] Refuge.
-Rebecca McGuire, the Arctic Beringia Avian Ecologist for WCS, Alaska’s last vast wild place is open for drilling, National Geographic
Many people know that I’m a staunch supporter of conservation by local Indigenous communities, and that foremost I believe in the importance of people on the land. In a world manipulated by powerful forces, the land and its local guardians can use a helping hand. Legal protections can make a huge difference for a landscape and its wildlife. At Teshekpuk, there is a caribou herd that thousands depend on for subsistence, plus that critical bird habitat for migratory birds.
Find out more about this little-known area that is the largest piece of public land in the US, the Arctic Flyway, aka the Arctic Petroleum Reserve, at National Geographic.
September 11, 2019 @ 4:55 pm
This is heartbreaking
September 6, 2022 @ 11:51 pm
Great article. I enjoyed learning about the area and the policy. Your photos were striking, as always. I didn’t know Alaska had the biggest piece of public land in the world. Amazing that so many birds use it!