What to do about one of America's last wild places

Alaska’s ranks as one of the wildest places on Earth. In the winter, it’s a haven for some of the last polar bears that traverse land and sea. In the summer, millions of birds descend to build their nests and gather fuel for their journey south.

The Porcupine caribou herd embarks on one of the longest land migrations of any mammal on Earth, from their winter range to their calving grounds in the refuge. As they walk, their tendons make a distinct ‘clicking’ noise

By Juliet Eilperin, Carolyn Van Houten and Alice Li, Washington Post

People have fought over this expanse, as large as South Carolina, for half a century.

The battle pits many Alaskans, along with the oil industry and Republican officials, against environmentalists, most Democrats and many wildlife scientists.

The question of who gets to determine its fate — and whether to dig up the oil and gas that lie beneath it — could be decided this fall.

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Alaska’s ranks as one of the wildest places on Earth. In the winter, it’s a haven for some of the last polar bears that traverse land and sea. In the summer, millions of birds descend to build their nests and gather fuel for their journey south.

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