Volume CXXXII, Number 6 October 25, 2002 f

Leach lecture creates caribou concerns
SAM DOWNING
STAFF WRITER

A lonely Porcupine Caribou gazes at the horizon. (Courtesy of cariboucommons.com)

The polar bears in the audience sported Carhartt overalls and not white fur, but the case for protecting the territory of the real ones, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, from oil drilling was brought to life Friday, as Tim Leach gave dozens of viewers a glimpse at his 500-mile solo bike journey and research in the coastal plain in Northeastern Alaska.

Leach argued that consumption driven and politically motivated oil exploration would ravage the landscape, decimate a peaceful culture and imperil the largest herd of Porcupine Caribou in the world. The impacts of jeopardizing an important calving ground for migratory species, Leach argued, would be felt worldwide.

Framing the struggle for preservation of the ANWR coastal plain as both a human rights and environmental protection imperative, Leach, an arctic researcher, advocate, nature photographer and self-described adventurer, collected the stories of the Gwich'in people in northeastern Alaska during five weeks of field work in the arctic in the summer months of 2001 and 2002. He also explored the environmental effects of the proposed drilling. Noting the irony that modern America's lust for living beyond its means would kill off a self-sustaining culture by spoiling its traditional source of food and clothing, the caribou, Leach shared stories from Gwich'in elders and youth on the importance of preserving the last remaining five percent of the refuge which is not currently open to drilling.

Leach represented the Caribou Commons Project, which is sponsoring a series of walks and talks to inform Americans of the dangers of drilling in ANWR. As part of the series of self-propelled "Walk to Washington" events, the Bowdoin Evergreens and a handful of community members joined the project on a leg of the 1600-mile East Coast walk, trekking up Maine Street from Fort Andross to the college.

The group has walked, biked and even sea kayaked (from Bar Harbor to Stonington) to support self-propelled alternatives to a fuel driven society at the same time they urge protection of ANWR. Other trips departed from Seattle and Kansas City. The goal, according to Leach, is to "gather the voices [of concerned citizens] as we go, getting as many voices as we can from across the country."

They will bring the message to the Senate, which, despite rejecting a proposal in April to open up the last protected five percent of the refuge to drilling, has not taken action to permanently protect ANWR. The other two goals of the group are to support the rights of the Gwich'in culture to their traditional way of life and to urge "development of alternative energy to get us away from depending on fossil fuels."

Leach's presentation focused on his slides of the trip, with added commentary from another Caribou Commons member, Julie Morrissey, and music and words from the Gwich'in people. Heather Colman-McGill '04 of the Bowdoin Evergreens introduced the speakers.

The slides showed an area of stark beauty. Too far north to support trees, the coastal plain stretches across the horizon. The environment is classified as "low tundra." Leach put to rest any notions of a barren wasteland, however, by zooming in on delicate purple wildflowers, tiny birds, of which there are 130 species that migrate in the summertime, Dall sheep, moose, wolves, grizzly bears, polar bears, and musk ox whose prehistoric facial hair would inspire cartoonist Gary Larson.

The habitat is critical to the Porcupine Caribou, whose name refers to a river they cross during migration and not their spiky coat, because the winds across the coastal plain keep the mosquitoes away. Often, said Leach, the caribou will climb onto an ice pack to cool off at the same time they escape the bloodsuckers. Their population numbers 120,000. "They are the largest herd of anything in North America," said Leach. "If we don't protect the area from drilling, they could go the way of the buffalo." Currently, the caribou migration, at 700 miles, is the longest of any mammal, stretching from western Canada to Alaska.

Drilling, which is estimated to yield 3.2 million barrels, or a six-month exclusive supply for the U.S., would, according to Leach, kill off at least 40 percent of the caribou herd and perhaps reach a critical point that would lead to extinction. The reasons for the decline, said Leach, are that the raised pipeline would interfere with migration patterns at the same time the pollution caused by the release of nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere as natural gasses are reinserted into the ground would hurt the balance of the ecosystem. Spills would accentuate the problem.

Leach conceded that a majority of Alaskans do support drilling to boost the economy and extend the viability of the state's oil yield. Estimates that place the ANWR yield at 3.2 million barrels are disputed by preservation opponents, who contend that estimates for drilling in other parts of the state were several times below the actual yield. However, Leach blamed the powerful oil lobby for exaggerating the benefits it could derive from new, cleaner technology, noting their "horrible track record" and spills such as that of the Exxon Valdez.

The goal of Leach and his organization, he says, is to help the country refocus on the basic issues involved in the debate over preserving the refuge. "Do we want drilling in these places to support our fossil fuel habit?" he asked. "If we raise fuel efficiency by a mere three miles per gallon, we could save five times the yield" that opening up ANWR is estimated to provide. "We should voice our opinions as consumers as well as constituents," Leach said, to attack the need and the consequence of drilling in the arctic.