Last Great Wilderness: The Campaign to Establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Hardcover

Kaye, Roger

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1889963836 ISBN 13: 9781889963839

Publisher: University of Alaska Press, 2006

Synopsis

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is at the center of the conflict between America’s demand for oil and nature at its most pristine. Three decades before the battle over oil development began, a group of visionary conservationists launched a controversial campaign to preserve a remote corner of Alaska. Their goal was unprecedented—to protect an entire ecosystem for future generations. Among these conservationists were Olaus and Margaret Murie, who became icons of the wilderness movement.

Last Great Wilderness chronicles their fight and that of their compatriots, tracing the transformation of this little-known expanse of mountains, forest, and tundra into a symbolic landscape embodying the ideals and aspirations that led to passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964.

About this title

About the Author

Roger Kaye had been a wilderness specialist and airplane pilot with the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for over twenty years. He is an affiliate professor of Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he teaches courses on environmental psychology and wilderness management.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Wilderness specialist Kaye, in his introduction, remarks that the present-day participants in the continuing debate over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge know exceedingly little about the origins of ANWR in the years after World War II, including the rationale for defining such a refuge and the process by which it was established. Kaye has done a tremendous public service by researching the events that led up to the 1960 establishment of ANWR and its expansion in 1980, making this book a "must-have" reference for everyone interested in the fate of the refuge. Many of the active participants from the 1940s and '50s are elderly or deceased, but Kaye has interviewed all the survivors, as well as the spouses, children, friends and colleagues of those who have died. He also gained access to important archives in Alaska and elsewhere which allow him to document the activities and viewpoints of both proponents and opponents. His goal was to write a balanced account in which all parties get fair representation, and he has generally succeeded. The text is occasionally dry, his efforts to remain non-judgmental render some of the more colorful characters less vivid, and there is no real sociological or psychological analysis except in passing. These drawbacks can be countered by reading Stephen Haycox's more populist 2002 book, Frigid Embrace: Politics, Economics and Environment in Alaska, alongside. Taken together, the two books provide a comprehensive understanding of the issues and the politics.
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About this edition

• Publisher: University of Alaska Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1889963836
• ISBN 13: 9781889963839
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304