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Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Who: Paul Why: When the three-passenger Cessna touched down on the gravel bar landing strip in the upper Hulahula River valley, we knew we had entered a landscape worlds beyond anything any of us had experienced before. With my friends Erik and Lainie, I spent 15 days last June following the icy, silt-laden waters of the Hulahula River from the base of the Romanzof Mountains to the heart of the coastal plain. Our 60-mile journey down the massive glacial-formed valley led us across the paths of many resident and transient creatures, contradicting claims that the North Slope of the Brooks Range was a wasteland, and confirming our expectation that it was a land teeming with life. Grizzly, Musk ox, wolf, fox, a multitude of birds, and many others appeared each day and night under a circling sun that retreated only when mountain or clouds came between us. Almost immediately we lost track of time, following the river towards the Arctic coastline.
With each successive turn in the valley, the jagged mountains above melted into smooth ridgelines that eventually terminated on our left at the Kikitat Mountains. We crossed the saddle entering the gateway of the coastal plain and leaving behind the cathedral spires of the upper valley wondering what the seemingly never ending tundra held in store for us. Almost immediately grizzly, porcupine and moose greeted us. Willow and rock ptarmigan, American golden plover, and common redpoll danced across the tundra while long tailed jager, mew gull, and greater white fronted geese flew overhead. We crossed the plain carefully, watching for nesting birds and trying our best to tread lightly on the mosses, lichens, sedges, miniature willow and other plants that formed the living tundra beneath our feet. Early in the spring, just after the snowmelt, we could sense the impending explosion of life that would result in the greening of the tundra, and the arrival of countless migratory birds and waterfowl, thousands of calving Porcupine caribou followed by the wolf, fox, grizzly and other predators anxious to feast after a dark, six month winter. Being on the coastal plain, mountains to our south, the Arctic Ocean to our north, and tundra all around us, we shuddered at the thought of oilrigs, roads and drilling operations interrupting the untrammeled purity of the Arctic Refuge. This place was, and always will be special to us. Now we must work to ensure that it is preserved as it is for future generations of visitors and residents alike. Tell us about your Special Place!
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