Featured Member
Alaska All-Star: Vance Carruth By Erin Cranford Williams, Development Assistant
What inspired you to come to the 2005 Arctic Refuge Rally in DC?
I felt it was important because Mardy and Olaus Murie (legends in the environmental activism field who were based in Jackson Hole, WY) had been instrumental in the founding of the Arctic Refuge. I also felt I owed it to Mardy’s memory to honor her by representing her at this event. I had originally thought there would be a delegation of us from Teton County, but when I couldn’t find anyone who was planning to organize such a delegation, I decided to go on my own.
What was your experience like?
The experience of seeing so many people, especially young people, at this event warmed my heart. I couldn’t help but think of Mardy and how amazed she would have been at the results of what she and Olaus had begun almost 50 years earlier, and what she had worked tirelessly to advocate for during the last 40 years of her life.
It was a hot, muggy day on the lawn of the Capitol. My only thought was that there should be so many MORE people there to witness this kind of commitment. I believe a level of anger was rising within me that something more needed to be done to bring this issue to more people around the country. Then I met with our two senators. Having no experience and having never lobbied before, I sat in the offices of and spoke with these powerful and influential men, who each had a vote that could determine the future of the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
When you returned to Jackson Hole, you organized your own rally. What motivated you to do this?
I went home from the D.C. Rally determined to do something to get the people of my community, and the community of Mardy and Olaus, to step up to the plate and honor two of its most beloved citizens’ legacies.
Tell us about “Inspired Citizens for the Murie Legacy,” the group you started to honor Mardy Murie.
I had a friend who had an extensive email list that included me, and I sent out an appeal to anyone who might be interested in joining me in putting together a “Jackson Hole Arctic Action Day.” The event was more than even I could have hoped for. On a beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon, over 200 people came together to be inspired by the voices of author Terry Tempest Williams and a number of other community leaders. I could not even begin to tell you how proud I was of our community. I made an amazing discovery on this journey. I discovered that one person can make a difference, even when he thinks the odds of doing so are all but impossible!
Why are you dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wilderness versus any other particular area of wilderness?
Alaska is the last great hope of wilderness in America and is a place that has largely remained untouched by human hands. I feel sad when I think of all those who have no need for wilderness and are willing to sacrifice it for profit or greed. I see Alaska as holding within its borders the richest natural treasures we have left in this country, and I agree with Mardy that Alaska’s future lies not in its oil but in its vast stretches of wilderness that should be protected and treasured for future generations.
