This is a word cloud. The bigger the word, the more times it was used in activists' stories.
- I am a 67-year-old retired female. My first trip to Alaska was four years ago. My journey was a journey of heartbreak. My two older brothers, who were identical twins, had disappeared in a plane with three other men. I was joining a search party of family menbers, friends and strangers. When my plane touched down in Sitka, it was like I was transported back hundreds of years. Mountains touched the water and a vast forest stretched before me. When we were out on the water searching, we saw whales and grizzlies. The beauty was so overwhelming and so transporting. My soul was on flight. I never dreamed that such raw beauty was still there for my eyes to see. My brothers were never found, but if ever there was heaven on earth, it was in Sitka at Deadman Reach. That was the resting place that was chosen for all those people on that plane. So when I think of my brothers and the tears flow, they flow remembering the beautiful wilderness and the wonderful people of Sitka, Alaska. My heart breaks when I hear of wolves being gunned down from airplanes, the governor pushing “drill baby drill,” the massacre of seals or the overfishing. To think that anyone would want to destroy the last of our national treasures, the last of our wilderness or to massacre her beautiful creatures. My brain and soul cannot wrap around such hideous acts. My heart will always be connected to this beauty and the memories will always stir deep within my soul. So if I do one thing in life, it will be to act against any further destruction to this hauntingly beautiful Alaska and her beautiful creatures.
Cathern M., WA
– Cathern M., Washington
- I am a New Jersey resident who lives far from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but I am moved by the awesome beauty and solitude of the area being threatened. I am a geography professor and a Republican, who has studied this ANWR issue from many different angles. I have come to the conclusion that it is vital to save this precious piece of land for the caribou and for our children. We should be directing our focus to developing alternatives to petroleum, which can ultimately end our dependence on OPEC oil and provide a cleaner Earth.
– Judy O., New Jersey
- I am a hiker, backpacker, camper, cyclist, runner, swimmer. I’ve hiked all over New England, some in the western states, and currently all over the Mid-Atlantic where I live. My trip-of-a-lifetime happened this past June, when I accompanied my older, very experienced sister on an 18-day hike/canoe across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. We saw countless birds and wildflowers, a gray wolf, a grizzly bear, polar bear tracks, incredible snow-covered mountain peaks. And the vastness, the wildness, the openness, the solitude, the quiet, the light, the wind. The entire place untouched by anything except the world it is intended to be. It was an honor to walk/paddle through this place; it was spiritual to witness the harmony of it all. I was changed as a person. I am someone who feels that places such as the Arctic Refuge must remain. There are not many of these places left on our planet.
– Dottie R., Maryland
- I am a student and online activist that plans on dedicating my life to protecting the planet and freedom of all living on it. I’ve grown up in East Tennessee, and have seen what a lack of reasonable regulations on environmental management can cause. Alaska is a beautiful place that deserves protection. We can’t fail our planet for so many reasons, and we all need to work together in protecting it.
– Michael M., Tennessee
- I am a photographer living in New York City. I was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where I grew up on the stories of Jack London. I also read many stories about Alaska. I have always dreamed of going. The arctic animals, foxes, polar bears, otters, and snowy owls have always been animals of majesty and mystery to me.
– Pauline S., New York
- I’m a lifelong Hoosier who believes that each of us has a duty to protect the sanctity of wildlife and our shared environment. I consider myself somewhat of a caretaker by trade and hold a degree in Geography. To understand, preserve, and protect our fragile environment and ecosystems needs to be a shared goal amongst us all.
– Terry Y., Indiana
- As the author of ‘Cultural Politics and the Mass Media: Alaska Native Voices, ‘ I know that the Gwich’in peoples have been fighting for their cultural and environmental rights for a long time. In the 1960s, they worked tirelessly to prevent the destruction of much of the habitat in the Yukon Flats that would have resulted from the construction of a hydroelectric dam [Rampart Dam]. In 2003, a Republican sponsored research study by the National Research Council on the effects of oil drilling on the North Slope concluded that ‘three decades of drilling along Alaska’s North Slope have produced a steady accumulation of harmful environmental and social effects…’ [New York Times, March 5, 2003]The time to begin to put an end to global warming and environmental degradation and racism is long overdue.
– Pat D., New Hampshire
- As a retired Episcopal clergyman, one who was fortunate enough to visit the Refuge in 1997 on a rafting trip, I continue to be an enthusiastic supporter of full protection for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Its uniqueness, natural beauty, and importance as a homeland for a wide variety of migratory birds and animals; its fertile coastal plain, which serves as a summer homeland for migrating caribou from northwestern Canada; each of these attributes renders the refuge worthy of protection as one of earth’s singular places. Special attention should also be extended to the Gwich’in people who for centuries have lived just south of the refuge, calling themselves ‘Caribou people.’ These folk are virtually dependent upon a healthy migratory caribou herd for food, clothing, and products made from caribou bones.
– Carleton S., New Hampshire
- I am a life long Republican (of the Teddy Roosevelt variety), a member of REP America and a wilderness advocate. Wild Alaska belongs to all Americans and should be protected. Conservation is conservative.
– Bob J., New Jersey
- I am a Youth Outreach Specialist for a non-profit, Christian-based program called TreeHouse. I would like to speak on behalf of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a place we as a nation should respect and protect. Drilling in this area would do more harm than good. Economically and environmentally we are not doing ourselves any favors by attacking this sacred place.
– Jill L., Minnesota
