Environmental impact – in the eye of the beholder?
Oversimplification of complex issues and appealing to stereotypes – when someone relies on fallacies like this, they must not have any valid arguments to make.
 Here's a good example: During his recent visit to the Yukon, Alaska State Governor Frank Murkowski stated that if the Gwich'in people knew the truth about oil development they would be supportive of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He suggested the Gwich'in people had been led astray and were being overly influenced by environmental groups.
Murkowski has cited examples of oil development in Alaska where he believes there has been little environmental impact and where there has been great economic gain. Therefore, he argues, the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge – the sensitive calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd – should be opened up to oil and gas development, as well.
Are the Gwich'in people really being misguided by environmentalists or are they, in fact, guiding some of the work of environmental groups?
After living on the land for thousands of years and sharing their experiences over the generations, one would have to assume that they know something about the caribou and the land they are so intrinsically connected to.
But perhaps environmental impact is in the eye of the beholder.
A city slicker who travels to a North Slope oil patch might marvel at the vast expanse of surrounding wilderness and the "exotic" animals. But for industry to get to the Arctic Refuge lands, according to a report by the Alaska Wilderness League, over 280 miles of roads will have to be built. And there will be hundreds of miles of pipelines, plus industrial buildings, oil rigs and wells and camps for the workers.
The linear disturbance caused by roads and pipelines are known to affect caribou. Caribou avoid roads, and they tend not to cross over pipelines, so their range can be fragmented and they can waste valuable energy running long the lines. And the caribou that do get used to linear corridors are at a higher risk of predation. Because of their accessibility, the caribou are easier prey for, say, wolves, where development is denser.
For all that development to happen, an estimated 50 million cubic yards of gravel will be extracted from pristine lands. And under the roads, trails, gravel pits and highway camps, the soil is compacted, affecting the growth of plant life as well as small animals. Plant life along the roadsides is affected, as well, by the dust and exhaust. These changes in turn affect animals higher up the food chain, disrupting the entire ecosystem.
And the tours where Murkowski takes people probably avoid heavily damaged areas. Reports show 853 separate instances of inadequate cleanup along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Construction, linear disturbance, human activity, litter – all those factors cumulatively add up to major habitat disruption.
But in addition to the risks of development in general, the risk of development in the calving grounds are much higher. And it is the calving grounds in particular that the PCMB and all its user communities are seeking to permanently protect.
The 1002 lands refer to the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd located on the coastal plains along the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While measures can be taken to help mitigate risk to wildlife along other parts of the range and still allow oil and gas development, this area should be off limits entirely. The calving grounds are so important to the herd that it is the only place it returns to year after year.
This herd has lower productivity than most other herds, and it therefore is less able to withstand stressors, whether human or natural. And we know that the herd suffers when calves aren't born in the calving grounds.
Some years, when the snow slows the herd down, the cows don't make it to the calving grounds to calf. The cows and calves will continue to the calving grounds to seek the wealth of fresh green vegetation to eat and the protection from insects. And when the calves have to travel there, calf mortality is exceptionally high.
The problem with development in the 1002 lands is that caribou are hypersensitive to disruption around calving time, and it is expected that they will avoid the calving grounds if the land is developed. Avoidance of human disturbance by cows after birthing is consistently seen in other herds exposed to development. This herd is already in a delicate position, and it is unlikely that it could remain productive with such an infringement on their habitat over the long term.
The calving grounds provide a vital source of nutrition necessary for the lactating cows to feed their young. And there are relatively few predators there, as well as relatively few insects. This refuge gives calves a reasonable chance to start off their lives in health and safety.
Sometimes the herd can't access the 1002 lands for calving due to late snowmelt, and the cows calve prior to reaching the 1002 lands. If they calve back on migration, the diet is poorer, predation is higher and early calf mortality has increased by 19%.
It's not easy for everyone to understand how important the shelter from insects is to the caribou. Insects can pester the caribou so badly that the animals become malnourished. Caribou sometimes even trample the calves as they run about in frustration. If oil and gas development forces the herd to avoid the 1002 area, its population numbers would suffer due to increased predation and insect harassment and malnutrition.
To the Gwich'in people, the calving grounds are called, Vadzaih googii vi dehk'it gwanlii, which means, "The sacred place where life begins." This name refers to the life of the caribou, but it also refers to the sustenance by the caribou provided to them.
Governor Murkowski chose to oversimplify the relationship of the caribou to the land and jeopardize a herd that has sustained the Gwich'in culture for many, many centuries. For the Gwich'in people, the gains they stand to get from development in the calving grounds don't conform to their values. For them, risking the health of the herd is just not an option.
UPDATES MENU
|