Last Great Wilderness: The Campaign to Establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ハードカバー]

Establishment of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was an epic struggle in conservation and remains a touchstone for many of us that prefer a hearty dose of wildness. In this book by Roger Kaye, the reader gains an appreciation of the place rightfully called the Last Great Wilderness, but perhaps more importantly we learn about the coalition of scientists, sportsmen, and wilderness lovers who were profoundly touched by this wild corner of Alaska and how they struggled to protect it.

The people involved in the campaign to protect what would become the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge read like a who's who of the early conservation movement. Among those described are the likes of Bob Marshall, Aldo Leopold, Olaus Murie, Mardy Murie, George Collins, and A. Starker Leopold. In those early days, no one knew what special designation was fitting for such land or which agency should manage it, let alone how to convince Congress or the President to act on its behalf.

One of the great lessons of this book is that despite long odds, persistence and dedication eventually pay off. Virginia Wood and Celia Hunter, two early Alaska advocates for protection, captured what I am certain was broad sentiment among conservationists at that time and even today, they wrote: "conservation gets so many setbacks...it is easy to get discouraged and feel that individuals or small groups are impotent in the machinations of `bigness' that plague the modern world."

Today, we are the beneficiaries of their unselfish vision and dedication. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is indeed the last great wilderness, stretching for more than 19 million acres - about 9 times the size of Yellowstone National Park - plus adjoining parks on the Canadian side. Roger Kaye's fine book reminds us not only why such an area was protected but why it is vital that we not lose this vision of a place where nature still plays out her natural rhythms in tune to forces yet only partially understood by scientists and philosophers.

As conservationists continue the prolonged struggle to protect the Arctic Refuge from oil development and other encroachments, the epic story of the campaign to establish the original Arctic National Wildlife Range, documented in Last Great Wilderness, now provides new inspiration and deeper understanding of why the Refuge should remain protected. This is an invaluable resource for all who will face the battles that lie ahead because in revealing the idealism and values upon which the Arctic Refuge was founded, it provides the most persuasive arguments for keeping it wild. While Last Great Wilderness is a thoroughly researched and authoritative history of the conflict, it is at the same time an absorbing, hard-to-put-down story. Color and black and white historical photos lend interest.

Last Great Wilderness shows how conservation pioneers George Collins, Lowell Sumner, Olaus and Mardy Murie, Starker Leopold, Justice William O. Douglas, and Sigrud Olson united with Ginny Wood, Celia Hunter and other Alaskans to forge a highly effective strategy of grass roots action on a national scale. Their successful struggle set a number of milestones in conservation history: establishment of the nation's first vast ecosystem-scale conservation unit and the first administered as an adventuring ground--a place for the kind of challenging, self-reliant, and exploratory journeys that Bob Marshall had extolled. The Arctic Range exemplified the wild values and recreational opportunities its advocates soon succeeded in enshrining in the wilderness Act of 1964. The victory laid the groundwork for the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).

While Last Great Wilderness is about what happened in the past, like any history, it was written to serve the future. For those who believe the vision, values, and ideals that led to the Arctic Refuge's establishment should guide its future stewardship, Last Great Wilderness will be an invaluable guide. And for those interested in the evolution of the wilderness movement, and especially its influence upon Alaskan conservation efforts, this book is a must-read.

A PhD in wilderness studies, Roger Kaye has been the Arctic Refuge's wilderness specialist and pilot since 1985.

While focused on the ANWR, this eloquent work has broad application. Kaye's careful analysis of what it took to mobilize disparate interests to reach a common goal, and of the constant attention that must be paid even after "success" is reached to avoid the same pro-development forces rewinding the clock, is instructive to every grassroots effort to protect our precious wild places. Well done at every level, and urgently needed as an organizing guide.