The 10-02 area of the Arctic National Wildlife refuge is the primary calving area for the Porcupine Caribou herd. It is a 30 x 100 mile strip that offers protection from predators and insects and has quality food needed for the calving period.

It is precisely this area that the Bush administration would like to open up for oil and gas development. To produce oil from this area requires infrastructure that would stretch across a large majority of this coastal plain. Previous studies of the Central Arctic Herd have demonstrated that caribou will not calve within 30-40 miles of development, which could result in reduced survival of the calves because the herd is forced to move and calve on lesser-quality habitat in terms of food and shelter.

If this development is to go ahead, the future of caribou herd will be in jeopardy, along with the people who depend on the herd for their survival and cultural well being - all for an estimated six month supply of oil that will not hit markets for at least ten years.