Alaskanus energeticus

Aug. 6, 2001
The last time this editor revisited the subject of his former West Coast beat, it was to analyze the often contradictory behavior of the strange beast known as Californius energeticus (OGJ June 25, 2001, p. 17).

The last time this editor revisited the subject of his former West Coast beat, it was to analyze the often contradictory behavior of the strange beast known as Californius energeticus (OGJ June 25, 2001, p. 17).

That column elicited a letter from a California reader that appears on p. 10. Suffice it to say he was not amused.

So, in the interest of fairness (and a relevant tie-in to a special report on Alaska with articles beginning on pp. 20, 36, and 58), it behooves one to also examine the psyche of a species unique to the other West Coast industry mainstay, Alaskanus energeticus.

Alaskanus energeticus

This hardy creature thrives amid some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet. He enjoys the rugged, wild beauty of his home and often can be seen risking his neck just to see more of it in places seldom trod by ordinary humankind.

The native-born of this species is especially adept at living in harmony with his environs, taking from nature's bounty only what he needs and making the most of it in an often harsh and unforgiving place. What singularly unites Alaskans is their abiding respect for the jaw-dropping beauty and raw power of nature in their state. So to suggest to an Alaskan that he or she is anti-environment is a canard not lightly borne.

Now when the agitated squawks and twitters emanate from Californius energeticus on the subject of energy vs. the environment, it is often simply the territorial cry of a subspecies, the tiresome NIMBY bird: "Not-in-my-back-yard!" And sometimes it's just Chicken Little, scurrying about and raising alarms to raise more money and sign up more members to the flock.

Not so Alaskanus energeticus. No species does a better job of safeguarding its environment while wisely shepherding its resources-including oil and gas.

ANWR concerns

While Alaskans are overwhelmingly in favor of developing oil and gas in their state, there is a favorable majority but no unanimity when it comes to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain to drilling.

Even for most Alaskans, ANWR is a remote place, accessible only by plane or river or foot. Save for a few native villages and some intrepid wilderness adventurers, there is little evidence that humans have come this way. Yet this distant, wild place is the focus of angry claims and counterclaims at the center of a maelstrom over US energy policy. Even some Alaskans worry about the wisdom of drilling in what's been called the "Serengeti of the North."

That sparked an idea for Frank Willingham, associate professor of biology at Ilisagvik College at Barrow, Alas. He had a notion that Alaskans ought to find out for themselves just what all the fuss was about. So he developed a course called "Field Ecology and Perspectives on American Wilderness." The course consisted of a 1-day orientation in Fairbanks, a 9-day float trip on the Aichilik or Jago rivers in ANWR, a visit to the Inupiat village of Kaktovik on the coastal plain, and visits to oil field facilities in the Prudhoe Bay area.

Willingham notes that each of the students-all adults-started out with a decidedly negative stance toward ANWR drilling, especially while rafting through some of the most spectacular wilderness anywhere.

But then they arrived at the bleak coastal plain, for generations the site of human activity. They had already listened to presentations by all sides in the controversy, and, says Willingham, the image of Serengeti did not come to mind.

The most telling moment of the trip came, Willingham says, in the shuttle bus to the Endicott oil field facilities. After being disappointed for not having seen caribou on the ANWR coastal plain, the group excitedly stopped the bus and started taking photos of the many caribou leisurely grazing on the tundra alongside oil pipelines and gravel pads. Then they visited the oil field facilities-where "operating with care" is a religion, not just a slogan. And they learned that "pristine" can also apply to oil field facilities.

Another side to the story

Then the students told Willingham "that there sure is another side to this story."

He'll have more evidence of how their stance changed when term papers are turned in next month.

Willingham wants to expand this educational outreach to let the outside world find the truth for itself-as he learned-that oil and nature can mix without harm.

On his wish list are more such trips, perhaps one to the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (which he and other biologists deem more biologically significant than the ANWR coastal plain, current drilling efforts there notwithstanding); seminars on oil operations' impacts on arctic ecosystems; and invitations to Lower 48 schools to come to the North Slope and teach.

"We need to get the high school and college students," he said. "That's where the message needs to go."

If you want to help him spread the word, his e-mail address is [email protected].