This map identifies current and proposed leases on Alaska's north slope. Click here or on the map to view a larger version.

This map of Alaska’s North Slope and the Arctic Ocean – America’s only arctic ecosystem – illustrates the vast, large-scale oil and gas leasing proposed by the Bush Administration.  Areas in orange, red, pink, and yellow – virtually the entire length and width of Alaska’s North Slope, including significant offshore areas – will be opened for oil and gas exploration and simultaneous development. Such large-scale, unplanned, and piecemeal development threatens the ecological integrity of the arctic because wildlife and wilderness values are not currently protected. The Wilderness Society is advocating a more balanced approach, which would identify and protect the most sensitive areas for wildlife, and native cultures, before moving forward with plans to lease and develop the North Slope for natural resource extraction.

Alaska’s North Slope is home to wolves, bears, caribou and numerous migratory birds.  A balanced approach would give wilderness protection to the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and permanent protection for the most biologically and culturally important areas of the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A) and the Arctic Ocean, while maximizing oil and gas potential around less sensitive and already-developed areas. In all cases, wherever exploration and development proceed, these activities must be carried out under strict environmental standards, including those related to operations, cleanup and restoration.