ANWR's Index Distance in miles between ice-roads projected as necessary for oil exploration in the ANWR: 1/2 "Seismic exploration is conducted every winter on the North Slope of Alaska, west of the Refuge. New vehicle tracks and older ones in various stages of recovery are visible on the tundra in the summer. Today, 3-dimensional (3-D) seismic surveys, as conducted west of the Refuge boundary, require a much more dense grid of lines to collect all the data necessary for creating 3-D images of oil reserves. While the 1984-85 2-D trails on the Arctic Refuge were 4 miles apart, 3-D trails would be one half mile or less apart. The impact to vegetation and soils on the Refuge would likely be much greater from 3-D seismic surveys than from the 2-D seismic surveys conducted in the 1980s." As cited previously, the Caribou tend to move 1.5 miles from human disturbance to find calving grounds. Biologists at the ANWR point out that calving takes place in the summers, while the seismic exploration takes place in the winters. While the seismic exploration may not affect the calving grounds, any gravel roads that will be built after the exploration is over and the drilling has begun will affect the caribou, along with the disturbance of wells and trucks and all the other heavy machinery involved. The point: There is not enough room in the 1002 area to drill for oil and avoid severe impacts on the caribou. sources: -From Potential Impacts of Oil and Gas Development on Refuge Resources return to index