To some the mention of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge conjours up images of battalions of caribou, slowly making their way across the vast tundra of Alaska. To others, it is part of a complex solution to our country's energy woes. Personally, I tend to favor the first notion of ANWR, and believe that it should be kept off-limits to oiil development. I've seen enhough clear-cuts and mine tailing dumps in my lifetime to know that it's hard to trust industry to be kind to the environment. No decision has been reached on ANWR's future, but these days, who knows what's going to happen.

In light of this whole debate, there have been several films released lately - documentaries, obviously - about the refuge. But also there have been some fine articles and books. Among the latter, here is a link to a couple of nice reviews for two recent books that more or less (well, more) favor the conservation approach.

The first is calledArctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, and is written by Subhankar Banerjee. It's a volume of photos and essays and it portrays the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as America's Serengeti, a claim often made by environmentalists. The second book is called Where Mountains are Nameless, by Jonathan Waterman, and it too makes the case that ANWR should be protected (the title is almost too melodramatic, however).

The reviews are mostly favorable, and while they favor one side of the debate, well, maybe that's your side and you're looking for some reading on the subject.

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