History and Culture

Refuge Establishment: Legislation and Purposes

The Arctic Refuge was established in 1960 and expanded in 1980.

• Brief description of Refuge purposes
• Public Land Order 2214 creating the Range in 1960
• Excerpts from the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act expanding the Refuge and its purposes in 1980

Refuge History

The Arctic Refuge has been providing for the physical and emotional well-being of humans for many thousands of years. It remains an important resource to help sustain local Eskimo and Indian cultures. The Refuge continues to be valued, even by those who never travel within it's borders, as a symbol of America's vast and remote wilderness - a place of inspiration and beauty - a promise for the future for all Americans.

• Caribou Fences: People of the Caribou
• Time Line - Establishment and management of the Refuge
• Legacy of Conservation
• Discover what three official names the Refuge has had.
• Partial listing of historic writings related to the Refuge

Local Cultures

The lands of the Arctic Refuge continue to support the Inupiat Eskimo and Gwich'in Indian peoples who have lived here for centuries.

• Communities adjacent to the Refuge
• A gathering to learn traditional ways