{"id":12395,"date":"2020-08-26T11:55:33","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T15:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=12395"},"modified":"2023-12-01T10:52:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T15:52:01","slug":"oil-gas-drilling-disrupt-the-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/2020\/08\/oil-gas-drilling-disrupt-the-arctic\/","title":{"rendered":"How Oil and Gas Drilling Could Disrupt the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Encompassing more than 19 million acres of snow-capped mountains and coastal tundra in northeastern Alaska, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest unspoiled and intact ecosystems left on the planet. But the U.S. Department of the Interior has approved a plan<\/a> to auction off leases for oil and gas development in the refuge, a move that could negatively impact wildlife and tourism.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan would open up the refuge\u2019s coastal plain \u2014 a patch of 1.56 million acres along the coast of the Beaufort Sea \u2014 to drilling. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt estimated that operations could begin in roughly eight years and last for about half a century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats, native tribes in the area and environmental groups have long opposed the government\u2019s plan to open the refuge to oil and gas drilling, arguing that it will not only cause an increase in greenhouse gas emissions but also lead to spills and fragment important wildlife habitat.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo energy production comes free of environmental costs,\u201d said Christopher Moorman<\/a>, professor and interim associate head in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State\u2019s College of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moorman, whose areas of expertise include wildlife habitat management and renewable energy ecology, added that the infrastructure needed to extract and transport oil and gas (well pads, pipelines, roads, coastal ports, etc.) could lead to habitat loss and fragmentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The brown bears of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge represent the most northern population of the species in North America. Photo Credit: iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As part of its plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, the Interior Department will construct as many as four airstrips and major well pads, 175 miles of roads, vertical supports for pipelines, a seawater treatment plant and a barge landing and storage site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The construction of this infrastructure \u2014 and the drilling itself \u2014 could also cause wildlife to exhibit avoidance behaviors, especially if human activity is high, according to Moorman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere humans, equipment, and vehicles are abundant and active, the noise or other disturbances may deter animals from what otherwise may be habitat immediately around the infrastructure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1980 by Congress, provides habitat for a wide variety of animals, including 45 species of land and marine mammals, 36 species of fish, and more than 200 species of birds that come from six continents to breed, rest or feed from April to July. The refuge\u2019s coastal plain \u2014 stretching north from the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean \u2014 is home to endangered polar bears and is the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou herd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moorman said wild, undeveloped places such as the refuge are increasingly rare in the United States and the rest of the world. While strategies can be employed to mitigate or minimize the effects on wildlife, it is often difficult or impossible to reverse course once development occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The mountain ranges within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including mountain goats and musk oxen. Photo Credit: Jan Reurink\/Creative Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to its impacts on wildlife, oil and gas drilling within the refuge could also lead to a decrease in tourism, according to Jonathan Casper<\/a>, associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A survey<\/a> by Casper and other researchers, published in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism in 2017, examined the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on park usage. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as \u201cfracking,\u201d is a drilling technique designed to recover oil or natural gas from deep in the Earth.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Park users who participated in the survey expressed concern that fracking operations would hinder their ability to access parks and enjoy recreational activities, according to Casper. There is also evidence to suggest that park users would avoid parks near fracking operations, with more than half of all survey participants responding that they were willing to travel further to visit parks unaffected by fracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn general, park users believed that fracking on public land was unnecessary and bad for the environment,\u201d Casper said. \u201cMany even felt that fracking should be banned on public land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge offers a variety of outdoor activities, with at least 1,200 people visiting the refuge each year to enjoy wildlife viewing and photography, backpacking, camping, rafting, hunting and fishing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casper said the extent to which oil and gas drilling impacts tourism at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will depend on how the associated noise and traffic alter the visitor experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you think about why people travel to these wild places, it\u2019s because they are quiet and untouched,\u201d he added.  \u201cOur study clearly shows that people avoid areas near fracking.\u201d 
<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n

Encompassing more than 19 million acres of snow-capped mountains and coastal tundra in northeastern Alaska, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the largest unspoiled and intact ecosystems left on the planet. But the U.S. Department of the Interior has approved a plan<\/a> to auction off leases for oil and gas development in the refuge, a move that could negatively impact wildlife and tourism.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan would open up the refuge\u2019s coastal plain \u2014 a patch of 1.56 million acres along the coast of the Beaufort Sea \u2014 to drilling. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt estimated that operations could begin in roughly eight years and last for about half a century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats, native tribes in the area and environmental groups have long opposed the government\u2019s plan to open the refuge to oil and gas drilling, arguing that it will not only cause an increase in greenhouse gas emissions but also lead to spills and fragment important wildlife habitat.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo energy production comes free of environmental costs,\u201d said Christopher Moorman<\/a>, professor and interim associate head in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State\u2019s College of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moorman, whose areas of expertise include wildlife habitat management and renewable energy ecology, added that the infrastructure needed to extract and transport oil and gas (well pads, pipelines, roads, coastal ports, etc.) could lead to habitat loss and fragmentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The brown bears of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge represent the most northern population of the species in North America. Photo Credit: iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As part of its plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, the Interior Department will construct as many as four airstrips and major well pads, 175 miles of roads, vertical supports for pipelines, a seawater treatment plant and a barge landing and storage site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The construction of this infrastructure \u2014 and the drilling itself \u2014 could also cause wildlife to exhibit avoidance behaviors, especially if human activity is high, according to Moorman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere humans, equipment, and vehicles are abundant and active, the noise or other disturbances may deter animals from what otherwise may be habitat immediately around the infrastructure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which was established in 1980 by Congress, provides habitat for a wide variety of animals, including 45 species of land and marine mammals, 36 species of fish, and more than 200 species of birds that come from six continents to breed, rest or feed from April to July. The refuge\u2019s coastal plain \u2014 stretching north from the Brooks Range to the Arctic Ocean \u2014 is home to endangered polar bears and is the calving ground of the Porcupine caribou herd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moorman said wild, undeveloped places such as the refuge are increasingly rare in the United States and the rest of the world. While strategies can be employed to mitigate or minimize the effects on wildlife, it is often difficult or impossible to reverse course once development occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The mountain ranges within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge provide habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including mountain goats and musk oxen. Photo Credit: Jan Reurink\/Creative Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to its impacts on wildlife, oil and gas drilling within the refuge could also lead to a decrease in tourism, according to Jonathan Casper<\/a>, associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A survey<\/a> by Casper and other researchers, published in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism in 2017, examined the impacts of hydraulic fracturing on park usage. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as \u201cfracking,\u201d is a drilling technique designed to recover oil or natural gas from deep in the Earth.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Park users who participated in the survey expressed concern that fracking operations would hinder their ability to access parks and enjoy recreational activities, according to Casper. There is also evidence to suggest that park users would avoid parks near fracking operations, with more than half of all survey participants responding that they were willing to travel further to visit parks unaffected by fracking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn general, park users believed that fracking on public land was unnecessary and bad for the environment,\u201d Casper said. \u201cMany even felt that fracking should be banned on public land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge offers a variety of outdoor activities, with at least 1,200 people visiting the refuge each year to enjoy wildlife viewing and photography, backpacking, camping, rafting, hunting and fishing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casper said the extent to which oil and gas drilling impacts tourism at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will depend on how the associated noise and traffic alter the visitor experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you think about why people travel to these wild places, it\u2019s because they are quiet and untouched,\u201d he added.  \u201cOur study clearly shows that people avoid areas near fracking.\u201d 
<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A plan to open the refuge to drilling could negatively impact wildlife and tourist. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":12400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"displayCategoryID\":3,\"caption\":\"The U.S. Department of the Interior has approved a plan to auction off leases for oil and gas development in the refuge, a move that could negatively impact wildlife and tourism. Photo Credit: iStock\",\"subtitle\":\"The U.S. Department of the Interior has approved a plan to auction off leases for oil and gas development in the refuge. NC State researchers say the move poses numerous threats. \"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[179,1,102,121,3],"tags":[42,273,272,247],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-12395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-impact-and-outreach","category-hidden-news","category-hidden-newswire","category-prtm-research","category-research-innovation","tag-parks-recreation-and-tourism-management","tag-protected-areas-and-landscapes","tag-sustainable-tourism","tag-wildlife-management-and-conservation-biology"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":3,"name":"Research and Innovation","slug":"research-innovation","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"Discover the innovative research our faculty and students devote themselves to year around. At the College of Natural Resources, we are working to create a healthier and more sustainable planet across various disciplines \u2014 including paper science and engineering, forest management and wildlife conservation, and parks, recreation and tourism management. ","parent":0,"count":162,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/171"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12395"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29369,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12395\/revisions\/29369"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12395"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=12395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}