Bird lovers and Arctic buffs: Clear your coffee tables—make way for Arctic Wings: Birds of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most stunning collections of photographs of the winged life that lives or visits the northern reaches of Alaska on the Beaufort sea. The Refuge comprises 19.5 million acres of wild and undeveloped land. Yes, it also neighbors Prudhoe Bay and contains other potential oil and gas drilling sites that we hear so much about in the political arena. Some twelve essayists who are contributors to this large and weighty volume clearly express their concern and warnings as to the dire consequences of energy development that are certain to occur to this fragile ecosystem that sustains and nurtures birds from all over the world. This is U.S. territory that is the summer home for countless migratory species of birds and year around residency for a handful of tough guys who can forage and endure in the darkness and frigid temperatures of the Arctic winter.
The book means to persuade and presents compelling arguments for restricting development in the Refuge. If you are a believer, then the reading is comforting and arms you for advancing the arguments with the uninformed. If a skeptic, then Arctic Wings will challenge and persuade and more often change minds. All of this, of course, is backdrop to the most extraordinary collection of photographs of birds in their Arctic habitat that can be found anywhere. It features the work of six world-renowned wildlife photographers who have spent decades in the northernmost region of the country patiently stalking their subjects for that exquisite moment of light, color and action.
The copy presented to The Polar Times for review is soft-bound and includes a CD of Arctic bird songs. To inquire of purchase or if there is a hard-cover edition, visit mbooks@mountaineersbooks.org.
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