Where are they now? 🦌

Spring has officially sprung, and while that may mean flowers popping up around your neighborhood, for the Porcupine caribou herd it means undertaking one of the largest migrations on the planet.  Each year, the 200,000 strong herd crosses the Northwest Territories and the Yukon in Canada, on their way to their calving grounds on the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.  The Gwich’in people call the coastal plain of the Refuge “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.” They are spiritually and culturally tied to the health of the Porcupine caribou herd and the coastal plain, and have depended on these animals for their subsistence and culture for thousands of years. The Gwich’in people have worked to protect these lands for generations. Photo Credit: Peter Mather  But the Arctic Refuge isn’t home to just the Porcupine caribou herd -- it supports the greatest variety of plant and animal life in the entire circumpolar north, including millions of migratory birds that fly to six continents and all 50 states. One of those birds is the Arctic Tern, which travels 59,650 miles from the Antarctic circle to the Arctic Refuge and back again. These birds are very sensitive to changes in the environment, and drilling in the Arctic Refuge would threaten their already declining population.  Like the Porcupine caribou herd and the Arctic Tern, hundreds of other migratory bird species and other animals rely on the refuge for their survival. Photo Credit: Peter Mather  Curious about the migration of caribou and the birds that are taking flight, headed north to nest and raise their young in the Arctic Refuge? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for #MigrationMondays where we’re sharing fun facts and how protecting these sacred lands helps protect the wildlife that depends on them. Desirée Sorenson-Groves   Director, Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign Our mailing address is: ARDC 122 C St NW Ste 240 Washington, DC 20001-2109