WHO: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER BOYD MATSON WILL INTRODUCE VIEWERS TO THE BEAUTY OF THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.
WHAT: SATELLITE INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED LIVE AT THE ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE IN ALASKA – VIEWERS WILL GET TO SEE THE VITALITY OF THESE COASTAL PLAINS COMPLETE WITH ENORMOUS CARIBOU HERD/NEW CALVES, BEARS & WOLVES.
WHY: Alaska is often characterized as a cold and barren place. Viewers will now be able to see the actual vibrancy and pristine nature of this land, which until now very few have seen. ANWR has been in the news since a vote will be a taken this fall that would allow oil and gas exploration within ANWR.
MORE ABOUT ANWR: Renowned for its wildlife, Arctic Refuge is inhabited by 45 species of land and marine mammals, ranging from the pygmy shrew to the bowhead whale. Best known are the polar, grizzly, and black bear; wolf, wolverine, Dall sheep, moose, muskox, and the animal that has come to symbolize the area's wildness, the free-roaming caribou. Thirty-six species of fish occur in Arctic Refuge waters, and 180 species of birds have been observed on the refuge. Eight million acres of the Arctic Refuge are designated Wilderness, and three rivers (Sheenjek, Wind, and Ivishak) are designated Wild Rivers. Two areas of the refuge are designated Research Natural Areas. Because of distinctive scenic and scientific features, several rivers, valleys, canyons, lakes, and a rock mesa have been recommended as National Natural Landmarks.
Perhaps the most unique feature of the refuge is that large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes continue here, free of human control or manipulation. A prominent reason for establishment of the Arctic Refuge was the fact that this single protected area encompasses an unbroken continuum of arctic and subarctic ecosystems. Here, one can traverse the boreal forest of the Porcupine River plateau, wander north up the rolling tiaga uplands, cross the rugged, glacier-capped Brooks Range, and follow any number of rivers across the tundra coastal plain to the lagoons, estuaries, and barrier islands of the Beaufort Seas coast, all without encountering an artifact of civilization.
The refuge encompasses the traditional homelands and subsistence areas of Inupiaq Eskimos of the arctic coast and the Athabascan Indians of the interior. The Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a federal agency within the Department of the Interior.
MORE ABOUT BOYD MATSON: As host of National Geographic’s television series EXPLORER from 1994 through early 2003, Boyd Matson’s job has been to travel to exotic locations, join thrilling expeditions, and participate in high-adrenaline adventures. The series has won more Emmy Awards in the past three years than any other news or documentary series on television, and since its first broadcast it has won 49 Emmys and more than 400 other industry awards. Matson’s background as a television journalist includes stints as co-anchor of ABC’s World News Now and NBC’s Sunday Today, and host of CNBC’s The Real Story.