Female Adventurer to Retrace Steps of Mardy Murie to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Arct

July 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Contact: JuliAnne Forrest
j4 Strategies, Inc.
307-413-2267 jforrest@j4strategies.com

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Female Adventurer to Retrace the Steps of Mardy Murie to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Moose, WY (July 20, 2010) - The Murie Center is honoring the 50th Anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by sponsoring local writer and adventurer, Molly Loomis’s expedition to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Olaus, Mardy and Adolph Murie tirelessly fought to create the Refuge, a cornerstone of the Murie legacy.

Loomis’s trek will serve as a vehicle for investigating the Muries’ deep connection to the Arctic Refuge, their role in its designation and the Refuge’s subsequent history and future in regard to drilling. Her journey will include interviewing land managers, native people, activists on both sides of the Area 1002 drilling debate and most importantly, people who knew the Muries.

Loomis’s trip will begin on July 29, 2010 and continue 150 miles as the crow flies, culminating on or about August 16. The route begins at the Muries’ historic campsite at Last Lake. From there, Molly and her three expedition partners will travel up the Sheenjek River Valley and then over the Brooks Range. On the north side of the Brooks Range they will inflate small rafts they’ve carried in their packs (packrafts), and begin paddling down the Jago river from its headwaters. After approximately 60 miles they will reach the coast of the Beaufort Sea where they will make their way to the village of Kaktovik. Established in 1998, The Murie Center, in partnership with Grand Teton National Park, engages people to understand and commit to the enduring value of conserving wildlife and wild places.
“Investigating the present and future of this important area through an on-the-ground expedition seemed like a meaningful way to commemorate the Muries’ connection to and influence on the Arctic Refuge,” said Loomis. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to better understand the processes the Muries went through in helping establish the Refuge and meet the new generation of conservationists who have taken up the cause.”

Inhabited by the Kaktovikmiut, this 1.5 million acre area is rich not only in oil, but home to an impressive array of wildlife like polar bear, musk ox and bowhead whale. It is also the famed calving ground for the famed Porcupine caribou, sacred to the Gwich’in people who live just beyond the Area 1002 boundary.

“The Murie Center is pleased to sponsor Molly’s trip and carry on the adventurous spirit and legacy of the Muries,” said Steve Duerr, executive director of the Murie Center. “It is extremely important for today’s younger generation to appreciate the lifetime work that the Muries devoted themselves to in preserving America’s truly wild places.

Loomis will be blogging trip reports to the Murie Center website, www.muriecenter.org, and doing presentations for the Murie Center upon her return. For more information please contact the Murie Center at www.muricecenter.org

Molly Loomis Bio
This summer Molly Loomis, a 2010 Murie Center Roving-Writer-In-Residence, will travel to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on an expedition to Area 1002—ground zero for the Arctic drilling debate. 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Loomis’s project will link the Muries’ contributions to the Refuge’s preservation with the work of today’s conservationists and their continued fight to protect this national treasure.

Loomis’s writing focuses on outdoor adventure and conservation. Her work appeared in numerous national publications including Sierra, Outside, Backpacker, Wend and Afar magazines, Wyoming Public Radio and National Native News. She is also a Contributing Editor at Climbing magazine. In 2008-09 Loomis was an Environmental Journalism Fellow at Middlebury College.

Website: www.mollyloomis.com Blog: www.wildmatter.com

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The Murie Center, in partnership with Grand Teton National Park, engages people to understand and commit to the enduring value of conserving wildlife and wild places.