Report: Arctic refuge coastal plain, poised for oil development, is increasingly important for wildlife

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Alaska's North Slope, just opened to drilling by the Trump Administration, is becoming more important for polar bears, caribou and other species, a new federal report finds.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain, the area slated by the Trump administration for oil leasing, is an increasingly important site for polar bears and is now used by two herds of caribou. It’s also, at least for now, showing fewer signs of warming, such as shrub expansion and coastal erosion, than other parts of Alaska’s rapidly warming North Slope.