Porcupine Caribou and the Arctic Refuge
The Porcupine caribou - which takes its name from its winter range in the valleys and tributaries of the Porcupine River - is the signature species of the Arctic Refuge. The Porcupine caribou population is of such significance that in 1987 the United States and Canada signed an agreement on the Conservation of the Caribou Herd. The International Porcupine Caribou Board was established to advise the two nations and identified the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as sensitive habitat for calving and summer grazing.
 Porcupine caribou begin migrating to their calving grounds in early April. The caribou are hundreds of miles south and east of the coastal plain. More than 123,000 caribou migrate hundreds of miles towards the coastal plain to their calving grounds. By late June and early July, the coastal plain is filled with cows and calves. They move freely around the plain, escaping insects and fattening up for winter.
The coastal plain is an ideal calving ground because it offers the most extensive stretch of land in which predators are scarce and highly nutritious forage is abundant. The evolutionary advantage of calving on the coastal plain is deeply ingrained. Cows that give birth before reaching the coastal plain will quickly get their calves to move towards the plain to escape predation and obtain better food.
 Caribou feed on cotton grass, a fuzzy protein-rich plant. This vegetation is crucial to the health of caribou calves. Calves that eat cotton grass grow rapidly and survive well.
By late summer, the coastal plain is empty as the caribou move to Brooks Range or into Canada for the winter.
Oil development and caribou
Caribou are the species that will most likely suffer major disruptions from oil development. In other areas where there has been Arctic development, caribou herds have been displaced and herd numbers reduced. These caribou do not have comparable habitat to replace the coastal plain.
In other areas with oil fields, caribou were harmed by roads, pipelines and other disturbances. It meant they could not access food or get away from insects.
Many of these caribou moved into new territory, but for the caribou of the coastal plain, there is nowhere to run.
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