Established in 1980, Gates of the Arctic marked a radically different way of thinking about what a national park should be. Compared to previously established parks, it’s hard for the public to access. This park is truly undeveloped — there are no roads or infrastructure. And it’s immense. You could fit Yosemite, Glacier, Everglades, White Sands, Death Valley and the Grand Canyon all within its borders and still have room to spare.

But even here, in one of the most remote and least visited of the national parks, the outside world is finding its way in. 

Ten miles west of the park, mining companies are drilling for copper. The metal is necessary for a number of green technologies, including electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines. The mines could support President Biden’s goals to reduce the use of fossil fuels and beef up domestic sources of critical minerals. 

To access these mines, the state has proposed an access road that would cut through 211 miles of Arctic tundra. Twenty-six miles of the road would cross through Gates of the Arctic. Biden has pledged to conserve nearly a third of U.S. land and water by 2030, and his administration has stopped similar mining projects. Environmentalists and some Native groups are also fighting to have the wilderness preserved.



In this episode of “Field Trip,” Washington post reporter Lillian Cunningham travels north of the Arctic Circle to ask: Is the dent these metals would put in climate change worth the harm to the surrounding wilderness? 

We have incredible photos for this series. You can see them and find more on the National Parks here. 

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