Paper: Alaska North Slope

The last American Frontier, Alaska, is for the most part a harsh and demanding wilderness - a land of extremes. There are places where winter temperatures reach a painfully cold -85_F and summer highs reaching a sweltering 95_F. For most of the year Alaska's North Slope (area between Brooks Range and Arctic Ocean) remains an icy desert, receiving less than six inches of moisture annually. Despite these extremes, Alaska's North Slope has an abundant amount of wildlife. The summer months bring the Caribou back to their traditional camping grounds. Today there is still room for the Caribou to graze peacefully in a largely unspoiled environment. It is in this Arctic wilderness that Atlantic Richfield Company and Exxon first discovered Prudhoe Bay Field in 1968.