Alaska is a state that has divided loyalties - on one hand is the vast pristine landscapes with untold richness of biodiversity, and the other hand holds the energy resources vital to our nation's economy and security.
Controversial actions abound in national politics and in the politics of local villages and towns. Should they open protected lands for energy exploration? It would mean jobs and money for many remote Native villages, but at what cost?? Many Native village people still depend on the land for their survival, just as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. The land is a part of them and their cultural well-being. It is a spiritual part of them that they can't ignore. What will happen to their way of life if they allow big oil companies to move in? What will happen to their culture? Will the land be forever changed to a point that it can no longer support their traditional way of living? Once the decision is made, there is no going back.
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