“The debate over our natural resources and their proper use underlines almost every other problem in our national life,” Theodore Roosevelt. Americans' dependence on oil-based energy sources has forced the United States to consider a variety of options to meet growing energy needs, including drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR] (Smith). The controversial question of whether or not to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been under discussion since its inception. Drilling in the ANWR would cause great harm as it poses a danger to native plants and animals as the land is their home and birthplace, the land discussed to be opened for drilling will not be the only land earmarked to a path of destruction, and along with the use and distribution of the oil found, how much might be discovered and whether it is worth losing valuable land to a nation's greed for oil. In 1872 Congress set aside a piece of land in Wyoming, establishing Yellowstone as the country's first national park. This was followed by the first forest reserve in 1891 and the first wildlife reserve in 1903 (Opener). By creating parks and preserves, our nation's land would be preserved and looked after with admiration for generations to come. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR] was established to protect native plants and animals from human interference. The Refuge would cover 19 million acres, an area about the size of South Carolina (Opener). This land has been sought after for years, as it is home to animals and plants that exist nowhere else on Earth, just like the Amazon rainforest, it needs to be protected and preserved. To protect the ecosystem, most of the Refuge has been declared closed to oil... middle of paper... oil, it definitely isn't. Works Cited Grover, Todd. “Arctic Equity: The U.S. Supreme Court v. Alaska Resolution.” Environmental Law, 28. (1998): 1169. Print.Herndon, Mark. “The Last Frontier: The last true wilderness is increasingly at risk in the current political climate, with calls for less dependence on foreign oil focusing attention on Alaska's reserves.” Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy, 16. (2002): 72. Print.Loomis, John B. Integrated Management of Public Lands: Principles and Applications to National Forests, Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and BLM Lands . New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. Print.Smith, Nicole. “An Argument Against Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).” Articlemyriad.com, 2011. Web. 27 March 2014. .