Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Seasons of Life and Land
Subhankar Banerjee
Subhankar Banerjee devoted fourteen months over two years to document the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s landscape, wild species, and native peoples. With Iñupiat guide Robert Thompson, Banerjee traveled 4,000 miles on foot and by raft, kayak, and snowmobile to prove that the Refuge pulses with life year-round—and that leaving this biological heartland free from commercial development is vital to this ecosystem's survival. This book and media campaign helped put the Arctic Refuge in the public spotlight.
About the Photographer / Author
Subhankar Banerjee is a photographer, writer, activist, and environmental humanities scholar. He is a leading voice on issues of Arctic conservation, indigenous human rights, resource wars, and climate change. He was originally drawn to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to photograph polar bears in the wild, but ended up documenting what you see here in this book. In addition to the Arctic, he has also done work in the American Southwest and the Pacific Northwest. His photographs, writing, and lectures have reached millions of people around the world. He is the Lannan Foundation Endowed Chair and Professor of Art & Ecology at the University of New Mexico.
Recent successes
On March 19, 2003, Senator Barbara Boxer held up this book—and photos within—on the floor of the Senate during a debate about oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; the bill was ultimately defeated by a vote of 52 to 48.
A grant from Lannan Foundation allowed Braided River to donate 10,000 copies of the book to libraries and indigenous communities across the country.
2004 Independent Publisher Book Awards Silver Award— Environment category
2004 ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards Gold Award— Environment category
2003 Discover Magazine’s Top 20 Science Books of the Year
2003 Banff International Mountain Book Festival Awards, Mountain Images Best Book Award
Select Media
Coming soon!