A visit to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Late last year, the Republican-led Congress moved forward with plans to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. They see the Refuge as a "frozen wasteland." President Donald Trump refers to it as "one of the great oil sites." But the Refuge is critical habitat for millions of migratory birds and other animals, and conservationists say the proposed drilling could do irreparable harm to wildlife. In this sound portrait (below), Martyn Stewart describe what it's like to visit the Refuge. He travels the world recording nature sounds for the BBC and I caught up with him in-between trips. I produced this story back in 2006 for the NPR program Day to Day

Nature sound recordist Martyn Stewart describes his time recording soundscapes at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The interview was conducted and mixed by Jeff Rice. The piece features recordings by Martyn Stewart. Photo courtesy of USFWS.