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MAY 21, 2001

Although environmentalists have used the firing of a US Geological Survey contractor to castigate the Bush administration's desire to drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the decision to terminate Ian Thomas for his caribou maps was made by Democratic career-employees at the Department of Interior.

Whether or not he was fired by Democrats or Republicans, USGS officials acknolwedge Thomas' action probably would have gone unnoticed or not so severely punished had they not been related to such a hot topic. Still, Thomas wasn't a model employee at USGS and his contract was up for renewal anyway.

Get the Story:
Myth of the Martyred Mapmaker (The Washington Post 5/21)

Relevant Links:
Maptricks, Ian Thomas' web site - http://www.maptricks.com
Arctic Slope Regional Corp - http://www.asrc.com
Gwich'in Steering Committee - http://www.alaska.net/~gwichin
Oil Issues in ANWR, US Fish and Wildlife - http://arctic.fws.gov/issues1.html
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service - http://arctic.fws.gov
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pro-Development site - http://www.anwr.org

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