Jim Doherty's op-ed on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge doesn't do much for this environmentalist. I don't believe that the high-end, bush-piloted adventure tourist is the best public voice to put forward in favor of conservation, and his "Are you man enough to sleep in the wilderness?" argument is a complete turnoff. On the other hand, you can't deny the abiding power of Doherty's Alaskan experience, just as you can't deny that it's fun to open the Times and see a really cool picture of a bear. Joseph Hart's illustration is an Expressionist tangle of light and harsh shadow, massive shapes and skinny lines. With its huge body, sharp little teeth and one weirdly proportioned claw coming out of the black water, the bear carries a tension that rarely comes through in the lush, Edenic photographs that usually accompany writing about wildlife.
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