The Arctic

Some of the wildest and most intact ecosystems on earth are found in America’s Arctic.  Our goals are to designate the Arctic Refuge coastal plain as Wilderness and provide protections for special places across America’s Arctic.  Join with us to continue this Alaskan legacy of stewardship.   Versión en Español

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Fifty years ago, the Arctic Refuge (ANWR) was set aside with a new premise – to preserve wilderness and wildlife on an ecosystem scale.  Today, stronger "Wilderness" protection is needed for the Coastal Plain -- the beating heart of the refuge vital to caribou, polar bear, migratory birds and Gwich’in culture--where oil drilling is proposed.  Versión en Español

Yukon Flats Refuge

Diverse wetlands and vital salmon fisheries along the mighty Yukon River have been threatened by a proposed government land swap which would remove wildlife habitat from the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge to allow risky oil and gas development.

Western Arctic

Molting geese at Teshekpuk Lake, falcon nesting along Colville River, Alaska's largest caribou herd at Utukok, and beluga whales at Kasegaluk are living riches in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.  Special areas like these must be protected.

Arctic Ocean

The Beaufort and Chukchi Seas off Alaska’s coasts are part of the circumpolar Arctic Ocean.  This bountiful zone is home to millions of migrating birds, polar bears, and whales, and the vibrant but ancient Inupiat culture.  Oil and gas leasing and development threatens these vulnerable seas.

Drilling Impacts

Prudhoe Bay oil fields are sprawling roads, pipelines, and other noisy facilities causing toxic spills, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.  Oil and gas development harms wildlife, wilderness and Alaska Native subsistence.  That development in the Arctic Refuge will entail “2,000 acres” is a hoax.

Arctic Climate Change

Alaska is warming faster than anywhere on earth.  Wildlife and communities face mounting impacts as sea ice melts, lakes dry up, and coasts erode while risky oil, gas, and coal mining fuels the problem and compounds its impact.