Northern Alaska Environmental Center
Promoting conservation of the environment and sustainable resource stewardship in Interior and Arctic Alaska through education and advocacy
The Northern Alaska Environmental Center
The Northern Alaska Environmental Center is an Alaska-based conservation organization dedicated to protecting the land, waters and wildlife of Interior and Arctic Alaska for current and future generations to use and enjoy. We understand the unique challenges of living in Alaska and seek to balance natural resource development with conserving what makes Alaska special.
The Northern Center is committed to defending special places in Northern and Interior Alaska from irresponsible extraction activities, and promoting local initiatives to protect the health and way of life of people living in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska.
We acknowledge that we work throughout the unceded territories of the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska; that our office is located on the traditional territories of the Lower Tanana Dené Athabascan Peoples. We honor the ancestral and ongoing land and water stewardship and place-based knowledge of the peoples of these territories.
Our Guiding Principles
- Believes that a healthy environment is a prerequisite for a sustainable economy.
- Bases conservation decisions on sound science and ethics.
- Uses our stakeholders’ energy, expertise and enthusiasm to strengthen the organization.
- Seeks opportunities to collaborate with federal, state and local government agencies, and with other organizations to enhance our effectiveness.
- Supports the establishment, protection and appropriate stewardship of designated Wilderness areas, as well other less-restrictive management that protects sustainable uses of non-Wilderness wild lands.
- Values healthy and intact ecosystems where habitat fragmentation is minimized and wildlands are respected.
- Favors stewardship over intensive management of natural resources, in order to meet the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
- Encourages the implementation of clean energy technologies and management practices that minimize air, water and noise pollution and impacts on habitat.
- Supports public processes—including use of legal, legislative, and administrative systems—in natural resource use decisions.
- Expects to comment on issues in our areas of expertise and interest.
- Puts our greatest effort into issues whose results are irreversible or long lasting.
- Employs clear, honest communication and constructive dialogue.
Northern Center Programs
Latest News
Memories in motion—why we run for the Arctic Refuge
Our annual event supporting Arctic advocacy, Run for the Refuge, is just around the corner! As this event approaches thirty years, we are eager to know more about its original supporters—what is it about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that continues to draw you in and what stories do you have?
Update: There is a bit of good news with budget reconciliation
Thank you to everyone who contacted their representatives, House leadership, and House Natural Resources Committee members. The unwavering efforts of Indigenous leadership and the Defend Brooks Range/No Ambler Road campaign have shown time and time again that Alaskans (and Americans at large) do NOT want the Ambler Road.
Behind the scenes with Tehya McLeod, our 2025 Featured Artist
For her piece for the Northern Center, Tehya was eager to incorporate printmaking, using designs similar to quilting. It’s through her use of screen printing and bold colors that Tehya’s artwork becomes energized, layered, and three dimensional. It helps remind us that nature is constantly providing a necessary heartbeat that guides our rhythms here in the North.
Upcoming Events
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