Stand for Being Heard
I caught my first salmon almost by accident. Canvassing a beach on Montague Island for glass fishing floats, we came across a creek so choked with pinks, I tried to bear-hug one out of the current into my arms. I ended up with a soaked chest instead of a fish, so we...
Speaking out and learning from the Kuskokwim
On August 13, the Army Corps of Engineers issued their Record of Decision (ROD) on the Donlin Gold Mine, authorizing the project to move forward despite local concerns. In a press release, Mary Matthias, the Natural Resources Director for the Orutsaramiut Native...
How can you speak out for the Refuge?
The scoping period for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for leasing the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ended on June 19. Scoping was the first step in public engagement required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)....
Looking Back: Fifty Years of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Originally published by the National Wildlife Federation in 2010, this piece by writer and guide Michael Engelhard commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (originally called the Arctic National Wildlife Range). In some ways, it...
Alaska voices speak up for Alaska lands: Protect the Arctic Refuge
Early this morning Alaska time, the Department of Interior issued a pre-publication notice announcing that tomorrow, April 20th, they will initiate the scoping for an Environmental Impact Statement on leasing in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge. Tomorrow’s...
Connections, community, & challenge: wisdom from past interns
As summer 2018 approaches, we’re looking forward to meeting this year’s interns, and reflecting on the smart, thoughtful, and passionate young people who have joined us in past years. In that vein, we’re sharing reflections from our summer 2017...
Report Demonstrates Alaska Communities’ Efforts to Move Beyond Fossil Fuel Economy
It’s been a few months since we released Beyond Fossil Fuels: Planning a just transition for Alaska’s economy, a report demonstrating that Alaskans are already on the path towards a renewable energy future, and that policy makers must support a just...
Cracking the Landscape: Birds and the Ambler Road
Like a small crack in a windshield, a road to the Ambler Mining District could send consequences throughout the vast tracts of intact wildland this proposed 211-mile industrial intrusion would traverse. For a glimpse at the potential ramifications on wildlife, we need look no further than birds.
Roles of Movement
Fairbanks has been a flourish of grassroots activity since the election. The energy is palpable. I cannot count the number of people asking, “what can I do?” There is an incredibly rooted energy that runs deep within Fairbanks between groups and individuals that have been sharing their energy and emotional capital for years, in some cases decades or generations.