Paving Tundra
Ambler mining road would disrupt the Western Arctic Caribou migration, cross over 2,000 rivers & streams, interfere with subsistence lifestyles of rural Alaskans, & cross through @GatesArcticNPS. Sound like a bad idea? We think so too.
Take Action: Seismic testing does not belong on the coastal plain.
Last Friday, Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation submitted an application to conduct winter seismic testing in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge. The application names SAExploration, the Houston-based company embroiled in a seemingly endless string of scandals, as the...
Arctic Oil: Navigating Contradictions Amidst Crises
As a lifelong Alaskan I know how much I currently rely on oil, for my daily lifestyle and my state’s economic engine. I also know that oil extraction and combustion is threatening life as we know it. The contradiction of reliance on, and threat from, oil is at the...
Responsibility and Regeneration: In Defense of Arctic Alaska
Last month, the Northern Center joined with other members of local, state-wide, and national coalitions in filing three lawsuits in defense of Arctic Alaska. We have a responsibility to defend these lands, waters, and people, and while we continue to work on other...
Running for the Refuge around Alaska, and the world
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 24th Annual Run for the Refuge on July 24-26! We were so excited by the support we received in holding our first virtual “race,” with more that 400 people participating. That’s double the number of...
Call for Submissions
The Northern Center announces an open call for submissions for contributions to our semi-annual print and digital publication, The Northern Line, as well as rolling submissions for our website and Medium channel. Currently, calls are for all platforms, placement to...
Countering the Administration’s Pandemic Profiteering
While Alaskans, like people around the world, have “hunkered down,” putting personal and professional projects, events, and celebrations on hold, finding creative ways to support vulnerable community members, and risking our own health and safety to show up for work,...
Opportunity in the Midst of Transformation
It has been a dramatic and anxiety-inducing week. Like many of you, I have been glued to the news trying to understand what I need to keep myself and my loved ones safe, and what this means for Alaska as a whole. The week started with a severe downturn in the stock...
Call for 2020 Featured Art
Each year, The Northern Alaska Environmental Center chooses an artist whose work embodies the spirit of Northern Alaska, and features an original work on publicity materials. In 2019, we tried out something different, and featured one image, Apay’uq...
Defending the Western Arctic
The current IAP was only recently completed, after years of working on a compromise, and yet this administration is determined to see Arctic Alaska only as a place to exploit for industrial profit,” said Ryan Marsh, Arctic Program Coordinator for the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. “The Reserve is home to some of the richest lands and waters in Alaska, including Teshekpuk Lake and its surrounding wetlands. It is home to hundreds of species of migratory birds, caribou, polar bears, as well as the communities who have been stewards of these lands since long before they were designated a ‘petroleum reserve.’ Given all we know about the Western Arctic, and all we know about the impacts of climate change, especially in the North, it’s insulting and destructive that our government is advocating for more extraction, not less.