The Northern Alaska Environmental Center programs help educate the public and advocate for lands, waters, and community protections across Interior and Arctic Alaska—areas home to some of our nation’s largest intact ecosystems.

Extractive industries like oil, gas, and mining pose a huge threat to the lands that Alaskans rely on, causing habitat fragmentation, pollution, and increased carbon emissions that accelerate climate change. For communities in these regions, access to clean air and water, stable caribou herd health, and thriving fish populations are essential to subsistence use—a life-sustaining tradition they’ve upheld for thousands of years.

The Northern Center staff closely track and participate in environmental permitting processes, educate and lobby on state legislative issues, and engage in litigation when necessary. This work is segmented into three programs: Arctic, Mining Impacts and Energy, and Adventure Borealis. Additionally, our organization provides fiscal and administrative support for youth programs such as Camp Habitat.

We base our work on the lived experience and knowledge of people within impacted communities, as well as peer-reviewed science and consultation with technical experts. Our programmatic efforts are possible because of collaboration with Indigenous leaders, community members, and conservation partners in Alaska, Canada, and throughout the United States.

We strongly believe that inclusive collaboration is our pathway to a healthier, more sustainable future.

The Northern Center works diligently to provide factual information from reliable and transparent sources and has adopted the Jemez Principles and Arctic Protocols to help guide our approach to equitable and inclusive organizing and advocacy.