3/27/25

Photo by Nathaniel Wilder

Northern Center staff have been diligently monitoring ongoing court decisions and although this week's news wasn't the outcome we had hoped for, we remain unwavering in our dedication to Arctic protections alongside numerous Indigenous leaders, advocates, and allies. Read more below about the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority's retention of harmful oil and gas leases. Plus, check out a heartwarming story about "unicorns of the sea".

- Emily Mesner (mesner@northern.org)

  Communications Coordinator

Iñupiaq and Gwich'in land protectors and advocates gather outside AIDEA's office in Anchorage to celebrate zero bids in the second Arctic Refuge lease sale in January. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Chen / Native Movement)

A truly disappointing court ruling on Tuesday allowed the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) to retain harmful oil and gas leases on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

“The first Trump administration—in a rush to issue coastal plain leases before leaving office—shirked the many legal processes that are in place to protect vital landscapes like the  Refuge,” said Elisabeth Balster Dabney, executive director of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. “The Department of the Interior acted in good faith to address these legal errors by canceling the leases. Allowing these leases is a legal travesty and an incredible setback for Alaska’s people, wildlife, and waters.”

Click the button below to learn more this ruling and recent oil and gas lease history.

This week’s court ruling comes in the wake of the Department of the Interior (DOI) publicly signaling the administration’s intention to open much of the Western Arctic and all of the Arctic Refuge’s coastal plain to oil and gas leasing. 

Highlighted by the Alaska Beacon, plans to open the Refuge’s coastal plain to oil and gas come only two months after DOI received zero bids at their last lease sale. After securing additional protections for 13 million acres of the Western Arctic’s Special Areas under President Biden, the Trump administration now plans to open more than 80 percent of the region to oil and gas extraction. DOI also intends to give federal lands along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System to the state in an attempt to move controversial plans for the proposed Ambler Road forward.

There are still no specifics or plans for official actions laid out in this announcement. We are tracking DOI’s activities closely and will keep sharing updates.

From Ryan Arash Marsh, photographed above, on his departure from Adventure Borealis:

As I prepare to step away from my role as director of Adventure Borealis, I find myself deeply grateful for the journey we’ve shared. Over the past two years, we’ve worked together to create inclusive spaces, foster meaningful connections with Alaska’s wild landscapes, and center equity, diversity, and accessibility in all our endeavors.

Alaska’s ecosystems need more than the traditional stories of conservation—they require new narratives shaped by diverse voices and lived experiences. Currently, conservation spaces remain disproportionately white and privileged. For conservation to truly thrive and evolve, it must embrace and amplify voices from every background, especially from communities historically underrepresented and underserved.

Thank you all for the incredible opportunity to grow, learn, and advocate alongside you. I leave filled with hope, knowing that Adventure Borealis is poised to continue this essential journey with passion, purpose, and inclusivity at its core.

Read Ryan's full statement here.

Join Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition and Northern Center in a new learning community focused on exploring how resistance movements and changemakers have cultivated structures, communities, and tools that enabled them to create long lasting change in the face of immense odds.

This is a welcoming and friendly book club with no page number requirements, free snacks, and child care—anyone interested in sharing community should join!

We will meet every third Thursday of the month and every month we will have an article or book chapter available to read. The next meeting is April 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dená Movement Commons (526 Gaffney Road) in Fairbanks. We will be reading "Aboard Idaho's Medicaid Express", the second chapter from David Daley's Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy.

Please RSVP here. And for those interested in long-form reading, we will have a quarterly book that we discuss every third month, starting May 15 where we will be reviewing the book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katherine Hayhoe.

The public has until 5 p.m. on Friday, April 18 to comment on the draft Tanana Valley State Forest Management Plan. The forest includes 1.8 million acres of land, especially around Fairbanks, such as in the Rosie Creek, Bonanza Creek, Standard Creek, and Cache Creek areas. The forest has many trails and forestry roads used by trail users year-round. There will be a virtual informational meeting on April 3 and you can submit comments in writing to dnr.for.tvsfrevision@alaska.gov. If you would like to send comments via mail, please send them to the Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (ATTN: TVSF Revision) at 550 W. 7th Ave. (Suite 1450), Anchorage, AK 99501.

Birch trees with green leaves fill the Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks. Photo by Emily Hikes

Earth Day celebrations in Fairbanks commence April 14 and end with the Earth Day Fair and Maker's Market from 12-4 p.m. on April 19 at the Joy Community Center. Artists, makers, businesses, and organizations are welcome and vendor applications are now open. Email outreach@iagreenstar.org to apply, or click here to apply online.

Group selfie with first L.A.M.P. retreat students in 2024. Photo by Dr. Alex Wong

Adventure Borealis is gathering supplies for their “gear library” that will be used by participants in the Leadership at Macomb Plateau (L.A.M.P.) retreat and other excursions. Being able to lend gear lowers the barrier of entry to participants who have had limited opportunities to learn outdoor recreation skills.

Thank you for considering a donation! Here is the current list of gear needs and quantities:

• Backpacks (6)
• Sleeping bags rated at least zero degree or below (6)
• Sleeping pads (6)
• Two-person tents (4)
• WhisperLite stoves (2)
• Winter clothing in various sizes (especially coats, snow pants, and mittens)

The sun nears the horizon, casting an orange and pink hue on overhead clouds along the Granite Tors Trail. Photo by Emily Hikes

Feeding cows seaweed could cut methane emissions and diversify Maine’s coastal economy

"Indigenous people across North America have used seaweed as a food, medicine and textile for centuries, but it’s only in the last 20 years that scientific interest in seaweed has really taken off," Matilda Hay writes for Inside Climate News. "...agriculture is the largest human source of methane emissions. Within that, cows are the single biggest offenders—burping out methane as a byproduct of their digestion process." According to the United Nations, cutting methane is the strongest tool to slow climate change over the next 25 years. Could a new diet for cows be the answer?

Narwhals may be using their tusks to play, new study finds

Check out this video that scientists are saying is the first-recorded evidence of narwhals using tusks in a playful behavior, in addition to striking and manipulating fish during feeding. Written by Julianna Bragg, learn more about the mysterious "unicorn of the sea" behaviors.

• Read: Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic addresses decision to undo cancellation of AIDEA leases in the Arctic Refuge
• Are you qualified to train CPR? Camp Habitat is seeking a certified CPR instructor to give the camp counselors and instructors training they need to keep campers safe. Contact lauren@friendsofcreamersfield.org if you are available in Fairbanks between June 9-13.
• House Bill 25 aims to prevent restaurants from using disposable polystyrene foam in food service ware, encouraging the adoption of biodegradable or compostable alternatives. You can support this bill by signing this petition and by emailing house.state.affairs@akleg.gov. For talking points, and to learn more about styrofoam's harm to human and environmental health, click here.

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The Northern Alaska Environmental Center promotes conservation of the environment and sustainable resource stewardship in Interior and Arctic Alaska through education and advocacy.

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