8/17/2023

Join us for Northern Abundance Weekend

With live music from Ahtna Athabascan and Iñupiaq songwriter Quinn Christopherson, a conservation film screening, guided plant walks, and much more, Northern Abundance Weekend (August 25-27) will feature something for everyone. 

For a full schedule of events, click here. Help us spread the word by RSVPing on our Facebook event page and inviting your friends. If you're interested in free event admission in exchange for volunteering, please let us know by replying to this email.

This Saturday: Dance for the Domes

Join Save Our Domes this Saturday, August 19, at Ken Kunkel Community Center in Goldstream to celebrate the domes and ridges we love, and raise funds for future research and legal support of the domes. This event will feature live music, informative materials, food trucks, and Save Our Domes t-shirts.

Northern Center is a fiscal sponsor of Save Our Domes.

Legal win: AIDEA's claims dismissed

Arctic Refuge photo by Malkolm Boothroyd

Earlier this month, in a win for Arctic conservation, a federal judge ruled against the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) in its lawsuit against Biden. 

The state agency is the last remaining lease holder in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and had challenged the Biden administration's executive order which temporarily suspended oil and gas leasing in the refuge. In her ruling, Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed all claims brought by AIDEA. 

“We applaud the court’s decision to uphold Secretary Haaland’s moratorium on leasing activity in the Arctic Refuge,” said Emily Sullivan, communications director for the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. “While the 2021 lease sale drew virtually no bidders due to the proven risks of drilling on the coastal plain, AIDEA embarrassed Alaskans with its stubborn pursuit of leases. AIDEA should focus on its mission to diversify Alaska’s economy instead of wasting state funds, attempting to defend unlawful leases through unreasonable legal actions. It’s beyond time for AIDEA to move past its obsession with extractive industry and work towards a sustainable economy that serves all Alaskans, present and future.”

Read more about the decision and what this means in this article in Anchorage Daily News.

Work with Northern Center

We are seeking applicants for our Arctic Program Coordinator position. This position works to honor, respect, and enhance communications between Indigenous and Alaska-based groups on environmental justice campaigns in Arctic Alaska. This position would increase capacity for land and water defense in Arctic Alaska and ensure communication and coordination between Alaska-based partners and national defense campaigns.

More information, including how to apply, can be found here. Please share this listing with your network to help us find the right candidate for the role. 

Other News & Updates

• The Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Energy (DOE), challenging the Alaska LNG project. The conservation groups argue that DOE approved the license without fully assessing climate and environmental harms. 
• In Lahaina, Native Hawaiians organize support for displaced individuals and families. Indigenous communities throughout the world are on the front line of climate change related extreme weather and wildfires. 
• In a huge win for climate advocates everywhere, a Montana court ruled that Montana youth have a "fundamental right to a clean and healthful environment, which includes climate" and that as such, climate impacts must be considered in the review and approval process of fossil fuel projects.
• Want to represent Defend the Brooks Range wherever you go? The coalition’s Bonfire store is now up & running! You can order tshirts, sweatshirts, and other items to wear and share the message that Brooks Range communities and ecosystems must be protected from the proposed Ambler Road.

The Northern Alaska Environmental Center is a nonprofit and depends on the contributions of its members and supporters. You can donate any time by going to northern.org/donate. Thank you for continuing to make our advocacy possible! 

Other Upcoming Events

August 30: Adventure Borealis Mushroom Walk

Join mycologist Christin Swearingen on a fun mushroom walk in the forest trails of Birch Hill Recreation Area. You can discover more about the jobs mushrooms do in the ecosystem, learn how to recognize certain edible and poisonous species, and be delighted by the tiny details of the fungal world that will change how you view the forest forever!  We will be walking (very) short distances on well-packed trails. Register here. 

August: Make a Will Month

August is National Make-A-Will-Month! Did you know that you can add a nonprofit as a beneficiary in your will? It takes only 20 minutes to write or update your will with online free will-writing services like freewill.com. If you'd like to list Northern Center as a primary or contingent beneficiary, our tax ID number is 23-7438038.

MISSION

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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