Protecting the Arctic

Alaska Native people have lived and thrived in the Arctic since time immemorial. Alaska’s Arctic region provides key habitat for wildlife, including caribou, polar bears, waterfowl,  and an array of animals that rely on it for food, protection, and as the birthing, nesting and nursery grounds for their young.

Oil and gas drilling, mining, and industrialization pollute the land, water, and air, disrupt migration routes, degrade wildlife habitat, diminish people’s access to traditional foods and activities. Drilling for and burning fossil fuels accelerates the climate crisis in a region where sea ice and permafrost are melting faster than ever.

Photo (c) Amy Gulick.

Trustees for Alaska fights to protect the Arctic by providing free legal counsel to clients and strategic leadership for coalitions to defend the health of the region and its resources. This work includes holding public agencies accountable to their obligations under the law.

Our latest Arctic work:

• We’re working to protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas leasing and extraction.
• We’re working to defend protected areas within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and throughout the western Arctic region of Alaska.
• We’re working to stop a proposed road through Gates of the Arctic National Park to the Ambler Mining District.