I visited my family in the Lower 48 last month, and wow, this introvert sure has missed being around people. I still need alone time, of course—and I sure don’t miss the heat—but I do miss the kinship and connections. … Read More
Attorney Suzanne Bostrom just got back from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She’s been working alongside clients and partners to protect sacred lands, animals like the Porcupine caribou herd, and the health of the land and water in the Arctic … Read More
I first met Bob when I came to Alaska as the new executive director of Trustees in 1982. Bob was on contract to Trustees then, and he called me up and asked me to have lunch with him. We met at the Lucky Wishbone. All Bob knew about me was that I was a DC lawyer with an Ivy League education, so he must have decided that he had to act like a DC consultant – which is precisely what he did. I sat there thinking to myself, “why is this ex-hippy acting so straight?”… Read More
We were in court calling out an illegal Trump-era approval of the massive ConocoPhillips’ Willow Master Development Plan. The Biden administration–against some of its state climate and public health goals–defended the approval in court, as did ConocoPhillips. … Read More
A few weeks ago, I took some time off to pick up some flowers from the nursery and put up a small greenhouse. I spent days planting and tending and getting my hands dirty. I’m loving the red, purple, white and blue hues of the blooms, and the greening up of tomato and cucumber starts. I worked up a sweat in the yard last weekend, and basked in the much-needed warmth and sunshine. Mental health has been on my mind these days.… Read More
While the Biden administration promises climate action and clean energy, and Alaska’s political leaders spout the “drill baby drill” mantra of fossil fuel dinosaurs, Alaskans and people around the world face enduring threats to their health, ways of life, and homes at the hands of industrialization and climate chaos. Now there’s more good bad news for Alaska’s Arctic.… Read More
This the second in a series about how a Supreme Court decision has muddied the waters for agencies managing the use of rivers and streams on federal lands like national parks. In part two: Alaska Governor Dunleavy announced the “Unlock Alaska” initiative in late March with a vague and incredibly broad assertion of state sovereignty over navigable waters throughout Alaska. The initiative is as perplexing as it is misguided. … Read More
The Biden administration confirmed through legal briefs filed in court May 26 that it will undermine its own climate promises by continuing to defend the legally flawed Trump-era approval of ConocoPhillips’ massive Willow oil project. Those legal briefs were submitted … Read More
In our work, we sometimes talk about going on the defensive. For us, that means doing everything we can to hold the line in court when those with power make decisions and take actions that put the health of Alaska’s lands and communities, water and air at risk. Defensive work requires focusing on stopping harmful things and sometimes forgetting to shine the light on what we can build together. So today, I want to shine that light again on who we are and what we stand for.… Read More