Motions can ask the judge to do an array of things, like changing where the case is heard, telling one party to release evidence or information to another, or agree to decide a case without oral argument. In our lawsuit challenging the approval of the Willow oil and gas project in U.S. District Court, we sought a preliminary injunction to stop ConocoPhillips from permanently and irreparably doing harm in the western Arctic while the court rules on our case.… Read More

Late last June, I drove from my home in Anchorage to Fairbanks to join a group of folks for a backpacking trip in the western Arctic. The next morning, we jumped into a mail plane to the village of Anaktuvuk Pass, poised between the Anaktuvuk and John rivers within the Central Brooks Range.

It was a bumpy and spectacular ride. The wind blew hard and cold in late June, so we bundled up after landing.… Read More

We had some big changes at Trustees last year. We moved into a new office and are still settling in as we continue to transition from remote work to a hybrid workplace where we get to connect in person again. … Read More

Growing up, I probably wouldn’t have considered myself an “environmentalist.”

No, I wasn’t a climate denier or serial-litterer. I was always – and still am – a big lover of the outdoors and would have supported anything to protect it!

Rather, I was disillusioned with the conservation and environmental movement as I had perceived it in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, and as I related to it as a person of color. … Read More

We like to believe that certain groups of people, when given the right knowledge, experience, education, guidelines, etc., can make decisions for all of us without bias or agenda. One such body is the Supreme Court, the “highest” adjudicating body in the United States and the final authority on the law.

Let me tell you, we have a lot to worry about right now.… Read More

Western Arctic Alaska basks in endless sunlight these days, with caribou and birds migrating, blooms and tundra life emerging, and communities embracing the summertime warmth and nourishment. You can find industrialization here, too, and evidence of extraction and pollution that impacts the health of the region and planet.… Read More

The Biden administration announced in January 2022 that it intends to reverse a Trump-era plan that would have allowed for increased and extensive oil extraction within the largest unit of public land in the country. This is good news, and also it’s not enough. … Read More

Birds give us song, beauty, food, a vision of flight. Some birds use tools. Some fly thousands and thousands of miles nonstop one way on annual migrations. Some swim as seamlessly as they fly. Some birds rely on specific foods like eelgrass while others eat almost anything. Some birds live all year in Alaska and others fly over oceans and continents to get here.

… Read More

We just sued the Biden administration for issuing a regulation that allows oil and gas companies to harass Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears and threaten their health and survival.… Read More