Our Board of Fish proposal to support Cook Inlet beluga whales when they need it most.
Today, wildlife take the stand
Prince of Wales Island Wildlife Conservation Expedition!
Our Comments on the Arctic Board of Game Proposals
Cook Inlet Water Quality Summit Report Available!
Our Comment on the Ambler Road
Protect the Western Arctic Caribou Herd in Less Than 5 Minutes!
Tell BLM TO SELECT THE “NO ACTION” ALTERNATIVE
The state of Alaska is planning on building an industrial access road, known as the Ambler Road, along the southern Brooks Range. Why? To transport ore from a network of planned open pit copper mines in the northwest arctic.
Where is the proposed road?
The road would cross an area managed by the National Park Service, including 16 million contiguous acres, the largest in the country. This acreage includes Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, and Cape Krusenstern National Monument. These lands encompass a continuous ecologically intact landscape covering the western Brooks Range. This acreage alone is larger than the top 10 largest national parks in the contiguous U.S. combined — Death Valley, Yellowstone, Everglades, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Olympic, Sequoia, Big Bend, Joshua Tree and Yosemite — plus the state of Connecticut!
How would wildlife be impacted?
The landscape is also home to the Western Arctic Caribou Herd with more than 180,000 animals, making it one of the largest populations of caribou in North America. This herd travels up to 2,700 miles every year, the distance of Seattle, Washington, to Miami, Florida.
The proposed road, cutting from east to west across the north-south migration route of the caribou, could pose a serious barrier for the herd in its annual journey. There is scientific concern that the caribou would avoid the road and the industrial traffic along it, moving further west and away from Alaska Native villages that depend on the caribou for traditional subsistence use. If the road were to ever become public, it would put significant hunting pressures on the herd, further disrupting the historic migration patterns.
The road is just one piece to a larger story of industrialization of Northwest Alaska. The road would literally pave the way for the Ambler Mining District, which would only accelerate further development and activity that caribou would seek to avoid. Meanwhile, the herd population is currently in decline, dropping 23% in the last two years. The Western Arctic Caribou Herd will need its vast range to remain intact in order to adapt in a changing climate.
How can I help?
It's easy! Submit a comment to BLM by December 22, 2023.
Tell the BLM to protect the Western Arctic Caribou Herd by choosing the No Action Alternative in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) :
https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/57323/595/8004057/comment
Spread the word and share with others! Thank you for your support!
AWA on Wild for Change Podcast: Beluga Whales
Another publication! Geographic Origins of Shorebirds Using an Alaskan Estuary during Migration
We Published! Impact of Climate Change on Alaska Natives in December 2023 Journal of Environmental Health
From the abstract: Alaska, with its unique geographical and ecological characteristics, is experiencing the detrimental effects of climate change at an alarming rate. The Alaska Native (AN) population, deeply connected to the land and its resources, faces disproportionate vulnerability to these impacts. We call attention to climate change impacts on AN food sovereignty, mental and behavioral health, cultural and spiritual practices, resiliency and adaptation, and how local Alaskan organizations are addressing climate change impacts.
This article also highlights the urgent need for environmental public health professionals to engage with AN and Native American communities, address health inequities, and participate in mitigation and adaptation efforts to address the environmental public health threats and consequences of climate change. Increasing awareness of climate- related health impacts on these communities is crucial and immediate actions are needed to support safer, healthier, and more sustainable and climate-resilient communities. Government agencies at all levels should also seek to integrate perspectives from Indigenous Peoples, engage in co-management strategies, and provide equitable funding and support for Indigenous communities. Unity, resilience, and adaptation become attainable goals by joining communities in caring for the environment. This message resonates not only in Alaska but also globally, highlighting the need for collective action in the face of climate change.
AWA Publication: Reimagining large river management
AWA's Kenai Peninsula Coordinator wins NOAA Partners in the Spotlight award!
2023 Wildlife Photo Calendar Contest!
Signed 'Seasons of the Nature' Center book and calendar sales support AWA!
Our lawsuit against Mulchatna Bear Control
Our comments on the Johnson Tract Permit
New Beluga Signs at the Kenai Docks!
AWA in the news: One of the Largest Caribou Herds in Alaska is Careening Towards Extinction
“In the past three decades, the Mulchatna caribou herd of southwestern Alaska has gone from nearly 200,000 to 12,000. Last year, the state wildlife agency’s Board of Game started to explore ways to help the struggling population. It landed on a controversial solution called "intensive management," also called predator control, which directs wildlife officials to indiscriminately kill predators. It was the first time the state included bears in the hunt, a decision that had no public process and was conducted without bear population estimates.”
AWA on the Wild for Change Podcast
AWA in the news: State wildlife officials trying to revive Southwest Alaska caribou killed almost 100 brown bears in less than a month
‘The surprisingly high number of bears killed in the Mulchatna program is “especially egregious” given those findings, said Carol Damberg, board president of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance. "They’re ignoring their own biology ... they’re not following the science,” Damberg said Thursday. “If they were, they wouldn’t be doing this.”’
