The Trump administration’s rush to lease the Arctic Refuge coastal plain for oil and gas development threatens the land and wildlife, and the people and communities that depend on them.
The Alaska Wilderness League has been honored to join Protect our Winters and the American Packrafting Association to advocate on behalf of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, bringing outdoor adventurers, athletes and others to Washington, D.C., to educate members of Congress on the importance of protecting our public lands and waters and the need to restore protections to the Arctic Refuge coastal plain.
The American Packrafting Association created two custom packrafts to send on trips across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in 2018, collecting signatures and stories of support along the way. These functional activist art pieces carry the wishes of those who hope to protect the Arctic Refuge’s coastal plain from oil and gas development. On Tuesday, the APA, Protect Our Winters and Alaska Wilderness League in solidarity floated the Potomac before delivering the boats — and our message — to Congress.
The recreational, cultural and intrinsic value of the Arctic Refuge and its coastal plain deserves no less than full wilderness protection to ensure wild exploration that benefits current and future generations. It is imperative for our quality of life and for our shared American heritage to protect places with high recreation value, from our backyards to the backcountry. Those lucky enough to visit the Arctic Refuge remember it as the trip of a lifetime. Few places in the world offer the rare opportunity to encounter a vast array of wildlife while hiking, fishing or paddling through a pristine, wild landscape.
The Arctic is ground zero for climate change, with temperatures in the Arctic are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. Villages are eroding into the sea, permafrost melt is making infrastructure insecure and food sources are disappearing. The Arctic Refuge permafrost is an effective storage container for carbon, at risk of release as temperatures continue to warm and permafrost continues to melt. Arctic drilling will only compound the devastating impacts already being felt from climate change, worsening climate pollution and harming communities already bearing the brunt of the changing climate as they are forced to adapt.
Banner image above by Dan Ransom Alpacka Raft Arctic Refuge