Stand with Inupiat Protectors:
Encourage bidens ADMINISTRATION to protect sacred lands and stop projects that increase climate instability.
Current protections for Special Areas in the Western Arctic—also known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska or NPR-A—must be honored and preserved. The current land management plan designated these Special Areas as protected based on extensive science and broad public involvement.
Any attempt to undermine these protections is a threat to water, land, animals and people.
photo by Keri Oberly
Talking Points (Read More Background Here )
The Inupiat people who live in the Western Arctic, and whose families have lived in and moved through this region for thousands of years, rely on its animals, lands and waterways for their food, health, culture and way of life.
The Native Village of Nuiqsut is in a current lawsuit against Bureau of Land Management for insufficient health and environmental impact protections within the NPR-A. Before moving forward to open up anymore land, BLM needs to address the already controversial projects currently happening.
The Western Arctic includes extraordinary wildlife habitat and rich waterways, nourishing 13 communities within and adjoining the area’s boundaries, along with hundreds of thousands of animals like geese, loons, salmon, falcons, polar bears, bowhead whales, orcas, and three herds of caribou.
The Western Arctic supports a robust ecosystem that includes caribou, geese, loons, salmon, polar bears, and bowhead whales, along with 13 communities within and adjacent to the region. Any disruption that jeopardizes the ecosystem’s health puts all of its inhabitants at risk.
Protecting Special Areas of the Western Arctic is essential to addressing and adapting to the changing climate.