Alaska Wilderness League Honors President Jimmy Carter’s Unparalleled Conservation Legacy  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Date: 12/29/2024 
Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 

Alaska Wilderness League Honors President Jimmy Carter’s Unparalleled Conservation Legacy  

Washington, D.C. — Alaska Wilderness League joins the nation in mourning the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100. Carter’s extraordinary legacy as a conservationist, particularly in Alaska, stands as a testament to his enduring vision for protecting America’s natural landscapes. 

“President Carter’s conservation legacy, particularly in Alaska, serves as an inspiration and guiding beacon for all of us who continue his work,” said Kristen Miller, executive director at Alaska Wilderness League. “As an honorary co-chair of the League’s Board of Directors, Carter’s commitment to protecting lands, waters, and wildlife paved the way for conservation on an unprecedented scale. His efforts remain a cornerstone of environmental protection today.” 

In 1978, President Carter exercised his executive authority under the Antiquities Act to protect 56 million acres of Alaska’s wilderness — an action that doubled the size of the U.S. National Park System. This momentum culminated in the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) in 1980, the greatest conservation legislation in U.S. history. With his signature, more than 100 million acres of Alaska’s lands and waters — an area the size of California — were permanently protected. 

These protections included the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a landscape that remains central to America’s conservation legacy, yet today faces new, imminent threats from oil and gas development. President Carter’s work ensured that the Arctic Refuge would be preserved as a vital habitat for wildlife, a homeland for Indigenous Gwich’in and Iñupiat peoples, and a haven of pristine wilderness for generations to come. 

As we reflect on President Carter’s unparalleled contributions, Alaska Wilderness League recommits itself to the work of protecting the Arctic Refuge and other critical landscapes in his honor—especially in the challenges ahead under the incoming administration.  

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