From the Arctic to the Capitol: An Alaskan Guide Speaks Up for the Refuge

This past fall, Alaska Wilderness League invited Arctic Wild guide Emilie Entrikin to D.C. to advocate for the Arctic Refuge during Wilderness Week–an advocacy event hosted by the National Wilderness Coalition. Read more about her experience below. For 17 years, I’ve traveled through some of the most remote and spectacular corners of the Alaskan Arctic.…

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Sam Kolton: A Personal Connection to Public Lands

From the moment my mom, brother and I first stepped onto the coastal plain, I was mind blown by the peacefulness of this rugged terrain. The mountain ranges stared back at me, while the thick, grassy terrain comforted me like a cozy mattress. As the brisk and cool Arctic air hit my face, I couldn’t help but feel inspired by the area around me. My whole life, I watched from a distance as my father worked passionately and tirelessly to protect the Refuge from oil and gas lease sales. Now it was my turn.

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Unraveling the Dance of El Niño in the Arctic

El Niño’s reach extends to the Arctic Ocean, triggering a rise in sea surface temperatures which lead to Arctic ocean warming. This seemingly subtle change enacts profound consequences. As the ice in the Arctic Ocean melts at an accelerated pace, it alters the balance of this sensitive ecosystem, impacting polar bears, seals, and countless other species. This shrinking ice cover also contributes to rising sea levels, impacting coastlines worldwide.

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Storytelling on the Kuskokwim: An Update from Polly Andrews 

In fall 2022, Alaska Wilderness League was pleased to announce the inaugural recipient of its Adam Kolton Alaska Storytelling Grant: Polly Andrews. Since that time, Polly has remained busy and recently offered an update to the League community, including supporters of the Adam Kolton Memorial Fund whose donations make this grant award possible.   The Adam…

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Member Spotlight: A Long Overdue Trip to the Arctic Refuge

From fishermen to childcare workers, we all spent the spring and summer of 1989 in the chaos of the massive oil spill – trying to protect nearly a billion juvenile salmon, attending countless town meetings, scooping up oil using fishing boats, cleaning oil drenched birds and witnessing the collapse of the herring fishery.

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