Alaska Wilderness League
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge

Stop oil and gas development

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, in Alaska’s far northeast, is one of the world’s last truly intact wilderness landscapes. Its mountains, tundra, rivers, and coastlines form a naturally functioning Arctic and subarctic ecosystem, and nowhere else in North America does such a wide range of habitats exist within a single protected place.

For decades, the Refuge has faced pressure to open to oil and gas development, putting Alaska Native communities, wildlife, and climate at risk. As the Arctic warms, protecting this landscape is essential, because it stores vast amounts of carbon, but only if it remains intact.

Protect the Arctic
Map of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Plant and animal life

Plant and animal life

The Porcupine Caribou Herd, denning polar bears, muskoxen, wolves, and nearly 200 species of migratory birds rely on the abundant, wild region.
The Gwich’in Nation

The Gwich’in Nation

The Gwich’in people’s lives and culture are inseparable from the land they have called home for thousands of years. They have long relied on the animals around them, especially the caribou, for subsistence and cultural continuity.
Climate disaster

Climate disaster

The Refuge's vast lands store enormous amounts of carbon. Disturbing them through industrial activity risks releasing this carbon as greenhouse gases, accelerating global warming. Not to mention, drilling there would extract and burn more oil, directly pumping new carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Victories Victories

Years of relentless advocacy by Indigenous leaders, climate advocates, and determined community members have shown the world that Arctic drilling threatens communities, harms the climate, and makes no economic sense.

Here’s what we've accomplished
No Serious Bids

No Serious Bids

Showed that drilling the Arctic is both bad for the planet and bad business when the 2024 oil and gas lease sale for the Coastal Plain received not a single bid.

Protestors

PUSHED BIDEN

Pushed the Biden administration to release an updated Environmental Impact Statement that finally acknowledged the real consequences of drilling in the Arctic Refuge.

Commercial Buildings

BAD FOR BUSINESS

Secured commitments from 17 international insurers and every major U.S. bank to walk away from financing Arctic extraction projects.

No Serious Bids

No Serious Bids

Showed that drilling the Arctic is both bad for the planet and bad business when the 2024 oil and gas lease sale for the Coastal Plain received not a single bid.

Protestors

PUSHED BIDEN

Pushed the Biden administration to release an updated Environmental Impact Statement that finally acknowledged the real consequences of drilling in the Arctic Refuge.

Commercial Buildings

BAD FOR BUSINESS

Secured commitments from 17 international insurers and every major U.S. bank to walk away from financing Arctic extraction projects.

KEEP FIGHTING

The fight to protect the Refuge is about standing up for the future the Gwich’in people and all Americans deserve.

Protect the Arctic
News News
Seismic Exploration Explained: Why the Arctic Refuge Is at Risk 

Seismic Exploration Explained: Why the Arctic Refuge Is at Risk 

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After Failed Lease Sales, Alaska Again Gambles Public Money on Arctic Oil 

After Failed Lease Sales, Alaska Again Gambles Public Money on Arctic Oil 

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League Supports Arctic Film Screenings in Portland

League Supports Arctic Film Screenings in Portland

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Protecting Alaska’s sacred, vast, and fragile lands and waters is our shared responsibility. Every dollar you give helps us defend the cultures, communities, and climate that depend on them.
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