"Today’s decision to protect America’s largest national park landscape is due in large part to the fearless and outspoken Alaskans who took a stand for their homeland, their food, and their families" -- NPCA President and CEO Theresa Pierno
WASHINGTON – Today, the Biden Administration took decisive action to protect America’s largest national park landscape by issuing a final Record of Decision blocking the Ambler mining road through Gates of the Arctic National Preserve in Alaska. This action codifies an April 19 action by the Department of the Interior, announcing its intent to halt the proposed 211-mile Ambler mining road. The industrial proposal threatened the future of the Western Arctic caribou herd whose range includes 20 million acres of national parklands. This connected, roadless landscape is the traditional homelands to more than 60 Alaska Native communities that depend on caribou and impacted fisheries for subsistence.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) made stopping the Ambler mining road one of its top organizational priorities in recent years and helped galvanize people across the country to oppose the industrial mining road along the iconic Brooks Range.
“Today’s decision to protect America’s largest national park landscape is due in large part to the fearless and outspoken Alaskans who took a stand for their homeland, their food, and their families,” said National Parks Conservation Association President and CEO Theresa Pierno. “While I’ve had the good fortune to visit national parks in this remote region, the Alaskans who live there, from the cities to the most remote villages, understand more than anyone the stakes of defeating the Ambler Road. And those of us who don’t call Alaska home still know the beauty and importance of the Brooks Range and joined in the cause to defend this area from this destructive road proposal. Thankfully, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and other decisionmakers listened, and clean water, national parks, Alaska Native communities, and the region’s remarkable wildlife won the day.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
