The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is once again under threat. Politicians and oil companies see short-term gain; conservationists, Indigenous peoples, and outdoor advocates see the loss of one of America’s last truly wild places.

In this episode of Open Container, Doug speaks with Kristen Miller, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League and co-chair of the Arctic Refuge Defense Campaign. They explore what’s at stake in Alaska’s wilderness and why it matters for all Americans, even those who will never set foot there.

Doug & Kristen discuss:

• Why Alaska represents the last frontier of American wilderness.
• The scale and significance of the Arctic Refuge, the Western Arctic, the Arctic Ocean, and the Tongass.
• Indigenous leadership and the cultural ties of the Gwich’in people to the caribou migration.
• How development and climate change threaten fragile Arctic ecosystems.
• The political battles over drilling, roadless rules, and public lands policy.
• Why wilderness isn’t a partisan issue, and how ordinary people can use their voices to protect these lands.

Alaska’s wild places are more than resources to exploit; they are cultural, ecological, and spiritual lifelines that belong to us all.

Learn more and get involved at alaskawild.org

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