As the culmination ceremony for the 5th Arctic Youth Ambassador (AYA) cohort began, ambassadors gathered in a classroom at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp. Louise Brady opened the day by grounding the group in place, sharing the history of Sitka and its people. Louise spoke to the history of the land the cohort stood on […]
Newsletter
The latest Alaska conservation news, updates about Alaska Conservation Foundation efforts, and ways to get involved.
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Rooted in Place, Building Across Borders
Earlier this year, Indigenous peoples from across interior Alaska and northern Canada gathered in Fairbanks for three days of conversation and knowledge-sharing about the future of Indigenous-led stewardship. The gathering, Building Connections to Strengthen Guardians & Indigenous-led Stewardship, brought close to 100 people together at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge to explore how Indigenous Guardians programs can […]
SILA Mobilizes Against Oil Expansion in the Western Arctic
Recently, we have seen a deluge of management plan reversals from the current federal administration across Alaska, especially in the Western Arctic. Additionally, projects are being fast-tracked, with short comment periods, and agencies denying requests for comment period extensions. In 2025, we awarded Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic (SILA) a $9,500 Rapid Response grant […]
Community Leaders Gather To Protect the Kigluaik Mountains
The Kigluaik Mountains north of Nome are more than landscape: they are sacred sites where Kauweragmuit people have journeyed for prophecy and survival, gathered for ceremony, and maintained connections spanning generations. Now, they face a threat from the proposed Graphite Creek mine, a large-scale open-pit graphite mine that would be located in the Kigluaik Mountains, […]
Aleutian Pribilof Guardians Workshop: Working at the Speed of Trust
Photography By Schuyler Alig The Aleutian Islands are located hundreds of miles from the Alaska mainland in the Bering Sea, accessible only by plane or boat, and often facing harsh, unpredictable weather. In August, Aleut/Unangax̂ Tribes, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and other federal and regional partners came together to discuss opportunities for co-stewardship of […]
From Public Land Sales to Roadless Rule: SEACC’s Fight for the Tongass
When conservation threats evolve quickly grassroots organizations need funding that moves just as fast. The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) exemplifies this reality, demonstrating how critical rapid funding becomes when federal policy shifts overnight. Just two weeks ago, SEACC applied for urgent funding to oppose the proposed public lands sell-off buried in federal budget reconciliation […]
Reflections from the Alaska Conference on Mining Impacts and Prevention
Photo credit: Emily Sullivan Nearly 200 people gathered in Girdwood to share and learn new knowledge and skills, build new relationships, strengthen existing networks, and explore how the topic of consent applies to proposed hardrock mining projects in Alaska. From May 6-8, 2025, Alaska Conservation Foundation brought together Indigenous leaders, community advocates, and environmental experts […]
Putting Indigenous Voices Back on the Map
Photography By Schuyler Alig From mapping coastal erosion to preserving vital ecosystems, Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is giving Alaskan communities the power to protect their lands and ways of life. Indigenous communities have been too often excluded from land resource management decisions despite being the stewards since time immemorial. The Bristol Bay Region, known […]
Reflections from the 4th Arctic Youth Ambassadors Cohort: Resilience, Leadership, and Protecting the Arctic
In Alaska, many villages, especially those off the road system, are grappling with the far-reaching effects of climate change, including erosion, wildfires, flooding, and thawing permafrost. These challenges are felt most acutely by Alaska Native communities, whose traditional ways of life—closely tied to the land and water—are increasingly threatened. In Rampart, a remote village of […]
BLM Enhances Protections for 13 Million Acres in Central Alaska
Amidst a period of transition and uncertainty about the future, we have found moments of peace in recent news regarding our Alaskan lands. After nearly a decade of research, public outreach, and negotiations, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized a revised resource management plan (RMP) that strengthens protections for more than 13 […]


