Until recently, Gwich’in tribes were on the winning side of the battle over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then, in late 2017, Congress opened the coastal plain to oil development.
Arctic
Planning for 2019 NPR-A oil lease sale begins as feds pursue opening more Arctic land to drilling
The U.S. Interior Department is re-evaluating the management plan for the reserve, aiming to open up land that’s currently off-limits to oil leasing.
As sea ice changes in a warming Arctic, new challenges for polar bear research
“There’s probably going to be a greater amount of uncertainty with some of the information that we’re able to provide, because it’s simply not going to be as precise as it used to be,” said wildlife biologist Todd Atwood.
Alaskans push for acceptance of walrus ivory, but there’s an elephant in the room
Federal law prohibits sales of African elephant ivory, but a handful of states have now banned the sale of ivory more broadly. That has repercussions for Alaska Native walrus ivory carvers.
ConocoPhillips picks up another oil prospect west of Prudhoe Bay
ConocoPhillips has announced it intends to buy 21,000 acres from Caelus Natural Resources, which includes the Nuna oil discovery.
‘Pretty unbelievable,’ says Kotlik hunter who helped document recent spike in seal deaths
Harold Okitkun counted 18 dead seals north of Kotlik — a number he says he’s never seen or heard of other people in the village seeing.