Press Release

Trump assault on Alaska’s public lands will not go unanswered

Bird sitting near water at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge faces new threats amid a hostile political environment.

Credit: Peter Mather.

"The fight to protect public lands, our climate and our Indigenous communities in the Arctic never stops."

Just hours after taking office today, President Trump signed a sweeping and destructive executive order that attempts to erase all Biden administration efforts to protect Alaska’s public lands, Indigenous communities and the climate, and calls for developing the state’s natural resources “to the fullest extent possible.”

In response, The Wilderness Society released the following statement from Alaska Senior Manager Meda DeWitt:

“Once again, the Arctic’s Indigenous communities are forced to fight for their rights and ways of life, and to defend lands and subsistence resources from this reckless, no-holds-barred assault on the Arctic and public lands across Alaska. But fight they will, and we will stand beside them while battling to protect irreplaceable landscapes and resources.

“Administrations come and go, but one thing never changes: The fight to protect public lands, our climate and our Indigenous communities in the Arctic never stops. We cannot allow the destruction of lives, the climate, or our clean air and water in the name of ‘energy dominance.’”