Secretary Haaland Acts to Protect 28 Million Acres of Alaska Wildlands

Move Ends Trump-Era Attempt to Open Up Protected Areas to Extraction
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Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, the Department of the Interior announced it will retain protections for 28 million acres of public lands within the Bristol Bay, Bering Sea Western Interior, East Alaska, Kobuk Seward, and the Ring of Fire regions of Alaska. These lands, overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), were withdrawn from mining and oil and gas development under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) in 1971. 

The Trump Administration attempted to reverse these protections, putting wildlife and local communities at risk from industrial development. Alaska Native Tribes, Alaska-based businesses, and more than 140,000 advocates from within the state and across the country had asked the Biden Administration to ensure these landscapes remain safeguarded.

The landscapes covered by today’s action are critical to the survival of Alaskan communities and wildlife, including three of North America’s largest caribou herds, which rely on these lands for habitat, and 5,000 miles of salmon streams across the state. These landscapes also provide critical migration corridors and connect other conservation areas of wildlife habitat. 

In response, Dan Ritzman, Director of Sierra Club’s Conservation Campaign issued the following statement:

“This is a big deal for the communities and wildlife who call Alaska home. These lands and waters are unparalleled not only for their natural beauty, but for the habitat they provide imperiled wildlife, and the recreation opportunities they offer us. These 28 million acres are some of the last truly intact wildlands in the United States. Secretary Haaland deserves credit for listening to those who have called for their protection for generations to come.”

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.