On Wednesday, October 25, representatives of the Alaska Native Gwich’in Steering Committee and hundreds of other activists will participate in a rally in Washington, D.C., for a National Day of Action in response to the Trump administration’s latest plans to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Delegates from the steering committee, which was formed in 1988 to combat proposals to drill in the Arctic, have traveled from Alaska to meet with members of Congress and demand protection for their home. Solidarity events are being held nationwide throughout the week to show support for these efforts. 

The Alaskan refuge, which spans over 30,000 miles of Arctic tundra, is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, including melting sea ice and glaciers and changes in vegetation phenology that could dramatically affect caribou calving grounds and threaten the Gwich’in people’s food supply and cultural practices. Oil extraction would only worsen these impacts. Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, told Sierra in early October, “This is our way of life. This is our human right and our food security. Our identity is not up for negotiation, not for any amount of money or any amount of oil.”

In addition to endangering the way of life of the Gwich’in people, drilling in the refuge’s Coastal Plain—the 1.5 million acres that are currently at risk—would permanently scar what has historically been undeveloped landscape. “The Coastal Plain is the biological heart of the 19.6-million-acre refuge. It’s one of the last remaining truly wild places on the planet,” says Sierra Club campaign coordinator Alli Harvey. “You can still see tire tracks on the tundra from seismic testing, so imagine the destruction that drilling and development would bring.” 

The Trump administration has made Arctic drilling a priority in its 2018 federal budget, and the Department of the Interior has proposed removing current restrictions on exploratory seismic studies in the refuge, which could make a stronger case for eventual drilling for oil and gas. Alaska governor Bill Walker fully supports drilling operations, claiming that state oil profits could pay for climate-change-related programs. On October 19, the Senate rejected a budget amendment that would have prevented the attempt to raise revenue through drilling in the refuge. 

“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment,” Harvey says. “It will fall on volunteers and networks of people across the United States that don’t want to see these special places auctioned off for industry under the Trump administration to speak up.” Harvey encourages everyone to contact and visit their local representatives to show support for the Gwich’in people as they try to defend their homeland. 

“The Alaskan government is going to have to face the music and recognize the need for a viable and long-term source of income," Harvey says. “And that shouldn’t come at the expense of such an important place for millions of Americans.” 

Events are happening across the country (Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington): Sign up to attend an event in solidarity with the Gwich’in people here.