About Us
Protect the Kobuk is a growing group of Northwest Arctic residents and tribal members who oppose development of the Ambler Road.
We are finding our voices and speaking up with concerns.
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Our goals are to
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provide information and a forum in which to discuss these concerns
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to promote opportunities for action and advocacy against the proposed Ambler Road Access project.
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Of our 696 members:
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92% are current residents of the Northwest Arctic
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87% are tribal members of villages in the region
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53% are from the 10 smaller villages
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47% are from the hub village of Kotzebue
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27% are 18-30 years old, 43% are 31-50 years old, and 30% are 50+ years old
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77 are commercial fishermen and women
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Join us to learn more and find your voice!
What is the Ambler Road?
The Ambler Road is a 211-mile road proposed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. The Ambler Road would cross 2,900 streams,1,794 acres of wetlands, and 11 major rivers. If built it would significantly disrupt the culture and way of life of the Iñupiat and the Koyukon Athabascan by damaging the habitat of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd and many species of fish, birds, berries and plants.
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NO AMBLER ROAD!
Where are we in the process?
In 2015, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) submitted a partial application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the lead federal organization responsible for reviewing the project. AIDEA submitted an application that was missing a lot of key information so BLM was not able to conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) process until 2019. The Trump Administration rushed the process, so a right-of-way was granted in summer 2021.
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Tanana Chiefs Conference and a handful of environmental organizations sued the Bureau of Land Management due to major flaws and lack of information in the EIS. A federal judge agreed with the lawsuit and in 2022 required the BLM to conduct a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) as the first EIS did not fully consider the Ambler Road's impacts on the Western Arctic Caribou Herd and salmon (particularly considering news of salmon declines on the Koyukuk), and did not properly consult Iñupiaq and Koyukon Athabascan tribes.
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The draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement was released by the BLM on October 13, 2023. The BLM gathered comments at public hearings in the region and around Alaska October 20-December 19, 2023.
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The BLM published the final SEIS on April 19, 2024 and filed a record of decision officially revoking AIDEA's permits on June 28, 2024.
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While this is a huge milestone for our fight against the Ambler Road, the work is not done.
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PROTECT THE KOBUK - NO AMBLER ROAD
