Events with Protect the Kobuk

Protect the Kobuk hosted an all day event at the local Boys and Girls Club. In the afternoon, members dropped in to screen-print their own t-shirts and in the evening we gathered for a Kobuk River foods only (no turkey allowed!) potluck and celebration of the SEIS release and Endangered Rivers designation.

Clarence is a PtK member from Ambler. He traveled to DC for a multi-day campaign to raise awareness of the Ambler Road with fellow activists from the Koyukuk portion of the road route as well as Portugal. the Man. The group also visited the White House and Capitol. 

Ruth Iten traveled to Juneau to attend the Alaska Mining Impacts Network meeting. She brought home valuable insights about upcoming State decisions on clean water and she hand-delivered our petition, 689 names strong, to long-time Senator Donny Olson.

The Bureau of Land Management held public hearings on the topic of the SEIS and ANILCA Section 810 (regarding subsistence) hearings in Kiana, Kotzebue, Shungnak, Ambler, Kobuk and Selawik in November and December 2023. Protect the Kobuk members attended every meeting and most comments expressed opposition to the Ambler Road or deep concerns for effects on subsistence. 

Protect the Kobuk volunteers went door-to-door helping people to submit their comments to the BLM website, as well as Senators and Representative emails. We were able to visit Shungnak, Kobuk, Noorvik and Ambler and helped submit 220 people's No Road comments to BLM!

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited Kotzebue along with Senator Dan Sullivan on a tour of Arctic infrastructure. Protect the Kobuk made sure he heard our view of Ambler Road. We gave him his very own No Road sweatshirt and a copy of our petition.

When the Bureau of Land Management Director, Tracy Stone-Manning, visited the Northwest Arctic to tour the Ambler Road route, we had a great opportunity to make our voices heard. Eva Cleveland gathered Kobuk residents to attend the public meeting with Director Stone-Manning, decked out in No Ambler Road sweatshirts. In Kotzebue, the Director attended a private meeting with local leadership. But PtK members stood outside the National Park Service offices hoping for a moment with Director Stone-Manning. We weren't disappointed!

Ivisaappaat Tribal Council member Shield Downey and Iñupiaq teacher Luke Jackson traveled to DC alongside Koyukon tribal leaders to attend a week of meetings with decision-makers. One of the highlights was Shield's long conversation with Senator Murkowski. 

Jim Dau is a retired caribou biologist with more than 25 years of experience. Jim's research and observations reflect that caribou have difficulty migrating when roads are involved. Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership invited Jim to DC to present to several officials in the Department of Interior. 

Protect the Kobuk founding member Ruth Iten traveled to DC and spoke with Representative Mary Peltola and Senator Lisa Murkowski. At that point, our petition was just 200 names strong. We're a growing group guuq!

In March 2023 Protect the Kobuk launched our No Ambler Road petition and the race was on to build our membership. Ruth Iten traveled by dog team to Kobuk, Shungnak, Ambler, Selawik and Noorvik gathering signatures and encouraging people to speak up. Susan Georgette was support staff from her snowmachine. Melissa Brown in Selawik gathered signatures at community events. China Kantner visited Ambler and went door-to-door in Kotzebue. Krissy Walton in Ambler helped gather signatures. Iriqtaq Hailstone filled pages of signatures in Noorvik. Brittany Sweeney had a table at a snowmachine race in Kotzebue. We even hosted a 4th of July booth to raise awareness. 

A small group of people gathered in Kotzebue. We agreed that we had to do something to raise our friends' and neighbors' voices to the ears of DC decision-makers.