ABOUT US
What We Do:
Alaska Wilderness League Action (AWLA) deploys citizen support to realize political change, legislative gains and accountability of Congress and the administration to protect Alaska’s wild landscapes. We educate and cultivate candidates, build passionate and enduring champions from both political parties, and deploy campaign activities to hold lawmakers and policymakers accountable for both their actions and inaction to secure durable conservation gains for Alaska.
AWLA plays a unique and vital role in the political arena as the only federal advocacy and political organization focused on cultivating and rewarding Alaska champions, raising the profile of Alaska conservation issues in key races and holding politicians accountable when they turn their backs on these iconic landscapes.
In partnership with Alaska Wilderness League, AWLA is focused on more powerfully integrating communications, in‑district activities and legislative advocacy efforts in intentional ways that move the needle in Washington, D.C.
AWLA works with partner groups to ensure that Alaska conservation issues are included on key vote scorecards, public opinion polls and part of annual coalition fly‑ins and lobby weeks. In 2018 Alaska Wilderness League Action launched its first Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pledge campaign, which elevated the fight to restore Arctic Refuge protections in key races.
AWLA was founded in 2004 with the goal of strengthening the efforts to protect wild Alaska. From the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the Tongass National Forest to the waters of America’s Arctic Ocean, Alaska’s public lands and waters must be protected now and in the future for the benefit of all. We create opportunities to ensure long-term protections for Alaska’s lands and waters by raising the profile of Alaska conservation across the country and developing tools to hold decision-makers accountable.
AWLA recognizes that a diverse coalition of organizations, Tribal entities and supporters are necessary to achieve these lasting conservation gains. Our work reflects a humble awareness of the past and present role of Indigenous knowledge and stewardship.
Where We Work:
National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (Reserve) – Development in the Reserve in Alaska’s Western Arctic has begun, multiple drilling projects are on the horizon, and industry has shifted its focus to gaining access to protected “Special Areas.”
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – The Arctic Refuge, located in the northeast corner of Alaska, is one of the finest examples of wilderness remaining anywhere in the world. It is a perfect example of intact, naturally functioning Arctic and subarctic ecosystems. In fact, such a broad spectrum of diverse habitats occurring within a single protected unit is unparalleled in North America.
Tongass National Forest – At approximately 17 million acres, the Tongass National Forest is America’s largest national forest, encompassing the majority of the Alaska Panhandle in Southeast Alaska. Rising from the deep, rich waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage, Southeast Alaska is a land of ancient forests, mountains and glaciers with bountiful, diverse and unique wildlife.
Across the State: Alaska Public Lands as Climate and Biodiversity Solutions – Throughout Alaska, the League works to safeguard threatened public lands and waters, and continues to make the case that protection of these landscapes must be prioritized if we wish to achieve our world’s climate and biological diversity goals.
Please note: Alaska Wilderness League Action engages in legislative and political advocacy to protect Alaska’s wild places. Visit the website of our sister organization, Alaska Wilderness League, to learn more about that organization’s education and advocacy to protect Alaska.
Cover image courtesy of:
Ken Madsen; Malkolm Boothroyd / www.malkolmboothroyd.com
Alaska Wilderness League Action
122 C Street, NW, Suite 650 Washington, D.C. 20001 | info@alaskawildaction.org