FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2026
Fairbanks, AK – The Gwich’in Steering Committee is extremely concerned that the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation (KIC) is seeking a right-of-way for multi-year snow and ice roads that would cross through sacred land in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This proposal by KIC would use heavy machinery to move snow around on the coastal plain to attempt to gather enough snow to construct the road annually for at least the next 20 years. Unlike other places in Alaska, the coastal plain gets very little snow, and the fragile tundra landscape would be put at risk of serious damage. This could lead to permanent impacts, similar to what is still visible from seismic exploration that occurred in the Arctic Refuge decades ago, and would set a dangerous precedent for opening this sacred area to industrial access.
Impacts to the land, as well as the noise and disturbance from construction and use of the
road, could also negatively impact the Porcupine Caribou herd–and therefore the Gwich’in. Recent studies indicate that the Porcupine Caribou population is in decline, making it more important than ever to protect the herd and their migratory routes.
It is well-documented that the development of roads in other areas has had negative effects on caribou populations and migration routes. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has already acknowledged that this proposal could negatively impact caribou and other wildlife. This could also impact our ability to hunt and practice our traditional ways of life.
“As Indigenous people with villages in remote parts of Alaska and Canada–many of which are only accessible by boat or plane–the Gwich’in understand the desire for more affordable access to remote communities,” shared Kristen Moreland, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee. “However, we cannot overlook the potential for short and long-term damage to fragile ground in the coastal plain and to the porcupine caribou herd that would result from the construction and use of a road. Our traditional knowledge tells us to always consider future generations, which is why we maintain our steadfast commitment to protecting the calving grounds from development that would fracture the migratory route and health of a herd that has endured for millennia.”
KIC has also made it clear that it wants to construct this road in part to increase economic
development in the surrounding lands in the Arctic Refuge. KIC is proposing two routes across both the tundra and sea ice with multiple connector roads, to transport unspecified “large equipment and commodities” to Kaktovik. This proposal appears to be the first step in permitting roads across the coastal plain, which could be used to facilitate oil and gas exploration and development in the future, which the Gwich’in Nation firmly opposes.
“The Gwich’in are very concerned about the mounting potential threats to the Porcupine Caribou herd,” shared Raeann Garnett, First Chief, Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government. “Before advancing any kind of road or development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, our Tribes must be consulted with a full picture of how it could impact the herd, their migration routes and calving grounds, and in turn, our subsistence rights.”
“Our entire way of life in Vashraii K’oo (Arctic Village) is dependent on the caribou, and their return to the Coastal Plain each year,” said Galen Gilbert, First Chief of Vashraii K’oo. “Our leaders have been noting changes to the health of the herd for years, and in January, data confirmed that it has seen a significant decline. Any additional impacts on the caribou from activity both on the ground and in the air to build and maintain this road is very concerning for our community.”
“As a father, a hunter, and a leader in my community, I am deeply concerned about the impacts on the caribou,” said Karlas Norman, First Chief, Native Village of Venetie Tribal Council. “The caribou are everything to us, and taking a risk that could damage the untouched land they migrate to is deeply distressing. When we say that we rely on the caribou to fill our freezers, we are not being hypothetical – they are our main source of food, and we don’t know what impacts changes in their calving grounds could bring to the herd.”
The Gwich’in Steering Committee is extremely concerned about the impacts of this road proposal and the potential gateway for oil and gas development that could result from building an onshore snow road across the Arctic Refuge. It would damage lands that are sacred to the Gwich’in and potentially irreversibly impact the Porcupine Caribou herd. The Gwich’in are calling on the US Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake a full and robust environmental and subsistence review process and to fully consult with all communities that rely on coastal plain resources that could be impacted, like caribou, which includes all of the Gwich’in Nation.
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Press Contacts
Genae Lako, communications and public relations, 303-918-6290
Kristen Moreland, executive director, 907-328-9634