Anchorage Daily NewsOpinion: These lands are not a sacrifice zone
By Nauriaq Simmonds
Published: July 23, 2025
The National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. (Bureau of Land Management)
The Western Arctic is under attack — again. The Trump administration is trying to undo hard-won protections for 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), including Teshekpuk Lake, one of the most vital landscapes in the Arctic.
This isn’t just policy. It’s personal. Teshekpuk is critical for caribou calving, bird migration and fish habitat. It feeds our families. It’s tied directly to the health of our communities and the survival of a way of life that has endured for generations.
These protections weren’t handed to us — they were fought for. They reflect years of advocacy, research and Indigenous knowledge. They were designed to safeguard food systems, cultural practices and ecological integrity. Now, the administration wants to strip those protections based on nothing new, just a rushed, politically driven agenda that benefits the oil and gas industry.
Opening the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area to industrial development is not responsible. It’s reckless. Even those in our communities who support development understand this region is too sensitive. The infrastructure alone — roads, pipelines, heavy equipment — would cause permanent damage. Restoration wouldn’t be measured in years. It would take lifetimes, if it’s possible at all.
The administration is bulldozing ahead. A budget bill passed this year mandates five massive lease sales over the next decade, each potentially opening millions of acres, including the Teshekpuk area. A separate proposal would auction off 19 million acres with only a two-week comment period. Two weeks to respond to the potential loss of an entire ecosystem? That’s not a legitimate process. It’s deliberate erasure.
And yet, here we are. Again. Holding the line. Not just because it’s our responsibility, but because we know what’s at stake: caribou herds, wetlands, fish, birds, language, food, spirit, ceremony, connection.
We know the land is the teacher. We know that protection isn’t just about policy — it’s about relationships and accountability. We will not let Teshekpuk be treated like a line item or a leasing map. We will respond. We will organize. We will speak. Because this land is not a sacrifice zone. It’s our home.