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Tribal Governments Vow to Continue Fight for Arctic Refuge Following Court Decision
For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2025
Contact: Olivia Hall olivia.sam@narf.org
ARCTIC VILLAGE, AK — Today, the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, Arctic Village Council, and Venetie Village Council express profound disappointment with the court's decision to reverse the Biden Administration's cancellation of oil and gas leases held by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Despite this setback, the three Tribal governments remain resolute in their commitment to protect the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge—Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins)—from oil and gas development that threatens the Porcupine Caribou Herd and their traditional way of life.
"While we are deeply disappointed by today's ruling, we want to be clear that this decision does not diminish our determination to protect these sacred lands,” said Raeann Garnett, First Chief of the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government. “This ruling does not consider the inadequate environmental analysis conducted under the previous administration. The rushed environmental impact statement did not meaningfully incorporate Indigenous knowledge or properly account for impacts on our communities. We will continue to fight to protect these lands that our communities have relied on for generations."
The Tribal governments emphasize that this court decision is not the final word. Multiple legal and administrative pathways remain to ensure proper environmental review before any ground-disturbing activities could occur. Though the Trump Administration has made it clear that they have made drilling on this land a priority, the Tribal governments will continue to advocate for comprehensive, permanent protections for the Arctic Refuge until the land is safe from disturbances for all future generations.
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If you have additional comments or questions, for media inquiries, please contact Olivia Hall at Olivia.sam@narf.org. The Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, Arctic Village Council, and Venetie Village Council are federally recognized tribal governments representing Neets'ąįį Gwich'in people of Arctic Village and Venetie.
Neets’ąįį Gwich’in Tribal Governments Celebrate Failed Arctic Refuge Lease Sale
For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2025
Contact: Olivia Hall, Olivia.sam@NARF.org
ARCTIC VILLAGE, AK – This week, the second lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was held – as mandated by the 2017 Trump-era Tax Act – and received zero bids. The Neets’ąįį Gwich'in people of Arctic Village and Venetie celebrate the failure of the second lease sale as a signal that companies all over the world know that oil and gas drilling on this land is an affront to their rights as Indigenous people and is not even close to as lucrative as the Trump Administration has claimed. Today, there continue to be no current leases held on this sacred land.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge contains the Porcupine Caribou migration route and calving ground which the Neets’ąįį refer to as Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit or The Sacred Place Where Life Begins. For generations, the Neets’ąįį Gwich’in have depended on the health of this land in order to maintain their cultural, spiritual, and subsistence-based way of life. Any development on this land would be catastrophic to their subsistence practices, a vital part of their cultural and practical survival.
“Today marks a significant success in protecting the Arctic Refuge,” says Curtis Gilbert, First Chief of Arctic Village Council. “The total failure of the second lease sale demonstrates the overwhelming public opposition to oil and gas drilling in the Refuge. We continue to maintain our unrelenting opposition to any development on these sacred lands– grounds that are not only central to our cultural and spiritual identity, but fundamental to the subsistence way of life that has sustained our people for countless generations.”
“Our communities are celebrating this momentous win today,” said Raeann Garnett, Tribal Chief of Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government. “Gwich’in people have always known that oil and gas drilling in the Refuge was not only a violation of our human rights as Indigenous people, but that it is unpopular and simply a bad business decision. Though we may be celebrating today, we remember that this is a signal that permanent protections for the Arctic Refuge is the only path forward."
For more information or interview requests, please contact: Olivia Hall, Olivia.sam@NARF.org
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Neets’ąįį Gwich'in Leaders Call for Permanent Protection of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
For Immediate Release:
November 6, 2024
Contact: Olivia Hall, Olivia.sam@NARF.org
Arctic Village, AK - The Neets'ąįį Gwich'in Tribal governments of Arctic Village and Venetie are renewing their call for permanent protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge following the release of a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) by the Biden administration.
While acknowledging improvements in the latest assessment compared to the previous administration's efforts, Tribal leaders emphasize that though they appreciate and recognize the efforts by the agencies that were involved in the SEIS process, these still fall short of their true call for permanent protections for the Arctic Refuge from any oil and gas drilling.
"It is inarguable that the Arctic Refuge EIS released by the Trump Administration was inadequate and completely disregarded the impact any oil and gas activities would have on our Tribal communities who rely on that land," stated Galen Gilbert, First Chief of Arctic Village Council. "The recently released FSEIS is an improvement on the initial assessment. However, this is only a step towards protecting our Sovereignty and right to continue our traditional way of life that depends on this sacred place."
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a vast expanse of pristine land in northeastern Alaska, has been central to a long-standing debate between conservationists, Indigenous groups, and those seeking to exploit its potential oil and gas resources. The stakes could not be higher for the Gwich'in people, whose culture and way of life are inextricably linked to the land and its wildlife, particularly the Porcupine Caribou herd.
In September 2023, The Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, the Arctic Village Council, and the Venetie Village Council officially identified a Sacred Site within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge under Executive Order #13007. This identification recognizes the site as a crucial calving ground for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, integral to the Gwich'in people's cultural and spiritual identity.
"As people connected to the Arctic Refuge for our cultural, spiritual, and subsistence purposes, we will never accept any disruption of this land," emphasized RaeAnn Garnett, First Chief of Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government. "Though the FSEIS is an improvement on the previous EIS, we continue to urge Congress to create permanent protections for this land that our people have lived in concert with for countless generations."
"We are steadfast in urging Congress to repeal the leasing program in the Arctic Refuge and put in place permanent protections for the Arctic Refuge, ensuring the Neets'ąįį Gwich'in people can continue to exist as they have since time immemorial," Garnett added.
As the debate over the future of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge continues, the voices of the Gwich'in people serve as a powerful reminder of the human and cultural dimensions at stake. Their advocacy underscores the critical importance of considering Indigenous rights and traditional knowledge in the federal government’s decision-making processes.
For more information or interview requests, please contact: Olivia Hall, Olivia.sam@NARF.org
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Neets’ąįį Gwich'in Tribal Governments in Alaska Identify Sacred Site in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
For Immediate Release:
July 5, 2024
Contact: Olivia Hall, Olivia.Sam@narf.org
ARCTIC VILLAGE, AK — During the John Fredson Day celebrations on July 4th and 5th of this year, The Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, the Arctic Village Council, and the Venetie Village Council have officially announced the identification of a significant area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a Sacred Site under Executive Order #13007. This identification recognizes the site as a crucial calving ground for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, integral to the Gwich'in people's cultural and spiritual identity.
According to Executive Order #13007, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, a Sacred Site is defined as "any specific, discrete, narrowly delineated location on Federal land that is identified by an Indian tribe, or Indian individual..." This designation mandates that federal agencies accommodate access to and ceremonial use of such sites by Indigenous peoples and US Government agencies must “avoid adversely affecting the physical integrity of such sacred sites.”
Over the course of four years, the tribes meticulously documented and defined the boundaries of Neets’ąįį through original research. This effort included over 100 hours of interviews with Gwich'in Elders, Tribal members, culture bearers, and hunters, who shared their Indigenous Knowledge and collectively defined this area as a Sacred Site known to the Gwich’in as Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit or The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.
Furthermore, data spanning 37 years from the Bureau of Land Management underscored the site's broader ecological significance, confirming its role as essential calving grounds for more than 40% of the Porcupine Caribou herd.
The mandated preservation of Sacred Sites is not without precedent, as exemplified by the recognition of Bear Lodge or "Devil's Tower" in Wyoming by the Lakota, Cheyenne, Crow, Arapahoe, Shoshone, and Kiowa peoples.
Identifying this Sacred Site by The Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, the Arctic Village Council, and the Venetie Village Council look forward to continued progress in the ongoing collaboration between Native tribes and federal agencies to honor Indigenous sovereignty and preserve the Neets’ąįį Gwich'in way of life.
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If you have additional comments or questions, for media inquiries, please contact Olivia Hall at Olivia.sam@narf.org, and for Tribal inquiries, please contact Tonya Garnett at tonyagarnett@hotmail.com
December 2023 - A delegation of Neets’ąįį Gwich'in Tribal leaders arrived in Washington D.C. in collaboration with the Arctic Defense Coalition to urge legislators and department leaders to prohibit any development in the Arctic Refuge. Over the course of three days, Tribal leaders met with the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Representative Mary Peltola of Alaska. The Neets’ąįį Gwich'in Delegation included:
● Charlene Stern, Advisor to Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government, Arctic Village Council, and Venetie Village Council
● Tonya Garnett, Special Projects Coordinator – Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government
● RaeAnn Garnett, First Chief – Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government
● Kayleen Ward-Peter, Council Member – Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government
● Crystal Frank, Tribal Administrator – Arctic Village Council
● Karlas I. Norman, Council Member – Arctic Village Council
March 2023 - In a historic meeting of Arctic Village and Venetie Elders, Chiefs, and Tribal Government officials came together at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for five days to discuss and share knowledge about the Neets’ąįį Gwich'in way of life. Topics included how the Neets’ąįį Gwich'in have been affected by disruptions to the Arctic Refuge, how these disruptions have impacted Caribou migration patterns, and what the Federal Government must do to protect the Gwich’in way of life.
Ernie T. Peter, Elder
Galen Gilbert, Arctic Village 1st Chief
Robert Sam, Arctic Village 2nd Chief
Raeann B. Garnett, Native Village of Venetie 1st Chief
Robert Frank Sr., Elder
Angel Gilbert, Native Village of Venetie 2nd Chief
Myra Thumma
Tonya Garnett, Special Projects Coordinator for the Native Village of Venetie Tribal Government
Sarah James Ph.D, Elder
Charlene Stern Ph.D
Ernest Erick, Elder
Florence Newman, Elder
October 2022 Before any development can be done on the Refuge, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) must be completed to understand and make public the effect a project will have on the environment. In September 2022, the Tribal Government met with the Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife (BLM) to share Indigenous knowledge that is essential to fully understand the potential impact of development on this area. The initial EIS process done from 2018 to 2020 did not adequately integrate this Indigenous knowledge into their process. As such, we are calling for BLM to make indigenous knowledge the cornerstone of the upcoming EIS process.