Northern Alaska Environmental Center

Promoting conservation of the environment and sustainable resource stewardship in Interior and Northern Alaska through education and advocacy

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Latest News

Northern Center and Partners Appeal State Approval of Ambler Road Easement

by Krystal Lapp | Oct 1, 2026

Photo of the Ambler Corridor provided by Keri Oberly. Seven conservation organizations are challenging the State of Alaska’s decision to grant an easement for the proposed Ambler industrial road, arguing that the state failed to fully consider the impacts of the...

Join Mat-Su United for Progress for a Community Conversation on Data Centers

by Alaskans for Data Center Accountability | Sep 30, 2026

About this event Join Mat-Su United for Progress for our upcoming Community Gathering & Potluck featuring a presentation and discussion on data centers, including specific concerns and considerations regarding the proposed facility near Houston, Alaska. Event...

Arctic Mine Scoping Is Open: Now Is the Time to Speak Up

by Northern Center | Sep 30, 2026

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has officially begun the environmental review of the proposed Arctic Mine Development Project, a large open-pit mine proposed in the Ambler Mining District of Northwest Alaska. The Army Corps is currently accepting scoping comments...

Upcoming Events

october 2026

01oct6:30 pm8:30 pmFeaturedJoin Mat-Su United for Progress for a Community Conversation on Data Centers

Event Details

As proposals for large-scale data centers continue to emerge in Alaska, communities are asking important questions about what these projects could mean for local energy systems, water, infrastructure, public resources, and nearby residents.

On Thursday, October 1 at 6:30 p.m., Mat-Su United for Progress will host a Community Gathering & Potluck in Palmer featuring a presentation and discussion about data centers, including the proposed development near Houston, Alaska.

The gathering will provide an opportunity for community members to learn more, ask questions, and talk with neighbors about what responsible development should look like in the Mat-Su.

Event Details

Thursday, October 1, 2026
6:30 p.m.

The Annex
241 S Alaska St
Palmer, Alaska 99645

A Zoom option will also be available to people who RSVP.

The discussion will feature Brittany Fintel and Caroline Arnold, the Mat-Su regional leaders for Alaskans for Data Center Accountability.

Brittany and Caroline will share information about data center development in Alaska, what is currently known about the proposed project near Houston, and the questions Mat-Su residents should be asking as these projects move forward.

What We’ll Talk About

The conversation will include an overview of how large data centers operate and the infrastructure they require, including energy and other resource needs.

Speakers will also share information about the proposed data center project near Houston, what is currently known about the development, and the potential considerations for surrounding communities.

Most importantly, there will be time for community questions and discussion.

Whether you have been following the Houston proposal closely or are just beginning to learn about data centers, this gathering is an opportunity to get informed and be part of the conversation.

Come for the Conversation, Stay for the Potluck

This is also a community potluck.

If you are able, bring a main dish, side, salad, or dessert to share. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own dinnerware to help reduce waste, although backup plates and utensils will be available.

Adults are also welcome to bring an adult beverage to share.

Mat-Su United for Progress events also serve as a food drive for the Palmer Food Bank, so attendees are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item to donate.

RSVP

Please RSVP in advance so organizers can plan for enough seating and table space.

Registering is also how you will receive information for the Zoom option if you are unable to attend in person.

Sign up here:
https://www.mobilize.us/mat-suunitedforprogress/event/1027646/

Large data center proposals could have long-term implications for Alaska communities, and local residents deserve clear information and meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions that may affect them.

We encourage Mat-Su and all Alaska residents to attend, bring their questions, and join the conversation.

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Time

October 1, 2026 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm(GMT-08:00)

Calendar GoogleCal

02oct5:00 pm8:00 pmFeaturedFriends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuge: Art in the Arctic

Event Details

The Art in the Arctic art show will open with a First Friday event from 5 to 8 pm on Oct. 2. The show will remain up for the month of October. This event is hosted by the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges.

The Art in the Arctic show will be held at Black Spruce Brewing Company, Fairbanks’s most decorated brewery and a strong supporter of the local arts community. The casual, fun taproom space commonly hosts local artists, with established followings and those just starting out.

This show is held each year in Fairbanks, Alaska. It bridges the worlds of art, nature, and conservation, with a spotlight on three of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s northern Refuges: Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats. The scale, expanse, and wildness of Alaska’s Refuges distinguish them from most other Refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System. These Refuges protect habitats for all species, as well as extensive landscapes for subsistence uses and outdoor adventures. Through a tapestry of artistic expressions, Art in the Arctic unveils the narratives, beauty, and challenges these Refuges encapsulate, urging audiences to immerse themselves in their stories.

This year, Art in the Arctic will highlight the artist, their artwork, and the networks, visible and invisible, that sustain Arctic landscapes—and us.

2026 THEME: Connected North: Threads of Life in Northern Refuges
Across the Arctic, life moves through networks—rivers that braid across tundra, invisible corridors of migration overhead and under ice, and relationships among people, cultures, and the lands that sustain them. Connected North: Threads of Life in the Northern Refuges invites artists and audiences to discover how connectivity and interdependence shape the health and resilience of Arctic, Kanuti, and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges, and why these connections matter to all of us.

Why connectivity matters: Northern refuges are among the world’s last large, connected ecosystems. Their rivers, wetlands, and wild spaces form essential pathways for wildlife and support Indigenous lifeways that have endured for millennia. As climate change and other pressures reshape the Arctic, maintaining these connections is crucial for the health of the entire ecosystem—and for communities across Alaska.

Art in the Arctic 2026 affirms the enduring value of National Wildlife Refuges as places that safeguard these connections. The show showcases not just art, but possibility: a reminder that our choices and our communities play a role in sustaining the North. Viewers are invited to see themselves as part of the ecosystem—not outside of it—and to consider how everyday choices and community action help maintain the networks that life depends on. This show is an invitation to learn, to connect, and to care for the living systems that connect the Arctic to Alaskan communities and far beyond.

EXHIBIT & SALES: Artwork may be available for sale to the public. Artists set their own prices for their work. Sale pieces are subject to a 15% “hanging fee,” which Black Spruce will donate to Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, the nonprofit organization sponsoring this show. The remainder of sale prices go to the artists.

Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges at arctic_art@alaskarefugefriends.org

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Time

October 2, 2026 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm(GMT-08:00)

Calendar GoogleCal

10oct1:00 pm3:30 pmFeaturedRenewables & Labor in Alaska

16oct7:00 pm8:30 pmFeaturedFighting for the Climate in an Oil State

The Northern Alaska Environmental Center

The Northern Alaska Environmental Center is an Alaska-based conservation organization dedicated to protecting the land, waters and wildlife of Interior and Northern Alaska for current and future generations to use and enjoy. We understand the unique challenges of living in Alaska and seek to balance natural resource development with conserving what makes Alaska special.

Northern Alaska Environmental Center - Promoting Conservation and Responsible Natural Resource Development

The Northern Center is committed to defending special places in Northern and Interior Alaska from irresponsible extraction activities, and promoting local initiatives to protect the health and way of life of people living in Fairbanks and Interior Alaska.

We acknowledge that we work throughout the unceded territories of the Indigenous Peoples of Alaska; that our office is located on the traditional territories of the Lower Tanana Dené Athabascan Peoples. We honor the ancestral and ongoing land and water stewardship and place-based knowledge of the peoples of these territories.

Our Guiding Principles

The Northern Alaska Environmental Center:

Believes that a healthy environment is a prerequisite for a sustainable economy.
Bases conservation decisions on sound science and ethics.
Uses our stakeholders’ energy, expertise and enthusiasm to strengthen the organization.
Seeks opportunities to collaborate with federal, state and local government agencies, and with other organizations to enhance our effectiveness.
Supports the establishment, protection and appropriate stewardship of designated Wilderness areas, as well other less-restrictive management that protects sustainable uses of non-Wilderness wild lands.
Values healthy and intact ecosystems where habitat fragmentation is minimized and wildlands are respected.

Favors stewardship over intensive management of natural resources, in order to meet the needs of the present generation without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Encourages the implementation of clean energy technologies and management practices that minimize air, water and noise pollution and impacts on habitat.
Supports public processes—including use of legal, legislative, and administrative systems—in natural resource use decisions.
Expects to comment on issues in our areas of expertise and interest.
Puts our greatest effort into issues whose results are irreversible or long lasting.
Employs clear, honest communication and constructive dialogue.

Get In Touch!

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