Lessons from Alaska’s Arctic Refuge with Brennan Lagasse

By applying the lessons they've learned in the Arctic to their own lives and communities, Lagasse's students continue to play a part in the long game. And the long game is exactly why the latest lease sale failure not only matters, but also signals a tremendous amount of hope.

By Hannah Truby

Last month, the Department of the Interior announced that the latest sale to lease offshore oil and gas drilling rights in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge attracted zero interest—no companies bid for drilling rights.

The news marks a significant victory for the Refuge, which has remained in a decades-long tug-o-war between preservation and plunder. But the 70 years of largely unsuccessful drilling attempts tell a much bigger story—one that Mountain Gazette contributor Brennan Lagasse seeks to share through education and stewardship.

Since 2014, Lagasse—a writer, backcountry ski guide, and sustainability professor at UNR at Lake Tahoe—has led groups of university students to Arctic Village, Alaska, where they witness firsthand the stakes of protecting the Refuge, learning from those who have safeguarded it for millennia.

Spanning 19 million acres along Alaska’s North Slope, the Arctic Refuge is devoid of roads or facilities, and is considered one of the most pristine and undisturbed natural environments left on the planet. In addition to countless species of wildlife like Grizzly Bear and Pourcoupine Caribou, the land is home to the Gwich'in, an indigenous group that have for millennia called the region “Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit”—the sacred place where life begins. 

Though the Refuge’s designation in 1960 is often credited to mainstream environmental groups, the Gwich'in people have long been the Arctic’s most steadfast supporters. 

Through his trips, Lagasse aims to highlight and support Gwich'in efforts, while offering his students the unique opportunity to learn about the land and witness firsthand the stakes of protecting it.

Lagasse and his students visit with Gwich'in Elders in Arctic Village, Alaska

Lagasse's invitation to the Arctic first came in 2013, when one of his articles found its way to Neets’aii Gwich’in Elder Sarah James.

“She called me and said, ‘I read your article, and I think you should come visit me," Lagasse recounts. "Bring your students to my village to learn about our ways and the Arctic Refuge.’ That invitation changed my life."

Now, each year, Lagasse’s students trade their books for a living classroom. They walk the land, fish the same waters their hosts have relied upon for generations, and learn about the deep interconnection between the Gwich’in people and the Porcupine caribou herd, whose calving grounds lie in the heart of the Refuge. 

Lagasse recounts a recent trip to the Refuge in his story, “The Spot: Campfire Wisdom in the Arctic Refuge”, published in Mountain Gazette 201.

“Each day is an adventure in learning with and from the land. This classroom is the one dreams…we spend our time being as present in this place as possible while projecting a futurism saturated by the values of peace, justice, and regeneration."

Perhaps most importantly, Lagasse's students engage in indigenous-led conversations that challenge the dominant narratives of conservation and climate change.

“They get to see the work in action, what happens when we listen to the people of the land on their land,” Lagasse says. “What Sarah does, what she teaches, how she has lived her life—that’s the definition of sustainability. And there’s no substitute for learning like this."

 

Photos taken by Ming Poon for "The Spot: Campfire Wisdom in the Arctic Refuge" published in Mountain Gazette issue 201

Lagasse believes that real change happens within the ripple effect—where we, in 2024, must focus our effort. And he hopes that hope–something increasingly rare in climate discussions–is instilled in his students after their trip up North.

“When you do this kind of work, it’s not just for yourself or for this moment—it’s for the long haul, the long game," he says. "You take cues from people like Sarah, you become an ally, and you join those who are truly invested in this fight for the long term.”

By applying the lessons they've learned in the Arctic to their own lives and communities, Lagasse's students continue to play a part in the long game. And the long game is exactly why the latest lease sale failure not only matters, but also signals a tremendous amount of hope.

While Lagasse admits that the recent transfer of power to "an administration of climate deniers" is a serious threat to the Refuge, the financial and moral calculus around drilling in the Refuge is changing: Every major bank in the U.S. has said they won’t finance drilling in the Refuge, and more than 20 insurance companies have adopted policies to protect it. In spite of the recent Executive Order by 'drill-baby-drill' Trump, it's likely that companies will continue the recent pattern of sitting out future lease sales.

“I struggle to articulate how special it was to be with her at that moment, because it goes back to what she and Robert [Thompson] have been working for their whole lives,” he says. “We were so excited."

The fight for permanent protection of the Refuge is far from over. But for this moment, at least, the land has spoken, and the world is listening.

“The news that nobody wants to drill signals that it’s time to move on here.”