The Arctic – The Alaska Wilderness League organized a trip to the nation’s capital this week to lobby the Obama administration against oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in offshore areas. Sarah James, an elder of the Gwich’in nation, was one of the leaders of the delegation. She traveled all the way from Arctic Village, Alaska, the northermost indigenous village in the U.S., to Washington, D.C. this week as member of the group. James has a considerable amount of clout in the indigenous community, as she is a member of the International Indian Treaty Council and a member of the Arctic Village Traditional Council. She also won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002 for her work to protect caribou in ANWR.

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More information:

• Anchorage Daily News: “Alaska Natives seek restrictions on drilling” (Nov. 11, 2009).
• Goldman Environmental Prize: Sarah James & Norma Kassi & Jonathon Solomon (2002).
• Alaska Public Radio Network (APRN): “Alaska Native Women Lobby DC on Environmental Issues” (Nov. 11, 2009).  Click on link for audio podcast, or listen below.