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Watch How Gwichyaa Zhee are Protecting Caribou in the Arctic

Presented by The Wilderness Society and Patagonia, Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee shares a familiar story: the current administration’s reduction of conservation-protected public lands for oil and gas leases, this time in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

The Gwich’in, a native people who live just north of the Arctic Circle, are fighting to protect the lands and native caribou from the environmental disruption of energy development. For the Gwich’in, who rely on resources from the land, this is a story of food security and survival.

Filmmaker Dr. Len Necefer, a native Navajo, saw striking similarities between the energy and mining exploitation in Bears Ears National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and ANWR. As the government steadily strips protection from public lands, more and more communities are threatened. By highlighting the commonalities of these struggles, the filmmakers hope to inspire viewers to stand with the Gwich’in, fight for the Arctic, and consider how our own backyard might one day be in jeopardy, too. Visit the website here.

Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee

Welcome to Gwichyaa Zhee from Wondercamp on Vimeo.

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