Alaska is warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the United States, and projections indicate Alaska will experience the greatest temperature increases in all of the Arctic.
Rising temperatures threaten permafrost and the stability of Alaska’s infrastructure and habitat. Melting land and sea ice has already caused sea levels to rise four to eight inches in some regions. Communities are already threatened by rising water and the erosion of coastlines.
Coping with Arctic climate change
Scientists at The Wilderness Society are studying how climate change will affect wildlife and habitat in Alaska and the Arctic. We are working with land-management agencies to help them adapt to change and invest in the protection of natural resources.
This will allow scientists, engineers and others to:
- Repair damaged watersheds to ensure clean water for communities and fish
- Manage migration corridors for caribou and other species to ensure their survival
- Monitor wildlife, habitat and climate
- Develop the best responses to climate change
This work will create new jobs and provide new skills and income to Alaskans and their families, helping revitalize economies.
Wilderness is a precious resource with many human, natural and economic benefits that we need to protect.
Need inspiration to protect wilderness? Enter our Wild Days of Summer give-away to win airfare to visit your favorite wild place.
Hear artists, activists and adventurers share what the ownership and legacy of these American wildlands means to them.
The 114th Congress faces a multitude of environmental challenges. The Wilderness Society is working the halls of power to make sure that America's wild places are part of the legislative agenda, and to make sure that lawmakers and staff are hearing both sides of the issues.
Every year, a coalition of conservation and environmental groups produce a report to help Congress as it debates the federal budget for the year. This report, has typically been to referred to as the "Green Budget." This year, it illustrates the importance of reinvesting in conservation and natural resources programs for Fiscal Year 2016 and outlines dozens of examples of programs that have been shortchanged in recent years.
2014 Audited Financial Statements