Defenders Celebrates President Carter’s Impact in the Arctic

Defenders of Wildlife celebrates the life of former President Jimmy Carter who was a champion for the environment and federal land conservation in Alaska during and long after his presidency

“Thanks to his visionary leadership, President Carter’s legacy is forever embodied in Alaska’s wild landscapes that will remain intact for generations,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans, senior director of Defenders of Wildlife’s Alaska program. “President Carter set the course of land and wildlife conservation in Alaska and ensured the long-term viability of indigenous cultural and traditional practices for rural Alaska Natives.”  

In 1980, President Carter signed into law the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), setting aside more land than any single piece of legislation in the United States’ history and safeguarding subsistence hunting and fishing rights for rural Alaska Natives. The land protected by ANILCA includes more than 60% of the country’s national parklands by land area, more than half of its wilderness areas, and more than 80% of its terrestrial National Wildlife Refuges.