Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Condemns Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Lease Sale, Vows to Continue to Protect Iizhik Gwats'an Gwandaii Goodlit

Today, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) opened bids received for the 2026 Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Lease Sale. Over 70,000 acres of the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were bid on by only two bidders for purposes of development, production and transportation of oil and gas with total high bids exceeding $3.7 million US.

The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation (VGFN) was extremely disheartened to see these sacred lands, the area we know as Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins), once again being sold to the highest bidder.

For decades our Nation has warned that drilling and activity in the Coastal Plain, would cause irreversible cultural, human, and environmental harm. This is where the Porcupine caribou herd renews itself each year through the birth of thousands of calves. Oil and gas development would disrupt this millennia-old cycle of life and renewal and would pose an existential threat to the herd.

VGFN remains firmly opposed to any oil and gas development in the Coastal Plain and is deeply concerned with the decision made by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) and by HEX Energy LLC, to participate in this lease sale. These companies proceeded despite clear and longstanding opposition from the Gwich’in Nation, widespread public concern and recommendations from all levels of Canadian government. Their participation in this lease sale represents a disregard for the rights, culture, and our way of life which are inseparable from the health of the Porcupine caribou herd.

Notably, major oil companies once again stayed away, and bids fell fall far short of projections used to justify the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Program as a means of paying for tax cuts made. This reality sends a clear message the oil and gas industry itself recognizes the immense challenges and risks associated with oil and gas development in the Coastal Plain. Previous lease sales failed to generate the promised revenues, while major banks, insurers, and investors have increasingly distanced themselves from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge due to its significant risks.

Last month, we gathered for Vadzaih Choo Drin (Big Caribou Days), celebrating the return of the Porcupine caribou herd and our enduring relationship with the caribou. During the gathering, our young people spoke passionately about what the caribou mean to their future. Their message was simple and powerful: Caribou is Life.

United with our Gwich’in relatives in Alaska and the Northwest Territories, and supported by allies around the world, VGFN will continue to use every legislative, regulatory, and legal tool available to protect these lands. We will also continue to be guided by the teachings of our Elders and by the voices of our young people as we stand for the caribou, our culture, and for future generations. We will not stop until Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit is permanently protected from any and all forms of industrial development.

Quotes

“Once again, the oil and gas industry has made it clear that they know drilling in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is bad for business. No major oil companies participated in today’s lease sale, and the amount of money it generated fell far below what was promised to the American people. But this lease sale was not a failure because of what it raised; it was a failure because it proceeded at all and continues to place these lands under significant risk.”

“The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation will continue to stand firmly against the industrialization of our sacred lands. We will not accept the infringement of our rights, nor will we stand by while the future of the Porcupine caribou herd is put at risk. Our commitment to protecting the Porcupine caribou herd and its calving grounds is unwavering. We will continue to hold governments and industry accountable for decisions that threaten our people, our culture, and our way of life.”

— Chief Pauline Frost, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation

“For decades, the Gwich’in have spoken about what Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit, The Sacred Place Where Life Begins, means to our people and to our survival. We have always known what is at stake when it comes to these lands. Those who chose to bid on these leases did so knowing that too, and they are choosing to jeopardize it all. But we are not going anywhere. Our ancestors cared for these lands before us, and it is now our responsibility to care for them, just as we teach our children and grandchildren to do. This is a responsibility that has endured a millennia and it does not end today.”

— Deputy Chief Gladys Netra, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation

“Each year, the Caribou migrates to their calving grounds on Alaska’s coastal plain, where a unique ecology supports pregnant and nursing cow caribou. As a Mother, I understand how critical this time is for the survival and health of the calves. For decades, the Gwich'in have advocated for permanent protection of Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit, the Sacred Place where life begins, and that work remains vital today. Oil and gas activities in this sacred place will threaten this cycle of new birth that has lasted for a millennia, and with it the very survival of the Porcupine Caribou herd as a whole. Our children deserve the same opportunity as our ancestors to live with the caribou to ensure the survival of our culture."

— Christine Creyke, VGFN Lands Manager, Board Member of the Gwich'in Steering Committee and Gwich'in Council International, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation

For all media inquiries, please contact:

Riley Smith, Strategic Communications Advisor
riley.smith@vgfn.ca 
(825) 965-8586