Thursday, February 5, 2026 – Can caribou slow the drive for oil and mineral development in Alaska?

An Iñupiaq village on Alaska’s North Slope is suing after the Trump administration removed protections for an area important to subsistence hunting. The suit by Nuiqsut Trilateral Inc. says the action is in response to a move to expand oil drilling beyond what is in a Biden-era agreement for the Willow project. Another fight pitting caribou and oil drilling is resurfacing over increased momentum to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where Gwich’in people express concern over the declines of the Porcupine caribou herd — the state’s largest — which is down to a quarter of what it was two decades ago. We’ll look at the factors that affect Alaska’s caribou and what Alaska Native people who depend on them are doing about them. We’ll also hear about Indigenous climate activist Daria Egereva (Selkup) who is facing terrorism charges in Russia after testifying at the United Nation’s COP30 summit in favor of including Indigenous women in climate negotiations. GUESTS Rosemary Ahtuangaruak (Iñupiaq), former Mayor of Nuiqsut Aivana Enmynkau (Yupik), climate activist Luda Kinok (Yupik), Indigenous rights activist   Break 1 Music: Reindeer (song) Pamyua (artist) Caught in The Act (album) Break 2 Music: Wahzhazhe (song) Scott George (artist) Killers of the Flower Moon Soundtrack (album)