Tag: ambler road

Kevin Fraley is an avid hunter and angler who lives in Fairbanks and works as a fisheries ecologist in Northern Alaska. He recently completed a study to compile baseline contaminants data from fish in sections of the rivers that the proposed Ambler Road would cross if constructed, which revealed that current levels of metals and industrial contaminants in most Arctic grayling, sheefish, and northern pike are low or normal compared to other areas of Alaska. The 211-mile industrial corridor would require nearly 3,000 culverts and bridges over every river flowing south from the Central Brooks Range.  

On a 1 to 10 scale, Fraley rates his level of concern over the project at 9. Fraley points out that, if built, the Ambler Road would likely facilitate additional development, including more mines and spinoff roads. As a fisheries professional, Fraley’s biggest worry is the risk of contamination to these fragile Arctic watersheds. And as an outdoorsman whose favorite place on Earth is the Brooks Range, Fraley sees the region as an invaluable part of hunting, fishing, and wilderness heritage that’s well worth safeguarding for future generations.  

Here is his story.  

How long have you had a connection to the Brooks Range?   

I have had a connection to the Brooks Range ever since I was a child growing up in Northwest Montana. My Dad gave me the middle name “Marshall” after Bob Marshall and the wilderness area bearing his name. My Dad read me Marshall’s books describing his travels in the Brooks Range, so I often dreamed about adventure in Alaska and in the far north. This was a major reason why I later moved to Alaska for university and remained in the state. Since then, I have enjoyed many of my own adventures in the Brooks.  

What do you love most about working and recreating in the Brooks Range?  

The thing I love most about working and recreating in the Brooks Range is being in a place of total escape from the mechanized world. A place of solitude, quiet, beauty, and physical challenge.   

Please describe the types of activities you enjoy in the Brooks Range.   

I enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and floating along the rivers of the Brooks Range. It is my favorite place to recreate in Alaska. I take time every year to embark on a new and exciting adventure there.   

Are there particular species of fish, wildlife, or plants that are especially important to you?    

I focus on Arctic grayling, sheefish, Dolly Varden, and slimy sculpin for my fish ecology research projects. Currently, I am summarizing data on contaminants in the tissues of these species to provide baseline information in light of climate change and industrial developments on the aquatic ecosystems of the western Brooks Range. Recreationally, I enjoy fly fishing for sheefish in Northwest Alaska and for sea-run Dolly Varden on the Arctic Slope. Caribou are also important to me. They are the primary species I hunt for, and I love having the lean, healthy meat from them—I very rarely purchase red meat from the store.  

What makes the Brooks Range so special?   

I’ve read a lot of historical accounts of wilderness exploration, hunting, and fishing in Alaska. Particularly, from Bob Marshall. He spent time in Wiseman and the Brooks Range in the 1930s and wrote the book Alaska Wilderness about his experiences hiking around, floating rivers, and encountering wildlife. When I visited the areas described in his book, I noticed that they are almost the same as when he was there more than 80 years ago. Even in Alaska, there’s not many places that are unchanged, undegraded, and still have such abundant fish and wildlife. That’s part of what makes the Brooks Range so special.  

What do you think most people would be surprised to know about the Brooks Range?     

One thing that would surprise people about the Brooks Range is that it is so remote that even many Alaskans have never visited it or enjoyed its landscapes. This includes lifelong residents of the state. It’s pretty far away from everything.   

Please share at least one piece of essential gear you’d recommend with someone planning their first wilderness trip in the Brooks.    

An essential piece of gear I’d recommend for someone planning their first wilderness trip to the area, if they will be spending time on the water, is a drysuit. Rain, snow, wind, and cold water can lead to hypothermia even during the summer months. A drysuit will keep you as happy as a duck in a storm through the worst weather. I have gone on float trips and worn good rain gear and waders, but I have still gotten wet and cold at times. A drysuit is essential for my water-adjacent travels.   

Is there a part of the Brooks Range that you haven’t had the chance to explore but would like to?  

The eastern rivers in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge are places in the Brooks that I have not yet been able to explore and want to. Particularly the Kongakut River, to float it, hunt Dall sheep, and catch sea-run Dolly Varden in its gin-clear water.   

Please share a favorite hunting or fishing memory from your time in the Brooks Range.    

My favorite memory of hunting and fishing in this region is taking my younger sister on a packraft trip on the Arctic slope side where she harvested her first caribou and caught her first sea-run Dolly Varden—a beautiful fish all colored up in orange and dark green.   

What concerns you the most about the proposed Ambler Road and associated mines?     

As a fish ecologist, the potential impacts of the Ambler Road and associated mines on aquatic ecosystems concern me greatly. The populations of fish in the region, such as Kobuk River chum salmon and sheefish are incredibly important subsistence resources and represent world-class angling opportunities, could be threatened by contamination, siltation, increased harvest, and chemical spills resulting from the industrial developments. To me, the risks to these special fish populations from the Ambler Road are not worth the supposed benefits, which would mostly be the enrichment of foreign mining companies.  

How might you be impacted if the proposed Ambler Road were built?   

If the Ambler Road were built, people like me who enjoy a true wilderness setting for fishing, hiking, rafting, and hunting would have fewer rivers to float and game trails to follow out of sight and mind of human noise and degradation. There are not many places, even in Alaska, where an experience like this can still be enjoyed. These undegraded landscapes are chipped away at and eliminated year after year. Because of this, the few wild places we have remaining should be conserved all the more fiercely against unneeded development.  

What’s the biggest misconception you’ve heard about the proposed Ambler Road?   

The most common misconceptions I hear about the Ambler Road are that the road will likely be open to public use someday, and that local people overwhelmingly support it. There is no guarantee or hint of the road ever allowing access to the public for recreational activities. Many of the villages and tribal organizations of the region are opposed to the road.   

 What might you say to someone who said, “I don’t understand why this road is such a big threat?”   

If someone were to ask me why the Ambler Road should be considered such a big threat, I’d ask them about national parks or highly valued public lands in their neck of the woods. Do they want to see those places bisected by roads and mines and the fish and wildlife potentially harmed? For example, would a Montanan, who cares about public lands and outdoor recreation, support a new road bisecting the Bob Marshall Wilderness or Glacier National Park to access some undeveloped mining prospects? Surely not! And it is a similar situation for Alaskans when it comes to the Ambler Road and the rest of the Brooks Range.  

Why is it important that hunters and anglers across the nation speak up against the proposed Ambler Road?   

For hunters and anglers, this is an opportunity to shape the outcome of the Ambler Road decision. They are often people who are out on the land and waters the most and know the ins and outs of Brooks Range geography, fish distribution, and wildlife habits. If hunters and anglers can be vocal in this debate in the Ambler Road, there’s a chance we’ll see a better outcome.   

Is there anything else you think folks should know?  

When I think about resource development in Alaska, I think going into the future we can be a lot more strategic and treat our environment a lot better instead of taking, pillaging, and then leaving a lot of nasty stuff behind, which has unfortunately been a big part of the history of the state. We should be more selective in the future about industrial development and avoid megaprojects with high risk like the Ambler Road.

Photo credit: Kevin Fraley

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The Brooks Range spans 700 miles across Alaska and Canada’s high Arctic and offers no shortage of challenges and rewards to intrepid outdoors folks. This vast region is one of the largest, continuous, undeveloped areas remaining in the world, and is home to some of Alaska’s finest fly-in hunting and fishing opportunities. A trip into the Brooks can be daunting, so good risk management skills are key to making sure your dream trip doesn’t turn into a nightmare.  

Luc Mehl, a renowned Alaska adventurer, knows full well the challenges, risks, and rewards the Brooks Range has to offer. Mehl grew up as a “helper hunter” in McGrath, Alaska. He left the bush after finishing elementary school but tries to make it back to McGrath each year to help hunt moose. Mehl is quick to poke fun at his hunting skills, admitting that his 88-year-old stepdad is a much better shot than him. He does consider himself an expert Ronco Pocket Fisherman, though. He carries the tiny fishing pole (as seen on TV!) on his Brooks Range treks. 

“During a trip in the western Brooks Range, we could reliably spot an Arctic char or grayling, catch it in one or two casts, and then boil it in our JetBoil,” Mehl says. 

When asked about his first trip into the Brooks Range, Mehl admits he was intimidated. It was spring, temperatures were well below zero and the ski-trail breaking conditions were the worst he’d ever experienced. Since then, he’s made a dozen more journeys across the Brooks Range. Mehl recalls one magical experience from a summer trip. 

“We started noticing a lot of loose caribou fur, hairs, in the river. It was novel, and also kind of gross, since the river was our drinking water. We got off the river late that night and noticed movement on the horizon like a shifting landscape as opposed to the sharp motion of a single animal. It turned out to be thousands of caribou. We spent the next few hours watching silently as the herd drifted across the tundra,” Mehl says.  

Plan for things to go right. Train for when they don’t. 

There’s an old saying that everything is bigger in Alaska. That’s especially true of the Brooks Range. Most outdoorsy Alaskans have had close calls and have known people who’ve lost their lives in the woods and on the water. Survival stories may be entertaining to read about, but they are miserable to live through. The Brooks Range presents some serious challenges, from pushy grizzly bears to wildly fluctuating rivers to its sheer remoteness. Mehl is a firm believer in learning good risk management skills before going into the field. 

“Unfortunately, we don’t usually care about something until we have experienced loss. I was invincible into my 30s,” Mehl says. “That mindset was shattered when, within a few years, I triggered an avalanche that buried two people, was buried in a very remote avalanche, lost a former girlfriend to an avalanche, and had a friend drown in the Wrangell Mountains. The message couldn’t be clearer. I needed to get smarter about my time in the wilderness. Since then, I’ve been proactive about learning how to make better decisions.” 

These days Mehl lives in Anchorage and is the owner of Triple Point Training, Rescue and Outdoor Education. Triple Point Training’s motto is “Plan for things to go right. Train for when they don’t.” This simple statement resonates especially true when it comes to venturing into the Alaska backcountry. Mehl studied geology and geophysics in graduate school, worked in the GIS sector, and developed a data driven approach to planning backcountry trips and understanding risk management. He’s spent a lot of time experimenting with different planning tools and refining which ones work. Those tools have enabled him to complete creative and ambitious trips throughout Alaska—over 10,000 miles by foot, pedal, paddle, ski, and ice skating.  

Mehl offers a variety of outdoor skill courses, including Wilderness Risk Management and Trip Planning. Half of that course focuses on creating a trip plan using tools like Google Earth, CalTopo, near-real-time satellite imagery, weather forecasts, and more. Mehl makes sure that participants end up with a shareable intended route and clear backup plans for when things are most likely to go wrong.  

The other half of the course focuses on decision-making, managing group dynamics, and formally preparing an emergency plan. 

“Like, at what point of ‘overdue’ do we want someone to look for us, and who would that be?” Mehl says. “There is a lot of value in doing that work ahead of time so that your friends and family don’t have to figure it out on their own.” 

Big Country Big Consequences 

When asked to relate a specific Brooks Range risk assessment story, Mehl recalled an encounter he had with a grizzly. He expected the bear to react by sprinting away, same as the other dozen bears he had encountered during that trip. Instead, this bear came toward him. 

“We eventually stood up and slapped our packraft paddles together to make noise. The bear stood and circled toward us—curious and definitely not running away. My knees got wobbly. Finally, the bear reached a downwind position, at which point it turned and ran,” Mehl says. “The lesson, which was conveyed to me later by a wildlife biologist, is that it is a mistake to project bear behavior based on previous experience. This goes against most risk management strategies, which are all about using pattern recognition to anticipate what will happen next. But bears, like people, can be unpredictable.” 

In addition to teaching risk management, Mehl teaches outdoor skills courses on packrafting and whitewater rescue, “wild” ice skating and ice rescue, and works for the Alaska Avalanche School. He’s the author of the award-winning book, The Packraft Handbook. He’s also a staunch opponent of the proposed Ambler Road. If built, the Ambler Road would be a 211-mile industrial corridor through the southern flanks of the Brooks Range to develop an unknown number of foreign-owned mines. Mehl points out that a road of this scale and length in this location would fundamentally alter one of the largest continuous tracts of wild lands on earth.  

“I keep emphasizing continuous,” Mehl says, “because that’s what makes Alaska so special for its inhabitants, on two legs and four. Alaska’s continuous tracts of wild lands are unique within the world. Development only has to happen once to take that away, especially in wetlands, which make up so much of the Brooks Range. I’ve seen 40-year-old tire tracks up there. The frustrating thing with conservation efforts like Ambler is that you only need to lose the battle once.” 

We at Hunters & Anglers for the Brooks Range recognize Mehl, with his decades of hard-earned experience and conservation ethic, as a valuable resource for safely experiencing the big wild the Brooks Range has to offer. Whether you’re planning your first trip to the Brooks or your 20^th, we and Mehl encourage you to be prepared before you go. 

To learn more visit Things To Luc At & Triple Point Training – Stories, Safety, and Stewardship from Alaska

Photo credits: Luc Mehl

During negotiations over the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill, a controversial provision was successfully removed from the final legislation that would have mandated the permitting of the 211-mile Ambler Industrial Road. The language was ruled ineligible under the Byrd Rule, which limits non-budgetary provisions in reconciliation bills.

This is a major win for hunters and anglers. The Ambler Road would cut through one of the wildest and most remote landscapes left in North America, threatening high-quality hunting and fishing grounds, subsistence resources, and the integrity of the Brooks Range.

This outcome would not have been possible without the collective voice of sportsmen and women across the country. Thank you for raising your voice and standing up for the lands, waters, and traditions that make this region so unique.

As President Trump has defined his America First agenda, it’s become increasingly clear that the Ambler Road runs counter to his priorities. The President has emphasized the need to reduce our reliance on foreign-controlled mineral supply chains, especially from China. Yet, according to the international companies behind the Ambler project, ore concentrates would be shipped, with a significant focus on the Chinese market.

Building a taxpayer-subsidized industrial road through the Brooks Range to export raw minerals abroad does not serve American hunters, anglers, or our national interest. Moving forward, sportsmen and women remain committed to maintaining a wild Brooks Range and ensuring the Ambler Road does not pass in any future legislation. We encourage the Administration to take a hard look at this proposal, which conflicts with President Trump’s priorities and would not only undermine the interests of hunters and anglers, but the interests of our nation as well.

Follow Hunters & Anglers for the Brooks Range on Facebook and Instagram for future updates.

Image courtesy of Kelly Reynolds Photography

I’ve made a dozen trips to Alaska’s Brooks Range, spent a fair amount of time in the field elsewhere in the north, and tested many useful products over the last six years as the gear editor for Alaska Magazine. I’ve also talked to numerous experts who have experienced the Brooks themselves. This packing list is tailored to an August or September excursion, and I recommend using it as a guide to help research your own personalized gear system. Get ready: You’re in for the backcountry experience of a lifetime. -Bjorn Dihle 

Tent 

The sort of tent you want will depend on what kind of adventure you are planning and the time of the year. From June through August, I’d consider a 3- or 3.5-season tent for trips where weight is an issue. For the rest of the year, I’d only bring a 4-season tent. [Note: Some brands bill their tent as being 4-season but are not built to weather Alaska’s four seasons. Do your research.]  

Here are my top picks: 

• Best all-around ultralight tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 

• Best light 3.5-season tent: First Lite’s Nemo Kodiak Tent 

• For float or basecamp trips or trips outside of summer months: Eddie Bauer’s Katabatic, Mountain Hardwear’s Trango, and a few different Hilleberg tents—my favorite is the Nammatj GT. I’ve used all of these tents in brutal winter storms, sustained high winds, and pouring rain. They all performed well. 

• If you’re interested in a lightweight tipi tent with a woodstove, check out Seek Outside. 

• For winter or serious basecamp trips: The Alaska Gear Company’s Arctic Oven. I recommend the cabin style. 

 “This is big country, maybe bigger than you might realize from home. An airplane drop in the Brooks Range could turn into a trip for you that’s not only far away, but also back centuries or more. Bring a sharp knife. And your humility.” 

–  Seth Kantner, life-long resident of northwest Alaska and author of A Thousand Trails Home: Living with Caribou. 

Backpack 

There are a lot of good packs out there. I’m most partial to Stone Glacier, as their internal packs are ideal for hunting the brushy and steep country of where I live in Southeast Alaska. Mystery Ranch also makes very high-quality hunting packs. Some folks like external frame packs—I like them for packing moose but, overall, I’ll stick with my Stone Glacier.  

Sleeping Bag 

My best recommendation is that you bring a bag that uses Downtek, a water-repellent down fill. Treated down is way better than a synthetic or traditional down bag.  

For temperature rating, make sure you have something appropriate for the time of the year you’re going. I recommend a 20-degree bag or colder for mid to late August trips. Consider a 0-degree or colder bag for September trips.  

I’ve had good luck with Big Agnes bags in the past. I also like Kelty Cosmic Ultra 20 for its price and quality. A good sleeping bag system for colder times of the year takes more consideration—Wiggy’s is somewhere to start. 

“Bring a high-quality sleeping bag that’s rated 10 to 20 degrees colder than you think you’d need.” 

–Oliver Ancans, Air National Guard 

Sleeping Mat 

I like foam mats, such as this one by Nemo, but each person has their preferred comfort level. I like to place my outerwear between two mats for more insulation. If it’s going to be cold, consider pairing a foam mat with an inflatable mat – but make sure you bring a repair kit. Overall, Therm-a-rest makes the most reliable inflatable mats I’ve slept on. 

If you’re considering a cot to minimize the morning aches, take a look at the lightweight models by Helinox. 

Communication 

Garmin makes the best two-way satellite communicators. I love my Garmin inReach Explorer and wish Garmin had not stopped making this model – I’m not a big fan of satellite phones. There’s still the inReach Mini 2, and Garmin told me their Montana 700 Series is similar to and even better than their inReach Explorer. I’ve yet to use that model, so I can’t comment on it.  

The Starlink availability map shows that it covers the Brooks Range. This is very likely the way of the future for remote communication. That said, I haven’t used Starlink and the technology is pretty new. I would not use Starlink as my sole means of communication in the Brooks Range at this point. 

“I highly recommend you bring an inReach so you can let people know you are OK. It is so remote that no other devices will work very effectively.” 

– John Gaedeke, Owner of Iniakuk Wilderness Lake Lodge 

Stove 

My go-to stove for the Brooks is the MSR XGK EX Stove—it burns the hottest, uses different types of fuel, and is the easiest to clean. The MSR Dragonfly Stove is good if you want to expand your cooking options, since its heat is easier to control. The MSR Whisperlite is decent, too. Regardless of which stove you choose, make sure you bring an extra pump or two and that you know how to clean your stove.  

While Pocket Rockets, WindBurners, and Jetboils can be convenient, you can’t always count on being able to get gas canisters up north. Call your air service ahead of time to figure out camp fuel possibilities.  

Meat Care 

I only use a lightweight pillowcase style, having learned the hard way early on in my hunting career that mesh game bags can lead to lots of fly eggs and even maggots in your meat. Argali offers a good range of high-quality game bags. Heavy game bags are not ideal for most backcountry hunts.  

I also bring a small tarp to protect meat from rain. I carry several heavy-duty plastic garbage bags for lining my backpack while packing meat and for the bush flight out. I pack a couple of small knives, a small sharpener, and a lightweight bone saw.  

Food Storage 

Since the Brooks Range is so remote, I recommend being careful with your food storage so you don’t end up losing your provisions and having a real survival situation. It’s not just bears you have to worry about—foxes, ravens, and wolverines are also known to raid food.  

I store my food using either canoe barrels or bear proof cans with my pots and dishes stacked on top to alarm me if an animal messes with my store. Ursack Bear Bags are also an option—just make sure yours is tied off to a tree.  

“Ensure you give yourself extra time on each end of your trip, in case of weather delays.” 

-Kelly Reynolds, Alaska Pilot, Hunter, and Trapper 

Electric Bear Fence 

You don’t necessarily need a bear fence, but the Brooks has a surprising number of grizzlies. They tend to be more inquisitive and, at times, aggressive than coastal brown bears. On one trip to the Brooks, in the middle of the night, I had a bear trample my tent—it woke me up to say the least. If you’re hunting, it’s more likely that you’ll want a fence to protect your meat than to string around your tent.  

Eagle Enterprises has kits and parts to build a bear fence. [Note: Do not sleep inside an electric fence with meat.]  

Water Purification System 

There are many on the market, but I recommend Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System or Aquamira Drops. I often bring both.  

First Aid Kit 

Adventure Medical Kits makes good, lightweight kits tailored to backcountry hunting. I recommend  packing extra Ibuprofen and athletic tape for blisters, rubs, and other issues. I also pack extra Pepto-Bismol tablets, Benadryl, and a topical antibiotic like Neosporin.  

“Respect cold water and places where a bad fall could get you in trouble.” 

– Bruce “Buck” Nelson, Retired Alaska Smoke Jumper, Hunter, and Adventurer 

Watercraft 

You may want an inflatable boat depending on the sort of adventure. There are some rental options in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or from a local outfitter. It might be worth just purchasing a boat depending on your future plans. If you’re going with a guide, they should already have a boat figured out if your trip warrants one. 

• Alpacka Raft makes the best packrafts, which weigh as little as 6 pounds and take up a small portion of a big backpack on ultralight float hunts. Some models are designed specifically for hunting and fishing. There’s a saying that packrafts have redefined the way you can look at a map, and it’s entirely true. 

• Pristine Ventures makes some good hunting and fishing rafts and canoes.  

• NRS also makes good rafts. 

• Aire makes a range of high-quality inflatable boats. 

Rifle and Ammunition 

I’ve hunted the Brooks with calibers ranging from .243 to .338 win mag—my favorite caliber. You can kill anything with that range of calibers and good shot placement, but I recommend considering a larger caliber if you’re hunting grizzly or moose. I generally bring 20 bullets to be safe – you’ll need more ammo than you think if your scope gets bumped in transit. If you’re bowhunting, fishing, or hiking, I recommend carrying a sidearm for bear protection. There are a lot of opinions out there. I carry a lightweight short-barrel Taurus .44 mag when I’m not packing a rifle.  

Fishing Rod 

If you’re not going to the Brooks to fish, the odds are you’ll have the opportunity to catch Arctic grayling. Consider bringing your fly rod. If space is a big issue, I recommend a collapsible spin rod.  

Optics 

The Brooks is big country, so I recommend bringing a good spotting scope. At least consider a lightweight pair of binoculars. Vortex and Maven have good options.  

Trekking Poles 

For hiking, expect to encounter everything from heavenly alpine tundra to hellish tussocks. Trekking poles can make a big difference, especially when hauling a heavy pack full of meat. I’ve been happy with my Leki poles. 

Clothing 

A good layering system is vital. I stick to fleece and synthetic materials, though some people like wool and fur. There’s no shortage of good brands of outdoor clothing to choose from. The Brooks can have a snow storm any month of the year, so be prepared with good, warm clothing. I strongly recommend a high-quality set of raingear, a puffy jacket, gloves, a neck gaiter, and a warm hat in addition to layers of fleece. Bring extra wool socks—I like Meindl’s, but I most often bring whatever Costco is selling. Also consider neoprene socks or a neoprene-wool hybrid sock.  

“Bring rain gear, the best you can get.” 

– Tom Phillips, Veteran Kobuk River Paddler 

Boots and Waders 

If you’re making a fishing trip to the Brooks, you probably already have your waders figured out. If not, I recommend a pair from Simms. Boots are more subjective. I recommend giving some thought to whatever boot system you decide to go with. Break in your boots beforehand.  

Also consider bringing a good pair of gaiters if you’re going with leather boots. The Brooks Range makes for very wet and often uneven travel, largely due to tussocks. Keeping your feet healthy can be an issue. Wiggy’s lightweight thigh-high waders are popular with many. Strange as it might sound, I often travel the Brooks in sandals and neoprene socks during warmer months. I bring a lightweight pair of hiking shoes or boots for rougher mountain travel.  

Drysuit 

If you’re floating a river that has whitewater, or even if it is mostly flatwater, a drysuit can be a game changer – and even save your life. I have never used a drysuit in the Brooks, but I have packrafted a handful of rivers up there and several times I have gotten soaked and quite cold.  

I have used and liked Kokatat drysuits. Just make sure yours is designed for paddling.  

“An essential piece of gear I’d recommend for someone planning their first wilderness trip to the area, if they will be spending time on the water, is a drysuit. Rain, snow, wind, and cold water can lead to hypothermia, even during the summer months, and a drysuit will keep you as happy as a duck in a storm through the worst weather.” 

– Kevin Fraley, Fisheries Ecologist 

Camera 

My best advice for a trip to the Brooks might be to get a good camera before going. You’re very likely to see some incredible things. My camera of choice is a Sony RX10 iii or IV. I like it because it’s relatively lightweight and has a 24-600mm lens. There are a lot of other great cameras out there that might be a better fit for what you want, but the Sony RX10 is the one I’ve settled on. 

“Not once but twice I found myself in the middle of the caribou migration. Hundreds of thousands of caribou walking just feet away. The first time it happened, I only had a little Kodak film camera. The next day I ordered a real camera. I had just experienced something truly majestic and didn’t have the right gear to capture it. The second time it happened, I still only had my phone camera. It was snowing and the pictures didn’t turn out great, but I did get a little video. Buy – and pack – the best camera you can afford.” 

Lewis Pagel, Hunter and Owner of Arctic Fishing Adventures 

Miscellaneous Items 

• Bug net and bug dope  

• A light pair of gloves  

• Sunglasses – it can snow at any time of year and snow blindness is very real 

• Carpet thread and some stout sewing needles – I’ve lost track of the number of times this has saved me when things like tents, clothing, and sleeping bags have torn. 

• Boat patch repair kit 

• Extra lighters and good fire starter 

• Extra cord and webbing 

• Small tarp 

• Tent-pole repair kit  

• Leatherman or similar multi-tool 

• One or two 5-gallon collapsible water jugs 

• Headlamp – granted, there’s light 24 hours a day from late May through mid-August  

• Sunblock 

• A small roll of duct tape 
  

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John Gaedeke and his family built and have operated, for a half century and counting, the Iniakuk Lake Wilderness Lodge in Alaska’s Brooks Range. Having spent a lifetime exploring and living in the Brooks, Gaedeke understands this landscape is unlike any other. This realization has been solidified as he has witnessed the deep, positive effect the wildness, quiet, and beauty of the Brooks Range has on his guests.

That’s part of the reason why Gaedeke opposes the proposed Ambler Road. If built, the 211-mile industrial corridor, designed to support the development of an unknown number of mines, would cut through the land just a few miles south of his lodge. It would irreversibly alter the wild character of the Brooks to the detriment of local and visiting hunters, anglers, and others who care about wild country.   

Here is his story.     

How long have you had a connection to the Brooks Range?   

My parents started a wilderness lodge on Iniakuk Lake in the summer of 1974. I was born the next summer, so my connection to the Brooks began at birth.  

What do you love most about living in the Brooks Range?   

I love the Brooks Range’s unending vast, wild space and its power to stun people — newcomers, especially.  

 Tell us about the services and activities you offer.  

My family is entering its 50th season offering tours into the Brooks Range from our lodge at Iniakuk Lake. My parents founded the place as a hunting lodge. Today, we offer sightseeing into Gates of the Arctic National Park, where we have inholdings along the Alatna River. We also fly clients out to Kobuk Valley National Park in the summer. During March and April, we offer aurora viewing and teach people how to drive their own dog teams.  

Are there particular species of fish, wildlife, or plants that are especially important to your business?   

The caribou and contiguous wilderness are a big part of why people come so far north to see the Brooks Range. Our caribou cabin at the headwaters of the Alatna River allows people the opportunity to see the Western Arctic Caribou Herd migrating right past the front door.  

 What makes the Brooks Range so special or unique?   

The Brooks Range is unique because it is completely intact. Despite thousands of years of human occupation, it remains essentially what it has always been. We don’t need to clean the rivers or restock the fish. We just need to not screw it up with large scale industrialization.   

Why should people in the Lower 48 care about the future of this region?   

People in the Lower 48 should care because the Brooks Range region is the last of the roadless wilderness in North America. We are the last state for caribou. We are the only state above the Arctic Circle. If we cannot protect what is already wild and beautiful, then we will most likely destroy everything in between.  

What do you think most people would be surprised to know about the Brooks Range?    

I think most people would be surprised to know that the Brooks Range is entirely north of the Arctic Circle but can still have temperatures that are between 80 and 90 degrees in the summer and negative 50 or 60 degrees in the winter. It is a land of extremes.  

Please share at least one piece of essential gear you’d recommend—or a piece of advice you’d share—with someone planning their first wilderness trip in the Brooks.   

For your first trip to the Brooks Range, I highly recommend bringing an InReach so you can let people know you are OK. It is so remote that no other device will work quite as effectively. I would also advise people to start small with a trip focused on one river or lake. Too many people think that since it is so far, they should paddle and see as many rivers as possible, in case you never get back here. Pace yourself — the experience will change your soul and you will want to return.  

Is there a part of the Brooks Range that you haven’t had the chance to explore but would like to? Where would you go and what would you do?    

I would like to travel across the entire northern edge of the Brooks Range by snowmachine in the spring, dipping south into the different valleys and seeing the massive caribou herds before they disappear.

Please share a favorite hunting or fishing memory or story from your time in the Brooks Range.    

One year, I drove a snowmachine from Bettles west to Allakaket, then up the Alatna River to Survey Pass and on through to Anaktuvuk Pass. Then I went east and south through Ernie Pass, down the North Fork of the Koyukuk, and back to Bettles. It was a perfect 10-day weather window in February, and the trip was flawless. We were surrounded by 2,000 caribou at one point, and it was hard to believe it wasn’t a dream.  

What concerns you the most about the proposed Ambler Road and/or the associated mines?    

I am most concerned about the lack of oversight for the Ambler Road and associated mines.  It is a ludicrous idea to subsidize a flawed project where the economics clearly do not work.  

How might you and your business be impacted if the proposed Ambler Road were built?    

The road is proposed to cross just a few miles off the end of Iniakuk Lake, so our wilderness lodge would effectively become a drive-through. The gravel mines necessary to build the road would stretch in all directions. With construction delays and funding issues, the project would assuredly be an endless boondoggle. It would destroy the hunting areas of nearby villages. It would invite the intrusion and destruction of wild lands in a way that is sacrilegious.   

What’s the biggest misconception you’ve heard about the proposed Ambler Road, and how have you responded?   

The biggest misconception I have heard is that a private industrial road will help lower the cost of goods to local villages. Local villages will not be connected to the road. They will get all of the bad with none of the good. I respond to this misconception by saying look at Tanana, Manley, Minto, and Circle. Go see what a road has done for those communities and their economy. Road access is not a magic wand leading to prosperity.  

What might you say to someone who said, “I don’t understand why this road is such a big threat?”   

The Ambler Road is a proposal to bring large scale open pit mining and industrialization to one of the world’s last and most remote contiguous wilderness areas. There is no existing infrastructure in this area. All power, transportation, excavation, refinement, and supply chains would have to built from nothing. It would threaten 11 major rivers, each one a unique watershed. Industrial development in any one of those 11 watersheds would be wildly controversial on its own if any of those rivers were in the contiguous United States.  

Why is it important that hunters and anglers across the nation speak up against the proposed Ambler Road?   

Hunters and anglers must speak up because we intimately know what is at stake. We cherish our time in the wild, and we have a powerful, bipartisan voice that crosses political lines.  

Photo credit: John Gaedeke

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Robert Olsen-Drye is an aircraft mechanic and the owner of Pops’ Air Service in Homer, Alaska. He got his first gig as an aircraft mechanic in Bettles, a small community near the southern edge of the Brooks Range. He spent three summers there, exploring Alaska’s northernmost mountain range by plane, foot, and paddle. Since then, he’s searched high and low but has never found another place like the Brooks Range.  

Olsen-Drye doesn’t normally get fired up about politics. But, when it comes to things like the proposed Ambler Road, he has to get involved. If built, Ambler would be a private 211-mile industrial corridor across the Brooks Range, aimed at supporting the development of an unknown number of foreign-owned, open-pit mines to the detriment of the region’s land, wildlife, and hunter and angler opportunities. 

Here is his story. 

Describe the types of activities you’ve enjoyed in the Brooks Range. 

I have flown all over the Brooks Range from as far east as the Sheenjek River to as far west as the Kobuk Sand Dunes. I have landed my airplane on the gravel bars of most rivers flowing from the Brooks Range. I’ve hunted. I’ve floated rivers. I try to get up there every year for an adventure. 

Share a memory that stands out to you. 

I was dropped by a floatplane on a lake on the western edge of the Brooks Range for a solo caribou hunt. During the more than a week I was out, I encountered fox, muskox, wolf, brown bear, and caribou. It was really enjoyable to experience nature, wildlife, and solitude. There’s something about being in that sort of solitude that really makes for lasting memories.  

If you could come back, what would you love to do there next? 

I would love to reattempt a sheep hunt. Or maybe a month-long raft trip.  

Think of your first trip to the Brooks – what was different than you expected? 

My first trip to the Brooks consisted of flying my airplane to a remote village of 12 people to work as an aircraft mechanic for the summer. I didn’t know a single person and had never been that far north in my life. The village took me in and, since then, have become my lifelong friends. The Brooks Range will always be my home away from home.  

What is most special about this place? 

The wilderness. The vastness. The way the mountains seem to look at you with a mysterious eye. It’s raw. It’s more than most can handle. More than some can comprehend. The Brooks Range is definitely more than words can describe.  

Share at least one piece of essential gear you’d recommend packing or advice you’d share with someone going to the Brooks for the first time. 

Get an inReach. There is zero reason to not have a communication device in case of emergency. The Brooks Range is a wild place, and you cannot expect your trip to go as you planned.  

How do you think your experience in the Brooks would change if the Ambler Road was built? What do hunters and anglers stand to lose? 

A road through that wilderness would change everything. I like to see and hunt animals doing their natural thing. A big road with heavy equipment passing, with culverts and bridges, power stations and porta potties will 100% change wildlife behavior.  It will alter water drainage and change the vegetation. There is no coming back if the Ambler Road is pushed through.  

What aspect of the proposed Ambler Road project concerns you most? 

Once lost, we cannot “create” more wilderness. Every time we insert ourselves into nature we change it. If a person walks through the woods one time, we change it in the slightest bit like causing an animal to avoid the moss we stepped on. But to build this road through the Brooks—there will be massive machines blasting over it day and night. It will greatly affect the wilderness for the worse.  

What might you say to someone who said, “I don’t understand why this road is such a big threat?” 

 A road through one of the wildest places in the world is the worst idea possible.  It would completely change the experience of venturing to the Brooks Range for the remoteness.  

Why is it important that hunters and anglers across the nation speak up against the proposed Ambler Road? 

The corporations pushing the Ambler Road project have no shortage of money. It’s going to take all of us to keep them from bullying their way through this. It’s our duty as conservationists to speak up for our public lands and wild places. 

Photo credit: Robert Olsen-Drye

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How the proposed Ambler Road could impact the Western Arctic Caribou Herd 

One of the biggest concerns over the proposed Ambler Road is how it would likely impact the Western Arctic caribou herd. If built, the Alaska Industrial Department and Export Authority (AIDEA) has insisted that the Ambler Road would be a 211-mile private industrial-access only road through the southern flanks of the Brooks Range used to develop an unknown number of foreign owned mines. 

Caribou are incredibly important to locals and visiting hunters, other species of wildlife, and the land. The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement identifies 66 communities whose subsistence activities could be potentially impacted by this road, finding that each of the proposed three routes may significantly restrict subsistence uses in nearly half of these communities. 

Some people question if the Ambler Road would really be that bad for caribou and people. They point to the James Dalton Highway, where it’s pretty common to see caribou peacefully grazing nearby. We asked Jim Dau, a retired caribou biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, to help explain the difference. 

Dau has lived in Kotzebue, in northwest Alaska, since 1988. He was the Alaska Department of Fish and Game area biologist for 15 years and then the Western Arctic caribou herd biologist for 10+ years.  

Dau began looking at the effects roads have on caribou during graduate school at the University of Fairbanks Alaska, with a study running from 1982-1985. He studied caribou from the Central Arctic caribou herd in the Kuparuk River Oil Fields north of the Brooks Range on the arctic coastal plain. He found that during calving season, maternal females avoided roads, buildings, and other industrial footprints. A month later, under extreme duress from mosquitoes, warble flies and bot flies, caribou would form large aggregations and negotiate roads – even standing in the shade of buildings – to seek relief from these insects in coastal insect relief habitat. Once cool temperatures or high winds reduced insect harassment, roads, traffic and other industrial infrastructure again interfered with caribou movements as they attempted to travel from insect relief habitat to better feeding areas inland. 

A 2024 study shows that road traffic on the North Slope disrupts caribou more than previously believed. Heather Johnson, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist who coauthored the study was quoted in the Alaska Public Media.   

“Caribou are really sensitive,” Johnson said. “They’re really sensitive to human activity. And we’ve seen from past studies that they’re also sensitive to human infrastructure, and they really respond to it. The key takeaway from the paper is they’re more sensitive to road activity than we had previously recognized.”  

Dau points out that Alaska has decades of experience showing that caribou can survive roads. But herds that have roads through their range tend to be significantly smaller than herds in roadless areas, such as the Western Arctic caribou herd. Most caribou herds near roads have been intensively managed, often allowing a hunter bag limit of only one caribou—usually a bull with a permit requirement— during a short open season each year.  

“Roads can be terrible barriers to caribou, especially when there’s hunting off them or if there’s lots of traffic and other human activities on or along them,” Dau says. 

The projected peak daily traffic for the proposed Ambler Road is 168 trips. However, this may be a conservative estimate.  

The Western Arctic caribou herd’s range 

The Western Arctic caribou herd’s range encompasses around 140,000 square miles of northwest Alaska. Caribou from this herd have wintered as far south as the southern extent of the Nulato Hills west of the lower Yukon River. They calve in the early summer in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range. Dau points out that caribou from the Western Arctic herd have one of the longest migrations of any terrestrial mammal. Some people say caribou don’t know where they are going or travel by instinct, but Dau’s experience suggests otherwise. 

“For caribou managers, one of the biggest challenges is giving caribou options for places to go. In any one year, caribou rarely use their entire range. But over the course of decades, they’re going to use—and need—every square inch of it.”

Jim Dau

“I don’t buy that at all,” Dau says. “These animals know movement areas where they’ve gone in the past; plus, they follow deeply embedded trails throughout their range. One of the remarkable things about this caribou herd is the long-term stability it has exhibited in its overall decadal movement pattern combined with shorter term annual and seasonal variability in movements and distribution. In some years, caribou begin moving toward specific portions of their winter range before the first snowflake ever falls.”  

There are different variables in how caribou use their range. Caribou show their most fidelity to calving areas, and their least fidelity to winter range. Every 10 to 15 years, Dau has seen shifts in the Western Arctic herd’s winter range.  

“Caribou need their entire range,” Dau says. “For caribou managers, one of the biggest challenges is giving caribou options for places to go. In any one year, caribou rarely use their entire range. But over the course of decades, they’re going to use—and need—every square inch of it.”  

Differences Between the James Dalton Highway and the Proposed Ambler Road 

One prominent difference between the two roads is that the Dalton is a north-south corridor. The Central Arctic caribou herd’s summer-winter migration pattern runs north-south as well. The proposed Ambler Road would run 211-miles east-west, which would bisect much of the Western Arctic caribou herd’s winter range. If caribou from this herd successfully cross the proposed Ambler Road during the fall migration, they would have to cross it again to migrate north during the spring migration. This, Dau and many others believe, could have serious consequences not just for caribou but also for the people that depend on them. 

BLM’s Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement states that the Ambler Road would affect migrating caribou in “an expansive area beyond the specific project area. Changes in availability of caribou to subsistence users could be a high-magnitude impact for impacted communities. Population-level effects to caribou are less likely but could be large-magnitude effects and impact all subsistence harvesters throughout the annual range of the herd.” 

Dau believes we have a good model of how the Ambler Road would affect the Western Arctic herd and local and visiting hunters. It comes from looking at how caribou have responded to the Red Dog Mine road in northwest Alaska.  

Red Dog Mine Road Study 

The Red Dog Mine has the world’s largest known zinc deposit and is located 80 miles north of Kotzebue, near the western extent of the Brooks Range. The mine’s road is used to haul ore 52 miles across the Western Arctic caribou herd’s range to a port 10 miles southeast of the village of Kivalina. The Red Dog Mine road is much smaller than the Ambler Road would be and is currently the only industrial mining road in Northwest Alaska of a remotely similar scale. 

Dau looked at how the Red Dog Mine road affected caribou movements from the middle of August through November during 1990-2015. In many years, a significant portion of the Western Arctic caribou herd encountered the road during their fall migration to their wintering grounds. Before Dau plotted the data of satellite collared caribou, he thought they weren’t having much difficulty crossing the road based on aerial reconnaissance flights of the road during fall. The data showed otherwise. 

“I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it,” Dau says. “The telemetry data clearly showed that caribou approached the road but were usually delayed before crossing it. It often took multiple attempts for delayed caribou to finally cross it. During the fall 2011 migration, on average it took caribou 33 days before they crossed; however, some caribou were delayed up to two months before they crossed the road. Some caribou backtracked up to a hundred straight-line miles while delayed by the road. Of course, caribou rarely travel via straight lines. Many caribou that were delayed by the road traveled several hundred miles during their attempts to cross it. Some caribou never crossed the road. Instead, they wintered north-northeast of it, or they went around it to the east.”  

Dau estimated that during the fall 2011 migration, roughly 80,000 caribou were delayed by the road. He found the Red Dog Road affected caribou up to 30 miles away—animals were probably responding to other caribou who’d already bounced off the road. After the caribou finally crossed the road, they put on extra speed to make up for lost time and get to their wintering grounds.  

Dau notes that the Red Dog road has negatively impacted hunters. Many villages used to count on at least two months to obtain caribou meat during fall. During years when caribou were delayed by the road, some communities downstream of Red Dog in the fall migration had substantially less than that, and caribou weren’t available until after the onset of rut caused subsistence hunters to shift from taking bulls to harvesting cows. The decline in caribou and hunting opportunities has led to controversial non-local caribou hunting closures on federal land.  

The Western Arctic Caribou peaked at 490,000 caribou around 2003. Since then, it has steadily declined and, in 2023, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported it numbered 152,000 caribou. Like all wildlife populations, caribou numbers naturally fluctuate up and down. No one fully understands what is driving this current decline, but Dau thinks that warming temperatures are likely a major contributing factor.  

“Winter icing events in northwest Alaska have become more frequent and severe since around 2000, and my observations during caribou surveys and while retrieving radio collars from hundreds of caribou carcasses suggested that these events were deadly,” Dau says. “There is never a good time to fragment caribou ranges, but this is a particularly bad time to do so given that climatologists predict that temperatures are going to continue to rise for decades to come, and considering the persistence and degree of this ongoing caribou decline.” 

A Valid Concern 

Since it went into production, the 52-mile-long Red Dog Road has supported about 80 trips/day by large ore trucks, with additional small-vehicle traffic and road maintenance equipment. Red Dog is the sole industrial mine that uses this road. In contrast, AIDEA has reported that the 211-mile-long Ambler Road will support multiple mines in the Ambler Mining District, and said that communities near the project will be able to connect to this road for commercial deliveries of goods and services. However, AIDEA has provided very little information regarding the maximum number of mines, their size, or the type that the Ambler Road will facilitate. BLM’s Supplemental EIS report for the Ambler Road assumed that this road would support four mines – one for each major mineral deposit – in the Ambler Mining District. This assumption is by no means a binding limitation on the maximum number of mines or level of mining activity in the Ambler Mining District, though. Thus, throughout the original EIS and subsequent Supplemental EIS processes, agencies and the public could only consider potential impacts of the proposed road on the land, wildlife, and people: impacts of a large and possibly ever-expanding industrial mining complex have been ignored. 

The only infrastructure along the Red Dog Road is a modest port site located at the coast. The proposed Ambler Road will have multiple buildings, several airports, numerous gravel sites, many large bridges, and other infrastructure located along its length. Given these differences, the Ambler Road will have significantly higher levels of vehicular traffic and other human activity than the Red Dog Road. This will greatly increase the Ambler Road’s potential to delay and deflect caribou movements and magnify its impacts on other fish and wildlife in the project area. 

You don’t have to be a biologist to predict that, if built, the Ambler Road would negatively affect the Western Arctic caribou herd. Dau thinks the Ambler Road will have effects similar to the Red Dog Mine road–except at a much larger scale. The project would change the biological and social character of northwest Alaska to the detriment of subsistence users and visiting hunters and anglers.  

Caribou, Dau points out, are incredibly important to northwest Alaska. For visitors, a Western Arctic caribou hunt can be a trip of a lifetime. To local people, caribou provide their most important sources of terrestrial meat. 

“But it goes beyond that,” Dau says. “Caribou are part and parcel of indigenous subsistence cultures. I cannot overemphasize the importance of caribou to people.”

Photo credit: Jim Dau and Bjorn Dihle

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