As a coalition of concerned citizens, we express our strong support for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council's Resolution 20-D. We approve the extension of the Oil Spill Restoration Boundary, and ask that the new boundary encompass the entire Copper River Delta region, including the Bering River Coalfields, using an ecosystem approach. 

Pristine, roadless watersheds like the Copper and the Bering bring essential ecosystem services to coastal Alaskan communities. Native Peoples, in particular, rely on these services for their food security, local economy, and cultural survival.

The Copper and Bering Rivers form a vast, contiguous wilderness – an immense wildlife corridor. These watersheds must be kept intact in order to support the annual returns of thousands of spawning salmon. Critical fish and bird species still in recovery from the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill migrate between the Delta and the Sound annually. These waterways function as one ecosystem, as thousands of animals travel between these connected habitats in order to survive.

Extending the Restoration Boundary and protecting all of the Copper River Delta will give the people, fish, and wildlife still impacted by the Oil Spill a fighting chance for full recovery and a viable future. It is the responsibility of this generation to protect the sacred homelands of the Eyak and Tlingit Nations for the future. 

Approving Resolution 20-D will be a gift to your grandchildren. 

AwA’ahdah (thank you),

Dune Lankard (Native Conservancy)