Sustainable Economic Growth through Conservation on Public Lands in Alaska

Achieving Sustainable Economic Growth

WildLandscapes is working to increase the benefits of public land to Native and local communities to improve the support and value of public land in Alaska and the state’s sustainable economic development. We are working in Wrangell-St. Elias, Northern Alaska, and Bristol Bay landscapes. In each region, we have cultivated a grasstops local leadership, developed a sophisticated ecotourism strategy that will provide increased benefit to indigenous and local communities, and are well on our way to securing federal funds to implement these strategies. More importantly, we have increased dialogue and trust between the communities and land managers leading to community support of these iconic landscapes and lasting public-private partnerships.

Empowering Alaska Communities

We have empowered three grasstops community coalitions to unite and generate ecotourism visions for their lands and are now working to raise funds to implement their visions. Each coalition is working to identify and secure non-competitive funds for visitor centers, trail networks, wildlife viewing opportunities, and business development for their local communities, with the ultimate goal of achieving sustainable economic growth with consideration of the region’s unique biological and cultural diversity and heritage.

A brown bear wades through the Brooks River.

A brown bear catching salmon at Brooks Falls.

An Alaskan landscape featuring a forested background with two brown bears swimming in a body of water and a gull perched on a floating log.

A male moose with antlers standing in a sea of green vegetation.

A brown bear standing on a rock in Brooks River.

View of Alaskan landscape in Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge from a bush plane.

Five brown bears feeding at Brooks Falls.

A biologist lifts the door to a log-cabin style humane trap as a lynx darts out. Biologists use these traps to collar lynx and study their movements throughout the landscape.

A biologist holds an anesthetized lynx after collaring her. The lynx was safely released and biologists can now track her movements.

A snowy landscape of mountains in Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. Trees line the mountains below as a waning moon hangs above.

Seven caribou sprint across a snow covered landscape as the sun falls behind a mountain range.

A small, remote, snow-covered log cabin in Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge with pine trees and blue skies that fill the background.

A female lynx moving through snow toward the viewer.

Investments in ecotourism, infrastructure, and visitor opportunities will yield economic gains for Indigenous people, rural Alaskans, guides, outfitters, sportspeople, and tourism-oriented businesses. These diverse stakeholders have credibility with local lawmakers and can become a powerful in-state voice for Alaska public lands and conservation areas.

For more information, view our project books below:

Alaska Project News

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Alaska Visitor Centers

Promoting an Ecotourism Economy

Achieving Sustainable Economic Growth

Empowering Alaska Communities