The fight against Ambler Road to defend wildlife, indigenous lands, and clean water. In 2020, President Trump approved the construction of the Ambler road, a proposed 211-mile private, industrial corridor in northwest Alaska. The road is intended to support open-pit copper mines, which significantly threaten the Brooks Range region. If built, the project risked North America’s largest protected and roadless area, would disrupt the migration route of the Western Arctic caribou herd, would affect thousands of rivers and streams, and jeopardize the food security and way of life of Alaska Native Tribes.Faced with limited resources, a coalition of Tribal members, conservationists, and local advocates enlisted our help to halt this disastrous proposal. Additionally, the work needed to happen quickly, as a comment period for the road was right around the corner.
* My contribution to this project was through the branding, print and digital advertising, email campaigns, and website development.
The idea
A small opposition coalition already existed, but securing protection would require their movement to appear much larger. We knew that broadening the reach and building a louder echo of concerns from across the country would be necessary to make a splash politically and stop the road. Building a galvanizing campaign, complete with a unifying name, engaging call to action, and an inspiring identity for the effort was essential to projecting strength and credibility to decision-makers.
We expeditiously created a name, logo, foundational messaging, and brand assets that spoke inclusively to Americans concerned about national parks, wild places, clean water, and wildlife. The new brand materials reframed the road project in striking terms like “Road to Ruin” and “All Risk, No Reward,” and used eye-catching colors and bold text to emphasize the campaign’s mission. Additionally, prominent calls to action conveyed a more immediate sense of urgency.
We designed and built a website that would act as the campaign’s central digital platform and set up and ran accompanying social media accounts. With these foundational assets in place, we executed a high-impact advertising campaign in Washington, D.C. aimed at influencing the Biden administration to reject the road and build momentum against the road among administration officials and elected leaders.
In parallel, we developed and distributed partner toolkits and digital organizing elements for participation during the nationwide comment period.
The campaign effectively showcased diverse opposition and robust scientific evidence against road construction through coordinated testimony, digital actions, and a strong visual presence. Decisionmakers recognized the authenticity and wide-ranging opposition. Amid a series of hearings around Alaska, opponents of the project turned out in droves and overwhelmingly favored the “No Action Alternative,” using Defend the Brooks Range talking points. Key voices included local Native leaders, scientists, and conservationists. Defend the Brooks Range channels were instrumental in collecting 135,000 comments opposing the road proposal during the national comment period.
The Defend the Brooks Range work created space and provided compelling resources for new voices to emerge in the fight against the Ambler road. Ultimately, the Biden administration and the Bureau of Land Management denied the road’s key federal permits during the summer of 2024. This decision has subsequently faced attacks from Alaska Republicans, such as Senator Dan Sullivan. However, the campaign is poised to withstand these attacks thanks to continued organizing and a strong base of supporters.
