Alaska Conservation Society
Encyclopedia
The Alaska Conservation Society was the first grassroots
environmental conservation
group in the U.S. state of Alaska
. It was founded in 1960 to coordinate environmental opposition to Project Chariot
, a plan to dig a harbor in Alaska's North Slope
with nuclear weapons, and to fight the proposed Rampart Dam
project on the Yukon River
. Later, the society took a stance on the development of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
, encouraging environmental mitigation
during and after its construction, becoming a major factor in environmental policy within the state. The group operated between 1960 and 1993 and was superseded by the Alaska Conservation Foundation
, which was founded in 1980 and still operates today.
In 1960, the Alaska Conservation Society was founded at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
in College
, Alaska
to bring together like-minded people in order to better organize opposition to two major projects in Alaska: Project Chariot and the Rampart Dam. The group hoped that its status as an organization "by Alaskans and for Alaskans" would allow its arguments to gain traction in places where speakers from the Continental United States had not. Celia M. Hunter
, one of the group's founding members, became its first president.
The conservation society was organized into two groups: Alaska members, who had voting authority, and "associate" or non-Alaska members, who did not. By 1961, one year after its founding, the Alaska Conservation Society had about 300 members, 50 percent of whom were associate members. Thanks to widening coverage granted it due to its opposition to Chariot and Rampart, the group expanded to more than 600 members by 1965. The group's influence grew after Chariot and Rampart were canceled, a fact illustrated by the selection of Alaska Conservation Society president Ernst W. Muller as commissioner of the Alaska State Department of Environmental Conservation in 1975.
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
environmental conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
group in the U.S. state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It was founded in 1960 to coordinate environmental opposition to Project Chariot
Operation Chariot (1958)
Project Chariot was a 1958 US Atomic Energy Commission proposal to construct an artificial harbor at Cape Thompson on the North Slope of the U.S...
, a plan to dig a harbor in Alaska's North Slope
Alaska North Slope
The Alaska North Slope is the region of the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern slope of the Brooks Range along the coast of two marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi Sea being on the western side of Point Barrow, and the Beaufort Sea on the eastern.The region contains the...
with nuclear weapons, and to fight the proposed Rampart Dam
Rampart Dam
The Rampart Dam or Rampart Canyon Dam was a project proposed in 1954 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dam the Yukon River in Alaska for hydroelectric power...
project on the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
. Later, the society took a stance on the development of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System , includes the Trans Alaska Pipeline, 11 pump stations, several hundred miles of feeder pipelines, and the Valdez Marine Terminal. TAPS is one of the world's largest pipeline systems...
, encouraging environmental mitigation
Environmental mitigation
Environmental mitigation, compensatory mitigation, or mitigation banking, are terms used primarily by the United States government and the related environmental industry to describe projects or programs intended to offset known impacts to an existing historic or natural resource such as a stream,...
during and after its construction, becoming a major factor in environmental policy within the state. The group operated between 1960 and 1993 and was superseded by the Alaska Conservation Foundation
Alaska Conservation Foundation
Founded in 1980, the Alaska Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit organization located in Anchorage, Alaska. As of 2011, it is the only public foundation dedicated to conservation in Alaska...
, which was founded in 1980 and still operates today.
In 1960, the Alaska Conservation Society was founded at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
in College
College, Alaska
College is a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,493 in 2007....
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
to bring together like-minded people in order to better organize opposition to two major projects in Alaska: Project Chariot and the Rampart Dam. The group hoped that its status as an organization "by Alaskans and for Alaskans" would allow its arguments to gain traction in places where speakers from the Continental United States had not. Celia M. Hunter
Celia M. Hunter
Celia Hunter was an American environmentalist and conservationist. She was conferred the highest award by the Sierra Club, The John Muir Award, in 1991. She was presented the highest award by the Wilderness Society, The Robert Marshall Award, in 1998.-Early life:Celia M...
, one of the group's founding members, became its first president.
The conservation society was organized into two groups: Alaska members, who had voting authority, and "associate" or non-Alaska members, who did not. By 1961, one year after its founding, the Alaska Conservation Society had about 300 members, 50 percent of whom were associate members. Thanks to widening coverage granted it due to its opposition to Chariot and Rampart, the group expanded to more than 600 members by 1965. The group's influence grew after Chariot and Rampart were canceled, a fact illustrated by the selection of Alaska Conservation Society president Ernst W. Muller as commissioner of the Alaska State Department of Environmental Conservation in 1975.