NATIVE CHILDREN’S SURVIVAL PROJECT PROTECT

America's Last Frontier

About

AMERICA'S LAST FRONTIER embarks on a musical and spoken word journey into one of the world's pristine and last remaining wild places, Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins). On bush planes, dogsleds, and snowmobiles, with Sarah James, Gwich’in spokeswoman and recipient of the Emerging Leaders In A Changing World award-winner, Dune Lankard, Eyak spokesman and TIME Magazines Hero for the Planet, and Chief Evon Peter, Alaska’s youngest Athabaskan Chief, AMERICA'S LAST FRONTIER touches down in remote villages nestled in the icy tundra. The spoken word of these courageous Native leaders with the united voice of the Gwich’in and the songs of Robby Romero echo from community and concert halls in Alaska to Washington DC for a politically charged rally with appearances by Faith Gammill, William H. Meadows, U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, and late U.S. Senators Ted Stevens and Paul David Wellstone.

The film is directed with original music by Robby Romero; co-written and produced with Sarah James and Dune Lankard; and executive produced by Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or, and British Academy Film Award winner, Roland Joffé, known for helming such award-winning films as, THE KILLING FIELDS and THE MISSION.

From the Arctic to Africa: A teaser for AMERICA’S LAST FRONTIER was first seen on MTV News with a call to action to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The film premiered at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa and broadcast across the African continent on SABC Africa.

In 2002 AMERICA'S LAST FRONTIER screened at the National Congress of American Indians Annual Conference in San Diego, California. In 2003 the film was screened during the second session of the United Nations Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues. The screening, presented by Native Children’s Survival, the American Indian Law Alliance, and the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Development, was held at the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, United Nations Headquarters, New York City.

Hours after taking the Oath of Office, the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, signed an Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis. The order placed a "temporary moratorium on all activities of the Federal Government relating to the implementation of the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program, as established by the Record of Decision signed August 17, 2020, in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." On June 1, 2021, the Department of the Interior announced a Comprehensive Analysis and Temporary Halt on all Activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Relating to the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program. The halt will remain in place while the department conducts a “new, comprehensive analysis of the potential environmental impacts of the Program and address the identified legal deficiencies.”

On September 6, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden made the following statement on Protecting Arctic Lands and Wildlife in Alaska. “Alaska is home to many of America’s most breathtaking natural wonders and culturally significant areas. As the climate crisis warms the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the world, we have a responsibility to protect this treasured region for all ages. Canceling all remaining oil and gas leases issued under the previous administration in the Arctic Refuge and protecting more than 13 million acres in the Western Arctic will help preserve our Arctic lands and wildlife, while honoring the culture, history, and enduring wisdom of Alaska Natives who have lived on these lands since time immemorial.

For decades the Gwich'in have successfully fought to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas exploration and development. And with each victory comes a new lobby of congress with more threats from fossil fuel and extractive industry. Until the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is permanently protected, the fight continues.

Join us in supporting the Gwich’in’s ongoing campaign to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the refuge’s Coastal Plain Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit (The Sacred Place Where Life Begins).