Surfrider Washington Policy Manager Peter Steelquist just came back from an amazing visit to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula and Homer to meet with the Surfrider Kenai Peninsula Chapter, attend the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, and see the incredible landscapes and waters threatened by the Trump administration’s mandated offshore drilling lease proposals.
Surfrider’s first Alaska chapter was started two years ago by a group of diehard volunteers who wanted to bring Surfrider’s recreation and conservation ethos to Alaska’s cold waters. The chapter has been hosting monthly beach cleanups on the Homer Spit and around the Kenai Fjords. The waters surrounding the Kenai Fjords are teeming with wildlife, including sea otters, puffins, beluga whales, orca whales, and hundreds of species of migrating shorebirds that return every year because of the pristine landscapes and nutrient-rich waters.
Alaska is the seafood capital of the world, and it’s no secret that the entire region relies on clean water and healthy ecosystems to support community resilience, commercial fisheries, tourism, and the recreation economy. Homer and the surrounding Kenai Peninsula are also hotspots for outdoor recreation, including surfing, kite surfing, wing foiling, and free diving.
The waters off the Kenai Peninsula are included in the Trump administration’s offshore drilling proposal. The idea that this pristine place could be dotted with offshore oil rigs, see increased tanker traffic, or, in a worst-case scenario, experience a catastrophic oil spill is unthinkable. The dangers that offshore oil drilling could bring to this area are immense.
Alaska is already ground zero for the effects of climate change, and from the Kenai Peninsula, you can directly see evidence of melting and receding glaciers. Alaska is also on the front lines of sea level rise, melting permafrost, and changes in weather patterns that can be directly attributed to climate change. Additional fossil fuel extraction will only exacerbate these problems.
During our recent Coastal Recreation Hill Days, Surfrider Alaska was able to leverage the strength of our chapter into meetings with Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Alaska’s sole House member, Congressman Nick Begich III, to discuss the importance of clean water for recreation, including surfing, diving, and dip netting, as well as the importance of NOAA funding for weather forecasting programs and the critical Sea Grant program. These programs provide cutting-edge research that directly helps Alaska’s fisheries and maritime industries better understand the complexities of Alaska’s marine ecosystems. We also had productive conversations about the widespread and indiscriminate nature of the mandated offshore lease sales.
It’s inspiring to see such dedicated volunteers protecting some of the wildest and most spectacular shorelines in the world, in a place where the relationship to the ocean is deeply tied to community identity and culture. A huge shoutout to our Kenai Peninsula Chapter for all of their hard work and dedication to protecting Alaska’s ocean, waves, and beaches.