What You Can Do

Contact the Decision Makers

Photo courtesy NPS
Colorful camp

The legislature and the governor have the power to create a Tangle Lakes State Wildlife Refuge. Tell them that you support a refuge to protect the Nelchina caribou herd, other wildlife, and the ways that you use the land. Go to the bottom of this page to see sample letters. You may call, write, or send an e-mail to the key people:

Senator John Coghill (Tangle Lakes is in his Senate District)
Interim:
3340 Badger Road, Suite 290
North Pole, AK 99705
Phone: 907-488-5725
Fax: 907-488-4271
E-mail: Senator_John_Coghill@legis.state.ak.us

Representative John Harris (Tangle Lakes is in his House District)
Interim:
716 W. 4th Ave. Suite 600
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: 907-269-0129
Fax: 907-269-0128
E-mail: Representative_John_Harris@legis.state.ak.us

Governor Sean Parnell
PO Box 110001
Juneau, AK 99811-0001
Phone (907) 465-3500
Fax (907) 465-3532
E-mail: Governor@gov.state.ak.us

Your legislators.
The address of all legislators is State Capitol, Juneau, AK 99801. You may e-mail them at First name_Last name@legis.state.ak.us. If you don’t know which legislators represent you, contact your Legislative Information Office or go to the State of Alaska Elected Officials Web page.

Seize Opportunities to Tell Candidates about Tangle Lakes

This is an election year. Incumbents and challengers are running for the legislature and governor's office. Stop by their campaign offices or attend their campaign events. It's a great opportunity to urge creation of a Tangle Lakes State Wildlife Refuge!

Photo courtesy NAEC
Andy in Save Tangle Lakes teeshirt

Display a Bumper Sticker or Wear a Tangle Lakes T-shirt

The bumper sticker is free to Alaska addresses and a t-shirt is $12. See the Contact Us page for ordering information.

Join the Tangle Lakes Yahoo! Group

Click here to join the email list with other people who are concerned about the future of Tangle Lakes.

Share This Information With Your Friends

Send them to this site, or print and distribute pages.

Write a Letter to the Editor of Your Local Paper

People need repeated reminders, and they do read letters to the editors.

Do You Belong to an Outdoors Organization?

Ask it to link to this website or include in its newsletter a paragraph about Tangle Lakes mineral exploration.

Lake Trout from Tangle Lakes
Photo courtesy Bruce James
Lake Trout from Tangle Lakes

Sample Letters

Here are two letters from which you can draw ideas. You may copy and paste to your own document, but please change the wording to fit your personal circumstances and experiences.

Sample Letter 1:

[your name, address]

[date]

Senator John Coghill
State Capitol
Juneau, Alaska 99801

Dear Senator Coghill:

My favorite caribou hunting area, the Eastern Denali Highway and Tangle Lakes region, is in your district. My family and I have enjoyed hunting the Nelchina caribou herd in that beautiful area for many years. Lately, a Canadian mineral exploration company has been drilling there. I know that a mine would ruin the area for hunting and the many other activities that Alaskans now enjoy. Please sponsor a bill to create a Tangle Lakes State Wildlife Refuge.

Sincerely,
[your signature]
Your Name

Sample Letter 2:

Blueberry-stained hand
Photo courtesy Bruce James
Woman with blueberry-stained hand

[your name, address]

[date]

Governor Sean Parnell
PO Box 110001
Juneau, AK 99811-0001

Dear Governor Parnell:

For many years, my family and friends and I have enjoyed visiting the Tangle Lakes region. It is a wonderful area for many kinds of recreation. Therefore, we are very concerned about the mineral exploration that has been going on there. I understand that you have toured the mining claims, and I really appreciate your taking the time to learn about what is going on. Right now, the mining company's activity doesn't look like much, but a mine, with waste dumps and roads and transmission lines and possibly open pits, would do enormous damage to the things we and thousands of other Alaskans value.

I believe a wildlife refuge would be a reasonable way to help protect the area's renewable resources. Please encourage and support efforts to create a refuge.

Sincerely,

[your signature]
[Your Name]