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To:

Arctic Ice Project

PO Box 5807

Redwood City, CA 94063

Subject: Alaska Native Organizations demand the end to Synthetic glass microbeads research project.

We, the undersigned, request that the Arctic Ice Project, headquartered in Redwood City, CA, cease all research operations for projects and methods intended for use in the Arctic.

There are many concerns Arctic community members have, including human health, marine plant, and marine animal health, as well as how this synthetic glass material will impact our boat motors and air traffic. In addition to marine life, the materials may end up on the land and impact plant and animal life which are equally as vital to Alaska Native peoples. Many concerns have been raised directly to Ice911/Arctic Ice Project by Native groups who have spoken to founder Leslie Field and her researchers as early as 2019, however, concerns have been ignored and dismissed. Instead, it appears that the project team has more of a financial interest in continuing the research than in the health and livelihoods of the people and marine life impacted by the research. Further, there is no true accountability mechanism in place.

  • Silica is toxic to inhale. Sea mammals live and give birth in the region in which the synthetic materials would be deployed.
  • Arctic Ice Project insists that the microspheres are "non porous" (smooth) and are too large to cause silica tuberculosis. However, there are concerns that the microspheres will break down over time and will eventually become small enough to cause harm to humans or to the animals Indigenous Peoples rely on to survive.
  • Testing the material on ocean ice on a lake in Utqiagvik will not predict how the synthetic materials interact with the environment. The only way to determine this would be to do larger scale testing, and testing at that size could irreversibly impact  the health of vulnerable populations, especially pregnant, elderly and all community members who make their home in the Arctic.
  • The project lacks meaningful consultation and Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) as stated in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, of those who directly rely on the Arctic for sustenance.
  • Arctic communities have a right to know and consent to foreign substances that will be introduced to their diets and environment, whether or not those materials are deemed safe by non-native, Western standards.
  •  A lack of tribal consultation means the true experts of the Arctic are not being consulted and our Traditional Indigenous Knowledge is not being applied.
  • To the public's knowledge, the project is operating without permits from regulating bodies such as the EPA, Fish and Wildlife, or the US Wildlife Enforcement agency.
  • The founder, Leslie Field, owns several patents on this project and stands to gain a lot of money from its success. The project appears to be only accountable to itself, which is a conflict of interest because the researchers stand to gain a profit from the project.
  • The projected cost of the project is between US$1-5 billion each year on the higher end for deployment, according to the project’s FAQ on their websiteThe amount of this that would be used for clean up, if any at all, is unclear.
  • Clean-up of the project is another concern. One reason is that the synthetic microspheres will be ingested and carried through marine life and birds through migration and could end up on the land, as well as in fish markets and human bodies around the world. Microplastics are already found in human bodies. These synthetic spheres could create further disruption to human and Marine animal health. Additionally these materials could be blown by arctic force winds, or carried by migratory birds, testing equipment and people from testing and deployment sites onto unintended areas such as the tundra. This risks unintended consequences to the plant and animal life on the land as well.

Prior to any proposed research, Arctic Ice Project failed to:

  • Engage in meaningful consultation with those that rely on subsistence hunting, gathering and fishing. Executive Order 13175 sets standards for federal agencies for meaningful consultation and at least one federal agency, NASA, is a partner/sponsor for the Project.  Engagement with the ANSCA created corporations does not meet the standard, whereas traditional subsistence practitioners and the various federally recognized tribal governments do.
  • Submit proposed research and methods for review by Arctic-based Marine Mammal Protection Act agencies including but not limited to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, the Alaska Nannut Co-Management Council,  the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, and Eskimo Walrus Commission, to ensure that the project adheres to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which applies to all interested parties foreign or domestic.
  • Disseminate all research project information to each Federally Recognized Tribe and Marine Mammal Protection Act Agency and Commission including but not limited to:
  • The number of patents and methods for intended use of the synthetic glass beads
  • The amount of profit Arctic Ice Project anticipates of the estimated US$1-$5 billion annual cost
  • All historical and most up to date research, data and footage of the research conducted on all sites
  • Transparency regarding tribal resistance to the research, including
  • acknowledgement of the National Congress of American Indian resolution against Solar Radiation Management research in June 2021
  • Acknowledgment that Arctic Ice Project is considered both Solar Radiation Management and Marine Geoengineering

Prior to any testing Arctic Ice Project has also failed to:

  • Invite the Environmental Protection Agency, and any interested stakeholder Tribal organizations which should be permitted to conduct onsite visits to all current and future testing sites, including those held indoors and on animals.
  • Complete an Environmental Impact Assessment and announce an Environmental Impact Statement. Each of these should have been completed and translated into the State of Alaska's official languages (including all Alaska Native Languages). The translated materials should have been included in any consent and meaningful consultation process with Federally Recognized Tribes.
  • Submit all testing, research and any future deployment goals for thorough review  by federal agencies such as the Fish and Wildlife & The US Wildlife Enforcement agency to ensure any research activities, including air surveillance, would not be considered harassment or disturbance to wildlife, nor violate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 which includes the prohibition of incidental take of birds listed within 50 CFR 10.13; and by NASA in its varying capacities.

Indigenous Peoples have the inherent right to choose what goes in our bodies, on our lands, in our waters and air.

Signed so far:

Alaska Tribes:  

Native Village of Ouzinkie

Native Village of Unalakleet

Cheesh'na Tribal Council

Chinik Eskimo Community

Native Village of Wales

Native Village of Mary's Igloo

Native Village of Saint Michael

Native Village of Savoonga

Native Village of Point Lay

Native Village of Nuiqsut

Native Village of Gambell

California Tribe:

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band

Tribal and Ally Organizations:

Indigenous Environmental Network

Native Movement

Alaska Community Action on Toxics

SOVEREIGN IÑUPIAT FOR A LIVING ARCTIC

The Alaska Center

Grand(m)others Act to Save the Planet GASP

California Kitchen

The Blue Community

Southeast Alaska Conservation Council

Salinan Trowtraahl

North Island Climate Hub

Kawerak, Inc.

Alaska's Big Village Network

350Juneau

The California Indian Environmental Alliance

SAFES

ETC group

Just Transition Alliance

TONATIERRA

School of Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Croydon Climate Action

Alaska Institute for Climate and Energy (ALICE)

Turtle Island Records

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum

Mom Loves Taiwan Association

Abibinsroma Foundation

Payday men's network