2026 Arctic Delegation Cohort Announced

A Story of Witness, Relationship, and the Power of Showing Up

The 2026 Love Is King Operation ROAM Delegation Cohort has officially been announced — and this year marks a powerful new chapter. Operation ROAM has teamed up with Hunters of Color and Color in the Outdoors to bring a group of BIPOC leaders into the Arctic, where they connected directly with the Gwich’in community in Vashraii Koo Village (Arctic Village, now known as Barserairo).

This journey wasn’t tourism. It was immersion — into responsibility, truth, and relationship. It was stepping into a landscape where every ridge, river, and migration route carries generations of story. It was learning at ground zero, alongside the people who have protected the Arctic Refuge for thousands of years.

Where Community Meets Purpose

The Hunters of Color cohort arrived in the Arctic carrying their own lived experiences from Oregon’s forests, ranges, and hunting communities. Color in the Outdoors brought leadership whose work centers belonging, access, and representation in outdoor spaces. Together, they formed a circle of perspectives — hunters, educators, advocates, culture‑keepers — all stepping into a place where land and identity are inseparable.

In Vashiro Koo, they were welcomed by the village chief and two elders, who offered time, story, and truth with a generosity that left the cohort humbled. Around kitchen tables and inside community spaces, the delegation listened to stories of lineage, caribou migration, and the long fight to protect the Arctic Refuge. The elders spoke of responsibility — not as a concept, but as a lived practice. They spoke of the land as relative, not resource.

The storytelling wasn’t just informative. It was transformative. Leaders described it as life‑changing — a recalibration of what it means to witness, to advocate, and to show up for communities whose survival is tied directly to the land.

Understanding the 1002 Area What’s at Stake

The cohort also spent time learning about the 1002 Area, the stretch of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that remains under threat from potential oil and gas development. For the Gwich’in, this isn’t an abstract policy issue — it’s existential. The 1002 Area is the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, a herd the Gwich’in have relied on since time immemorial.

The leaders heard directly from Gwich’in hunters and culture‑keepers about what development would mean: disrupted migration, cultural loss, food insecurity, and the unraveling of a relationship between people and land that has existed longer than the United States itself.

This wasn’t a lecture. It was a passing of knowledge — a transfer of responsibility. The cohort left with a deeper understanding of why the fight for the Refuge is a fight for Indigenous sovereignty, environmental justice, and cultural survival.

The Power of BIPOC Solidarity in the Arctic

One of the most profound parts of the journey was simply being together as BIPOC leaders in the Arctic — a place where representation has historically been scarce. The cohort shared meals, stories, and reflections. They processed the weight of what they were learning. They held space for one another.

For many, it was the first time they had seen themselves reflected in Arctic advocacy work. For others, it was a reminder that environmental justice is strongest when communities stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder — hunters, educators, activists, culture‑workers — all aligned in purpose.

Looking Toward 2027 — From the Arctic to Washington, D.C.

The mission of Operation ROAM remains clear: To create witnesses, advocates, and leaders who carry lived experience into the rooms where decisions are made.

This cohort will take what they learned on Gwich’in land and bring it forward into Washington, D.C. in 2027 — stepping into the advocacy arena with firsthand knowledge, grounded purpose, and a responsibility to speak for the land and the people who depend on it.

We are grateful for this partnership. Grateful for the trust. Grateful for the opportunity to build another pathway for leaders to learn at ground zero — alongside Gwich’in hunters, culture‑keepers, and community members who have protected the Arctic Refuge for generations.

The next chapter is already unfolding.