Alpenglow Sports Announces 8th and Final Tailgate Talk

A Night for the Refuge explores issues threatening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska

Alpenglow Sports welcomes its very own Brennan Lagasse on Thursday, December 14th at 6:30pm for its eighth Tailgate Talk of the season. Brennan will share his first hand experience in the threatened Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The night will include a showing of Patagonia’s film about the Arctic Refuge, a slideshow about Brennan’s adventure and activism, and short films about the Gwich’in people, the land, and the wildlife in the region. This timely topic is extremely important as the entire region is now under threat of oil and gas drilling.

A Night for the Refuge will bring Brennan and several of his former students together to discuss their experience in Arctic Village in Alaska, the southernmost Native village on the border of the Arctic Refuge. Lagasse has partnered with an elder of the Gwich’in Tribe in Arctic Village to create an immersive cultural and sustainability course for Sierra Nevada College students. He will share his hands-on experience working with locals and advocacy on a global scale to protect this unique and delicate landscape from fossil fuel expansion.

Recently, the proposed 2018 federal budget has opened Arctic National Refuge to the threat of fossil fuel drilling. Last winter, Lagasse joined a team that travelled to the Coastal Plain, one of the most contested regions in the Arctic Refuge. With the aim of raising awareness of the people, animals, and landscape in the Refuge, the team supported an Italian ski mountaineer named Ario Z’Hoo as he circumnavigated the Coastal Plain. Lagasse has written about this and other experiences in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for SF Gate, Yes! Magazine, and Big Life Magazine.

Come hear about his experience first hand, and gain an understanding of why preserving the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is important not only to the local community and ecosystem, but to the global environment at large. Home to more than two hundred species of birds, grizzly, brown, and polar bears, as well as Indigenous Inupiat and Gwich’in people, this biologically and culturally diverse region is unique and irreplaceable. The evening will be anchored with a showing of Patagonia’s film about the Arctic Refuge, footage from the time Lagasse spent on the Coastal Plain of Kaktovik, and a discussion of the ways in which you can support the protection and preservation of the Refuge.

Join us on December 14th for a night of adventure and activism. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the show is FREE. Beer and pizza will be served with all proceeds benefitting the Gwich’in Steering Committee. Come through, grab a brew, and get inspired by this must see multimedia presentation about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Gwich’in people, the animals, plants, and land, which are all under increasing threat.

About Brennan Lagasse
Brennan Lagasse is a writer, teacher, mountaineer, and backcountry ski guide. Inspired by the wilderness and his experience backcountry skiing, Brennan is an adjunct professor at Sierra Nevada College and a Wilderness Survival instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College, and values open and dynamic classroom environments. Recently, Lagasse has been actively involved in spreading awareness of the plight of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge through his writing and his hands on experience in the region.

About Alpenglow Sports
Alpenglow Sports is an original California Mountain Shop that for over 35 years has provided locals and visitors with inspiration, local knowledge, and the best equipment to enjoy the great outdoors. Based in Tahoe City, Alpenglow Sports takes pride in being community-minded and socially and environmentally responsible to ensure Lake Tahoe stays one of the best places to play, visit, and live in California. For additional information, please contact Brendan Madigan at Alpenglow Sports 530.583.6917 or brendan@alpenglowsports.com.