When it comes to preserving wild lands in Alaska, as well as the natural and human heritage of the “Lower 48” states, Jimmy Carter had music in his soul. As Carter put it in his autobiography, “I have never been happier, more exhilarated, at peace, rested, inspired and aware of the grandeur of the universe and the greatness of God than when I find myself in a natural setting not much changed from the way He made it.” As we honor the life and legacy of President Carter, we also celebrate this core part of Carter’s legacy that will endure for centuries beyond his lifetime.

During his tenure, President Carter broke a logjam in Congress to pass the Alaska National Interest Conservation Act, more than doubling America’s national parks system. The act added nearly 44 million acres in parks and preserves, along with 54 million acres in new or expanded national wildlife refuges. Carter safeguarded his legacy with the intensity of an Alaska brown bear defending a favored salmon fishing hole.

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