Jonathon Solomon (March 10, 1932 – July 13, 2006) was a native Gwich'in from

Fort Yukon, Alaska Fort Yukon (''Gwichyaa Zheh'' in Gwich'in) is a city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska, straddling the Arctic Circle. The population, predominantly Gwich'in Alaska Natives, was 583 at the 2010 census, down from 59 ...

, USA, and a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Porcupine Caribou Agreement between Canada and U.S. He served as the Traditional Chief of the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in, a lifetime designation, from 2002 until his death in 2006. He was a founding member of the Gwich'in Steering Committee formed by the Gwich'in at Arctic Village (Vashraii K'oo) in 1988, and dedicated to the preservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. He served with distinction until his death. He was awarded the

Goldman Environmental Prize The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. ...

in 2002,Goldman Environmental Prize:
Jonathon Solomon
(Retrieved on November 29, 2007) together with Norma Kassi and

Sarah James Sarah Agnes James (born 1946) is a native Neets'aii Gwich'in from Arctic Village, Alaska, USA, and a board member of the ''International Indian Treaty Council''. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002,Goldman Environmental Prize" ...

. They received the prize for their struggles for protection of the

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR or Arctic Refuge) is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States on traditional Gwich'in lands. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest national wildlife ...

from plans of oil exploration and drilling. Oil and gas exploration would disturb the life cycle of the

Porcupine caribou The Porcupine caribou ''(Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus'') is a herd or ecotype of barren-ground caribou, the subspecies of the reindeer or caribou found in Alaska, United States, and Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada. A recent revisio ...

, which has been a foundation for the Gwich'in culture for 20,000 years. He founded the Gwichyaa Gwich'in Ginkhe', a non-profit organization in Fort Yukon in 1970, also known as the "three G's". The organization was dedicated to fighting the environmental destruction of the Yukon Flats, specifically the proposed Rampart Dam project which would have flooded the entire Yukon Flats and thus forcing the dislocation of the Gwich'in people. The project was halted.

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Obituary
1932 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans Alaskan Athabaskan people American environmentalists Gwich'in people People from Fort Yukon, Alaska Goldman Environmental Prize awardees {{NorthAm-native-bio-stub