Arctic Refuge Lease Sale: The Trump administration’s latest Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil and gas lease sale drew tepid interest—only two bidders won five leases, totaling about $3.74 million, with no “oil majors” participating—drawing fresh criticism from lawmakers and Indigenous advocates who say the Coastal Plain should stay off-limits. Ocean Monitoring: Alaska’s marine science community is warning that cuts and dismantling of the Ocean Observatories Initiative could create a fisheries “blind spot,” including impacts from long-running Gulf of Alaska monitoring used to track changing ocean conditions. Cook Inlet Belugas & LNG: A new report says the proposed Alaska LNG project could worsen threats to critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales by increasing shipping noise and vessel traffic, endangering both marine habitat and coastal communities. Wildlife Protection Tech: In San Francisco Bay, researchers are testing a new whale-collision alert system as gray whales increasingly show up in busy shipping lanes—an approach Alaska watchers may want to track. Local Governance: Anchorage and South Anchorage are set to consider natural burial proposals, aiming to address low-cost cemetery space while limiting non-biodegradable materials. Rural Health Funding: Alaska health officials narrowed down hundreds of proposals for Rural Health Transformation Program funding after reviewing nearly 1,800 submissions. Permitting Process: A federal permitting council director emphasized early stakeholder engagement and clear communication to keep major projects on track while meeting environmental review requirements.