Publications to write to:

Anchorage Daily News: Word limit for letters, 200 words, with under 100 words “even better”; word limit for longer opinion pieces between 500 and 600 words.

Alaska Beacon: Keep opinion pieces under 750 words. Send in a picture of yourself. 

Also good: Look up the guidelines for your local paper and send in a short letter! If you need help figuring it out, reach out to mc@salmonstate.org. 

Basic letter to the editor or opinion piece structure: 

• Introduce the topic you are writing about and the main takeaway (Something like “The U.S. Senate is currently considering a reconciliation bill that puts hundreds of thousands of acres of Alaska’s public lands up for sale. As a (hunter/fisherman/Tribal member/life-long Alaskan/biologist/etc), I am writing to urge Senator Lisa Murkowksi to oppose it, and to urge Senator Dan Sullivan to reconsider his position supporting it.)

• Talk about your own connection to the issue and why you are writing about it (ie, do you have a business that uses public lands and would be harmed by these proposals? Are you a member of a Tribe whose traditional lands are up for sale? Do you hunt and fish on public lands? Do you have any particular stories on these lands that could help people connect to them, and to the issue?)

• Close by communicating, again, why this issue is important, and why it’s important that Alaska’s public lands are NOT for sale. Check out our talking points if you need help.