Resolved, That the House of Bishops of the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church receive with open and broken hearts the witness of Bernadette Demientieff to the struggle and plight of the Gwich’in People whose lives have been imperiled by the threat of drilling in the “Sacred Place Where Life Begins,” the coastal plain area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church reaffirm its historic solidarity with the Gwich’in People in opposing any drilling in the “Sacred Place Where Life Begins"; and be it further

Resolved, That Episcopalians use prayer, advocacy, public witness and legal means to prevent the desecration of “The Sacred Place Where Life Begins” and the resultant destabilization and destruction of the Porcupine Caribou Herd and the Gwich’in People, whose lives have been interconnected for millennia; and be it further

Resolved, That Episcopalians, respecting the wisdom and authority of the elders and leaders of the Gwich’in People be led by them in our solidarity efforts.