President Joe Biden signed several climate-related executive orders on his first day in office, including some that affect residents of the Bering Sea, according to KNOM.

One order reinstates the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area, an Obama-era protection from off-shore oil and gas leasing in the Norton Sound and the waters around St. Lawrence Island.

The original order was revoked in the early months of President Donald Trump’s presidency.

For groups in Western Alaska, one of the order’s most significant features is its acknowledgement of the importance of local Indigenous knowledge.

Bering Sea Elders Group Executive Director Melissa Johnson called it a “milestone” for incorporating Indigenous people into federal conversations and policy on climate change.