Arctic areas of Alaska are especially vulnerable to nuclear accidents releasing radioactivity into the atmosphere within the circumpolar north. Atmospheric fallout and the resultant bioconcentration in the lichen-caribou-human food chain are of great concern for those living a subsistence lifestyle. A project, Observing Radiation In Our North (ORION), formally known as Neighborhood Environmental Watch Network (NEWNET) , was initiated to provide an opportunity for Alaska Native undergraduate college students to participate in environmental monitoring, research, and communication of the results through the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

ORION is a network of stations that gather both meteorological and radiological data. The data are transmitted via the GOES West satellite to the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. The data are loaded into a database that is accessible by the public via the internet at http://newnet.lanl.gov. Long-term meteorological and radiation observations will provide a baseline against which any major changes in atmospheric conditions and radioactivity can be detected. For example, the former Soviet Union has many old and outdated nuclear facilities still in operation. The Bilibino nuclear plant is the closest plant to Alaska and poses a real threat of accidental release of atmospheric radiation.

ORION stations gather real time data and would detect any increase in background radiation levels should an accident occur. ORION stations in Alaska are located in Kotzebue, Nome, Point Hope, Barrow, Seward, and Fairbanks. Stations are also located throughout New Mexico and one in Mississippi.

ORION is a collaborative effort with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Battelle-Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), and various organizations and departments of the University of Alaska Fairbanks.