“The proposed highway would carve by means of one of the vital biologically wealthy and delicate areas within the refuge, disrupting the habitats of numerous migratory birds and different species that depend on Izembek’s protected lands,” stated Desirée Sorenson-Groves, President and CEO of the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge Affiliation. “Permitting a highway to slice by means of this refuge will not be solely an environmental catastrophe however a direct violation of Alaska Nationwide Curiosity Lands Conservation Act and the very rules that created the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System.”
The opposition from tribal communities has been loud and clear. Over 20 resolutions have been handed by tribes throughout Western Alaska, denouncing the land swap and highway. The Native Village of Hooper Bay, together with dozens of different tribes, have voiced grave issues over the affect this highway would have on vital meals sources and conventional subsistence practices. Supporters of the highway embody the Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove and the King Cove Company who argue it might present emergency entry to Chilly Bay’s airport. Nevertheless, the proposed route can be impassable a lot of the time as a result of harsh climate circumstances, making the highway an unreliable answer whereas inflicting irreparable hurt to wildlife and subsistence existence. There are viable transportation options that ought to be explored.
“Many Alaska Native tribes have voiced their opposition to the highway by means of their collective resolutions, underscoring the urgency of this difficulty,” stated Sorenson-Groves. “These lands aren’t solely irreplaceable habitats for wildlife however are additionally central to the subsistence existence of native communities. The Pacific black brant and emperor geese are important to the diets, tradition, and heritage of tribes within the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and all through Alaska.”
The proposed land swap threatens not solely Izembek NWR but additionally the integrity of refuges and different public lands in Alaska. Enacted to safeguard Alaska’s wilderness, the Alaska Nationwide Curiosity Lands Conservation Act established important protections for locations like Izembek NWR, guaranteeing they continue to be sanctuaries for wildlife. Permitting a highway by means of Izembek NWR undermines these authorized protections and units a harmful precedent, opening the door for comparable initiatives that might erode the very objective of the Refuge System, jeopardizing its mission to offer secure havens for wildlife in an period of accelerating habitat destruction and local weather change.
The Refuge Affiliation urges the Biden administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to rethink this ill-conceived endorsement. Viable options exist that don’t compromise the integrity of public lands or threaten livelihoods of tribal communities. Investments in a marine ferry, which was deemed 99.9% dependable by the Military Corps of Engineers, present a sustainable and fewer damaging answer to attach King Cove to Chilly Bay.
Reflecting on the continued battle to guard Izembek Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, Sorenson-Groves underscored the importance of this second with a poignant quote featured within the Washington Submit: ““As [Jimmy] Carter is in hospice excited about his life and legacy, that is one thing that’s necessary sufficient to him to take motion on. That claims so much.”
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Because the main unbiased voice advocating on behalf of the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge System, the Nationwide Wildlife Refuge Affiliation protects, promotes, and enhances America’s wildlife heritage by means of strategic packages that serve the System and wildlife past its boundaries. The group addresses Refuge System funding, administration, and strategic progress, whereas additionally selling packages that maximize the system’s conservation affect.
For all media inquiries and questions, please contact Eden Taylor, Director of Communications & Advertising at [email protected].
