Attention Anchorageites! A public meeting on the “Potential Land Exchange for a Road Between King Cove and Cold Bay” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, December 9, at the Wilda Marsten Theater in the Loussac Library (3600 Denali Street in Anchorage).

This would be the public’s chance to speak on behalf of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Izembek is an irreplaceable migration stopover for many birds migrating to and from Arctic breeding grounds and is part of the globally significant Izembek-Moffet-Kinzarof Lagoons Important Bird Area. The Department of the Interior released a draft environmental impact statement that recommends a multi-part land exchange to enable the construction of a road across the refuge.

Public comments will be accepted until December 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (7:59 p.m. Alaska time). Comments may be submitted by testifying at the public meeting on Monday night or by joining one of the three other virtual hearings.

The presence of large eelgrass beds makes this site one of the most important migratory bird staging and wintering habitats in the world. Izembek regularly supports more than 90% of Brant that use the Pacific Flyway, more than half the world population of Emperor Geese, and a significant percentage of the world population of Steller's Eider and Taverner's Cackling Goose. Overall, more than 82 bird species have been documented here as well as mammals like caribou, brown bears, wolves, and wolverines.

Izembek was established as "a refuge, breeding ground, and management area for all forms of wildlife." In 1980, much of it was designated as Wilderness under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). This proposed federal land exchange is not allowed under ANILCA and the Secretary of the Interior does not have the authority to trade away Wilderness lands for a road.

Last year the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $43 million for dock improvements at Cold Bay to accommodate commercial use, freight and fuel transportation, private vessels, public transportation use, and emergency medical services. The Army Corps of Engineers has already determined a marine alternative would better meet the needs of the region and would not undermine the integrity of ANILCA and the Izembek Refuge.

For more information, please see the Izembek Land Exchange Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement information and documents on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website.

We hope to see you from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, December 9, at the Wilda Marsten Theater in the Loussac Library (3600 Denali Street in Anchorage) to help defend one of the world’s most critical habitats for migratory birds.

Thank you for your continued support!