Proposed Land Exchange in Izembek Refuge Sparks Conservation Concerns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Date: 11/13/2024 
Contact: Anja Semanco | anja@alaskawild.org | 724-967-2777 

Proposed Land Exchange in Izembek Refuge Sparks Conservation Concerns 

Decision may set precedent affecting millions of protected acres across Alaska 

 
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Department of the Interior released a draft supplemental environmental impact statement reviewing a land exchange within Alaska’s Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. If this proposed exchange moves forward, it could fast-track the privatization of lands through designated Wilderness for a road corridor, contrary to the process established by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) – Alaska’s landmark conservation law – for such large decisions. 

“We are deeply concerned to see this administration revisit such a flawed approach to approving a road corridor through Wilderness in Alaska,” said Kristen Miller, Executive Director of Alaska Wilderness League. “ANILCA was created to protect public lands from rapid development and privatization. By disregarding ANILCA’s protections, this decision could mark the beginning of a vast erosion of protections for some of Alaska’s most essential Wilderness areas, National Parks, and National Wildlife Refuges — areas renowned for their biodiversity and cultural importance.” 

The Izembek Refuge was established to protect this unique area of Alaska, along with the resources relied upon by Indigenous communities across Alaska, many of whom have weighed in to oppose the road. ANILCA, a cornerstone Alaska conservation law, was designed to be flexible in planning transportation corridors, but the approach taken by this administration doesn’t follow the law related to roads through designated Wilderness. If this process moves forward, it jeopardizes not only protections in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, but also conservation protections across millions of acres of Alaska’s public lands. 

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