Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
| Izembek National Wildlife Refuge | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
  Map of the United States | |
| Location | Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States |
| Nearest city | Cold Bay, Alaska |
| Coordinates | 55°15′N 162°45′W / 55.250°N 162.750°W |
| Area | 315,000 acres (1,270 km2)[1][2] |
| Established | 1960 |
| Governing body | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| Website | Izembek NWR |
| Official name | Izembek Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge |
| Designated | 18 December 1986 |
| Reference no. | 349[3] |
The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is the smallest of the
wilderness in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Anilca).[1] The refuge is administered from offices in Cold Bay
.
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge lies between the highly productive waters of the
Attempts have been made to build a road through the refuge connecting the towns of
black brant and other species.[2] This attempted land transfer was ultimately blocked by the Department of the Interior in 2013.[6]
In January 2018 the
Trump administration proposed a different land transfer agreement. Nine environmental groups sued the administration one week later,[7] arguing that the four-year environmental impact statement commissioned by the Department of the Interior had already determined that the road was unnecessary and would irreversibly damage the refuge.[6] A ruling on March 29, 2019 by the United States District Court for the District of Alaska once again blocked the land transfer,[8] finding that the Trump administration's attempts to remove acreage from the refuge contradicted the existing environmental impact statement and made no attempt to explain why the statement was no longer applicable. A second judge rejected a revised plan in June 2020.[9] In November 2022, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth District, overruled a 3-judge panel of the court and scheduled a rehearing of the case against the Trump administration proposal. In an unusual action, former President Jimmy Carter filed a statement of support for the motion for the rehearing, saying the swap violated Anilca. The act "may be the most significant domestic achievement of my political life", Carter said at the time of his filing.[10]
Fauna
Izembek Wilderness hosts a quarter-million migratory birds every fall, including the entire world's population of
rough-legged hawks, gyrfalcons, and Peale's peregrine falcons. Hundreds of thousands of salmon return to streams in the refuge each year.[11][12]
Land mammals that roam this refuge include
Orcas, gray whales, and minke whales can sometimes be seen as they migrate along the shoreline and occasionally inside of Izembek Lagoon.[11]
-
Wetlands of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in early spring -
Lefthand Valley -
Aghileen Pinnacles -
Joshua Green River Valley in Izembek Wilderness
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
References
- ^ a b c "Izembek National Wildlife Refuge". Fws.gov. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ a b Yardley, William; Barringer, Felicity (27 September 2008). "Swapping Land for a Road to Somewhere Divides Alaskans". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Izembek Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Izembek Wilderness". Wilderness Connect. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ^ "Izembek-Moffet-Kinzarof Lagoons". audubon.org. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ^ a b "Secretary Jewell Issues Decision on Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Land Exchange and Road Proposal". Doi.gov. 23 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "Judge rejects Trump plan for road in Alaska wildlife refuge". Apnews.com. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ "U.S. judge scraps Trump order opening Arctic, Atlantic areas to oil leasing". Reuters.com. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ Ruskin, Liz (2020-06-02). "Another judge tosses land swap for King Cove road". Alaskapublic.org. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
- ^ Fountain, Henry, "Court to reconsider Trump-era decision that favored Alaska road project", New York Times, November 11, 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
- ^ a b Izembek National Wildlife Refuge - USFWS
- ^ Izembek Wilderness - Wilderness.net
External links
- Official site
- New York Times article on Land Swap
- Important Bird Areas-National Audubon Society