Over the past few weeks, there have been new developments on a road that would cut through the iconic Izembek National Wildlife Refuge…
7/22/19 BREAKING NEWS:
The Trump Administration has abandoned its appeal of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge decision set down in March by a federal judge, giving up, for now, their effort to build a road through this iconic wetland area.
The National Wildlife Refuge Association and several other plaintiffs had sued to stop the Trump Administration from implementing an Exchange Agreement, which would have exchanged lands of lesser habitat quality with the rich wetlands of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge so the road could be built. We are ecstatic to see this outcome. While we are keeping an eye on any new moves by the Administration to restart this process, for now, the Izembek NWR is safe!
7/25/19 IZEMBEK UPDATE:
The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge threat is back, and sooner than we expected.
We reported two days ago that the Trump Administration had dropped their appeal on the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge lawsuit, meaning they were abandoning their attempt to complete a land exchange in order to build a road through the sensitive wetlands of the refuge. We were sure this was not their final move on this issue but were not sure what they would try next.
Yesterday, we learned that the reason they dropped the appeal is that on June 28th, the King Cove Corporation and the Administration signed a second land exchange agreement. They were able to keep this agreement a secret for nearly a month, and we are examining what steps have been taken over that intervening time.
The National Wildlife Refuge Association will never give up on fighting for the Izembek NWR. We are examining our legal options, and are prepared to fight this new threat to the end. Keep tuned for more information and action alerts on this issue.
8/7/19 IZEMBEK UPDATE:
Yesterday, the National Wildlife Refuge Association and 8 other organizations filed suit against the Interior Department, seeking to void the new Exchange Agreement signed in secret in late June between the Department and the King Cove Corporation. This Agreement allows wilderness land in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to be traded for other lands owned by the King Cove Corporation, so that a road can be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.