The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge sits along the extended Alaska Peninsula, between the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. With its ecologically valuable lagoons and world-class wetland habitat, the Izembek Refuge hosts hundreds of migratory bird species from every continent across the globe that feed among its rich eelgrass beds before carrying out their long journeys.

Yet even this far-flung wilderness is not safe from being carved up by human development. The Izembek Refuge is in danger of being fragmented by a road that would forever harm this vitally important wetlands complex and the wildlife that it supports.

We’re speaking out in defense of the Izembek Refuge and its many valuable wildlife species. Join us by sending a message to the Interior Secretary urging an alternative to a reckless road through the refuge!

The road construction is part of a proposed land swap between the King Cove Corporation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If approved, the village of King Cove would build a road through a narrow isthmus at the heart of the refuge, destroying vital habitat for migratory birds, a caribou migration corridor, and congressionally designated wilderness in the process.

There are alternatives to road construction: a marine route between King Cove and Cold Bay, the tiny town where the road would go, is entirely viable and more reliable in harsh weather than road travel would be. The Inflation Reduction Act provided over $40 million to modernize the dock at Cold Bay, and a marine ferry would be an excellent solution to connect the two small communities without unnecessarily compromising wildlife habitat and wilderness qualities in the refuge.

One of the biggest dangers is that using a land exchange to cut through the Izembek Refuge would set a dangerous precedent for all conserved lands in Alaska. It will open the door to future land exchanges for commercial and private purposes that jeopardize over 150 million acres of national parks, refuges, wilderness areas, and other public lands!

Protect wildlife refuge lands: Send your comment to the Interior today!

There’s a path forward to connect Cold Bay and King Cove without carving a destructive road across the Izembek Refuge. Please take a moment to help us keep habitat intact for migratory birds, salmon, bears and more species, and speak out against a land exchange leading to road building through the Izembek Refuge!

Sign the petition:  https://support.defenders.org/s/3130968/D7Sr6q6d