by Edgar Tall, Sr.
Tribal members from the Native Village of Hooper Bay plan to testify in upcoming public meetings and ANILCA 810 hearings hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding a proposed land swap and road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
We invite other Tribal members and residents from communities across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to please join us so we can make a strong argument to federal officials against the Izembek road.
A hearing will be held in Bethel on Thursday, Dec. 12, from 6-8 pm, at the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, 420 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway. A virtual hearing for Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities will be held via Zoom, on Friday, Dec. 13, from 1-3 pm.
You can find more information at this UFWFS website: https://www.fws.gov/project/potential-land-exchange-road-between-king-cove-and-cold-bay. Registration is required for the Dec. 13 virtual meeting via Zoom: https://empsi.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-Aj7g8vWQPicQRlbHdG3tQ#/registration.
If this land swap happens and the road is built, it would slice through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, and would likely cause irreparable, potentially population-level, harm to migratory birds such as Pacific Black Brant and Emperor Geese that we depend on for subsistence.
The Izembek Refuge currently contains intact and incredibly productive wetlands that include some of the largest eelgrass beds in the world. These wetlands and eelgrass beds are critically important to Brant and Emperor Geese that stop there to feed and rest before flying north to our region, and again in the fall before they fly back down south.
The Native Village of Hooper Bay was deeply disappointed and concerned by the Biden administration’s decision last month to move forward with this land exchange and road, choosing this as its preferred alternative in an environmental study for the project.
This choice overlooks the harm the road is almost certain to cause to Yukon-Kuskokwim communities and fails to address concerns raised by other Tribal voices. Tribes and Tribal entities from Western Alaska and other parts of the state adopted 20 separate resolutions opposing the land swap and the road.
If built, the road would cut through crucial habitat for migratory birds and would also likely lead to more trails and traffic sprawling out from the main road like bones of a fish spine, which would cause major effects on these goose species that we have always relied on for subsistence.
If the road is built, we can expect habitat loss and changes that degrade this crucial ecosystem, increased disturbance to birds and wildlife that could affect their ability to survive, wildlife mortality from road construction and from vehicles, the introduction of pollutants into the environment, and more.
Tribes in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta have worked for decades with federal and state agencies in Alaska and throughout the Pacific Flyway to recover Brant, Emperor Goose and other waterfowl populations. Carving a road through Izembek Refuge’s wetlands complex that provides vital habitat for these populations undermines decades of cooperative effort with Tribes to restore waterfowl populations and undermines future subsistence opportunities.
As I have shared in prior commentary, the effects of this project, when combined with the many pressures and challenges facing our community, could have devastating consequences for our people. Our survival, health, well-being, and the continuance of our culture is intrinsically connected to the health of the Izembek ecosystem and these birds.
Participating in traditional cultural activities like hunting has proven to be one of the most powerful ways to prevent suicides and help solve other complex problems our people are now experiencing. This makes protecting our natural resources like these migratory birds even more critical.
We understand and respect the concerns of the people of King Cove and others who want safe and reliable transportation connecting King Cove to Cold Bay, but we respectfully disagree that a road is the best solution.
More than $40 million has been allocated to upgrade the Cold Bay dock, which supports a marine ferry option that could provide the transportation needs for King Cove while avoiding likely harm to Y-K Delta communities. We are still hopeful a marine ferry could be considered as a winning option for all.
If you share our concerns over food security and the future health of our youth, our elders, and our community, please join us by providing testimony Dec. 12 or Dec. 13, or by making a written comment at this link: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-R7-NWRS-2023-0072-7708
Once the public comment closes on Dec. 30, the agency will review the comments and revise the environmental study as appropriate. We hope federal officials can still be convinced to seek a solution to this issue that serves the needs of King Cove without harming the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta or other communities throughout Alaska.
Edgar Tall Sr. is Chief of the Native Village of Hooper Bay.
