Izembek Road: The Heart of the Refuge

April 29, 2010

At the center of the 417,533-acre Izembek National Wildlife Refuge are two lagoons, Izembek and Kinzarof. These lagoons are separated by a narrow isthmus about three miles wide. Combined, the lagoons, their watersheds, and the isthmus—the lagoons complex—make up the ecological heart of the refuge. The area has been recognized internationally for having some of the most striking wildlife and wilderness values in the northern hemisphere. A road authorized in P.L. 111-11 (the Omnibus Public Land Management Act) would cut through the center of this isthmus, fragmenting and degrading the ecological integrity of the lagoons complex, resulting in impacts extending well beyond the road and affecting the conservation value of the entire refuge.

Species hardest hit would be those whose essential habitat would be directly impacted by road construction, maintenance, and traffic—birds and mammals that use the lagoons and the isthmus wetlands, tundra and tidal flats to nest, feed, and forage. In particular, Pacific black brant, Steller’s eiders, emperor geese, caribou, tundra swans, sea otters, and brown bears would be impacted. Many of these species are rare, declining, or even listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The refuge was established to protect them, and a road through the heart of the refuge is not compatible with this purpose. The lagoons complex comprises such high quality habitat for so many species that no exchange lands could mitigate its loss.

Read the fact sheet in its entirety by clicking the link below.