Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

Photo By: John Sarvis / USFWS

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended against building a road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, because it would have too great an impact on the wilderness, including habitat for 98% of the world's Pacific black brant, a type of waterfowl popular with both birders and hunters. Grizzly bear, caribou, salmon, shorebirds and other waterbirds would also be affected by the road, which would have connected Cold Bay and King Cove.

The refuge lies between the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean at the extreme tip of the Alaska Peninsula and is more than 500 square miles in size, greater than Los Angeles.

The decision is an example of the National Environmental Policy Act in action. It requires government agencies to study the environmental impacts of projects, as well as alternatives, before a decision is made about whether they should be undertaken. In this case, the Fish and Wildlife Service's study indicated that taking no action--always an alternative--was the best choice.

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