The agency is considering a trade of protected land for noncommercial road access.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) recently announced that officials will be assessing the environmental impact of a potential land swap, exchanging a large swath of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for a non-commercial road connecting the residents of King Cove to an airstrip in Cold Bay.
Supporters of the deal say that a road to the airstrip will be a crucial asset to King Cove’s population of 1,000, allowing them to access medical flights and other emergency services. Environmentalists are concerned not only for the wildlife in the wildlife preserve but for the precedent this kind of land swap could set for other wildlife preserves in America.
The department’s Fish and Wildlife Service will be heading this review process and will accept public comments on the land swap for 30 days.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Director Martha Williams as she oversees the Fish and Wildlife Service’s review process.
- For Secretary Deb Haaland to seek the Lord as she leads the Interior Department.
- For agency officials as they field public commentary and consider the impact of the land swap on humans and wildlife.
Sources: Reuters, Department of the Interior
