Defenders of Wildlife Challenges Interior’s Secretive Refuge and Wilderness Sellout on Alaskan Peninsula

Defenders of Wildlife today filed suit in federal district court to challenge Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's unlawful land exchange in Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness for violating the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act and the Wilderness Act.

In the midst of the longest government shutdown in history, Secretary Burgum signed an agreement on October 21 to transfer a 10-mile corridor in the heart of Izembek Refuge and Wilderness out of federal ownership to enable a private for-profit Alaska Native corporation to construct a gravel road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay. Building a road that bisects the Refuge will adversely affect dozens of wildlife species, from northern sea otters and Pacific black brant to grizzly bears and caribou, degrade world-class wetlands and eelgrass beds, and irreversibly diminish the wilderness character of adjoining federal lands.

"Under the Trump administration, the Interior Secretary entered into an illegal deal done in the darkness of a government shutdown: a sellout of one of our country's largest and most pristine wildlife refuges and wilderness areas," said Jane Davenport, a senior attorney in Defenders of Wildlife's Biodiversity Law Center. "Our treasured public conservation lands belong to all Americans. Defenders of Wildlife will stand up in court to hold this administration to account for recklessly and unlawfully trading them away."

At the center of Defenders' legal challenge is the federal government's failure to comply with the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act and Wilderness Act when it exchanged the road corridor lands out of federal ownership. In designating Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness when it enacted the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act more than 40 years ago, Congress specifically recognized the value of protecting Izembek's globally significant wetlands complex that sustains an extraordinary level of biodiversity. The Izembek and Kinzarof Lagoon Complex straddling the isthmus where the road is planned was the first area in the United States to be recognized as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

"For decades, Defenders of Wildlife has stood up for this globally significant wildlife refuge and wilderness - an essential home for caribou, brown bear and the global populations of Pacific brant and Emperor geese," said Nicole Whittington-Evans, senior director of Alaska and Northwest programs at Defenders of Wildlife. "Secretary Burgum has no authority to transfer refuge and wilderness lands out of federal ownership to pave the way for a road. We stand with the many Alaskan tribes opposing this unnecessary and destructive project, and the multitude of Americans who are invested in protecting the ecological future of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness."

Located between the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, Izembek provides unique and irreplaceable habitats for hundreds of terrestrial and aquatic species and is an essential stopover for dozens of migratory bird species. Along with bears, caribou, and Pacific salmon, the refuge is home to federally threatened northern sea otters, Steller sea lions, and Steller's eiders protected under the Endangered Species Act. The lagoons and surrounding wetlands host hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl, including the imperiled Pacific black brant, Taverner's Canada goose, Emperor goose and tundra swan.

For over 75 years, Defenders of Wildlife has remained dedicated to protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.1 million members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroomor follow us on X @Defenders.

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