President Trump has recently opened up as much as 500 acres of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to allow a road to be built from King Cove to Cold Bay. Under past administrations the Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service repeatedly concluded that building a road through the Izembek refuge would cause significant, irreparable damage to the area's extensive fish and wildlife habitats. Izembek contains one of the largest eelgrass beds in the world, providing vital feeding grounds for migratory birds from multiple continents. Past administrations have also determined the road through the refuge was not in the public interest.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) have championed the land swap, claiming the road is needed for medical transport. However, driving across the refuge on the proposed road from King Cove to Cold Bay would take significantly longer than taking a boat or plane. During the frequent severe weather and violent storms, the road would be impassable and dangerous. An Army Corps of Engineers assessment concluded that marine transport via ferry is the most dependable mode of transportation, reliable more than 99 percent of the time.
This project would destroy vital breeding and feeding grounds for migratory birds from over 3 continents. In an era were the earth is already unstable from climate change caused by global warming, this could cause many species of birds to be added to the endangered species list, if not causing them to go extinct. If there is not a large amount of resistance to this, then that is sending Trump the message that the people don't care. Which will then give him a larger opportunity to damage our planet even farther.
