Urge Secretary Jewell to Protect Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated that it will deny a request to build a road through remote wilderness areas of Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. This decision now goes to the Secretary of the Interior to be finalized.
The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is internationally recognized for its important wetlands and wildlife habitat, and as congressionally designated Wilderness.
Tell Secretary Jewell that you stand behind the Fish and Wildlife Service's decision, and urge him to finalize and adopt the agency's decision to deny this proposed road.
Dear Secretary Jewell,
Re: Please finalize and adopt the agency's decision to protect Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
I want to urge you to demonstrate real conservation leadership concerning the proposed road through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The pristine wilderness of the Izembek refuge is home to almost the entire global seabird population of Pacific black brant and other vulnerable waterfowl, as well as brown bears, wolves, and wolverines.
[Your comments will be inserted here.]
The proposed road would cut right through the heart of the refuge, destroying sensitive internationally recognized wetlands and fragmenting habitat and would set a terrible precedent for the management of national wildlife refuges and designated wilderness.
While recognizing that there were difficult competing public interests surrounding the proposed road, the Fish and Wildlife Service made the correct decision in selecting the "no-road alternative" in its environmental analysis for the refuge, as there are safe transportation alternatives that don't harm the refuge.
I now urge you to finalize and adopt the agency's decision to protect the integrity of the Izembek wildlife refuge and declare the road not in the public interest.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
