Protect Izembek’s Wildlife From a Destructive Road

A federal judge just handed Alaska’s wildlife a major victory. Now we need to make sure the Trump administration doesn’t find another way to put it at risk.

Last year, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum cut a closed-door land exchange deal designed to clear the way for an 18.9-mile gravel road between King Cove and Cold Bay, including roughly 10.5 miles through Alaska’s spectacular Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Izembek is exactly the kind of place a national wildlife refuge is supposed to protect.

Nearly the entire population of Pacific black brant stops there during migration. Caribou trek into the Wilderness to spend the winter. Brown bears crowd streams during salmon runs. Sea otters raise their young in Izembek Lagoon, while whales, Steller sea lions, and other marine wildlife inhabit the surrounding waters.

A road slicing through this extraordinary habitat could bring disturbance and development into the heart of one of America’s wildest wildlife refuges.

Fortunately, conservation groups and Alaska Native communities fought back.

On August 18, a federal judge vacated the land exchange, ruling that Interior violated federal laws when it approved the deal. The decision stopped the exchange just weeks before road construction had been expected to begin.

But Izembek isn’t safe for good. The bears, caribou, sea otters, migratory birds, and other wildlife that depend on this extraordinary refuge could still face the threat of a road cutting through their habitat.

The State of Alaska plans to appeal the ruling, and officials say they still intend to begin construction on an initial 2.8-mile segment of the road on King Cove Corporation-owned land within the refuge boundary — a move conservation attorneys argue would be illegal following the court’s decision. 

After decades of attempts to push a road through Izembek, we cannot assume this latest court victory will end the fight.

King Cove residents deserve reliable access to emergency medical care. But that need should be addressed without sacrificing federally protected Wilderness and irreplaceable wildlife habitat.

Tell Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to respect the court’s decision and abandon efforts to build a road through Izembek for good.

The petition to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reads: The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is irreplaceable habitat for migratory birds, caribou, brown bears, sea otters, and countless other animals. Respect the federal court’s decision, abandon efforts to transfer protected Izembek lands for road construction, and support transportation and medical-access solutions that do not sacrifice this extraordinary wildlife refuge.

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Sources:

https://www.kucb.org/regional/2026-08-19/federal-judge-throws-out-land-swap-weeks-before-construction-was-set-to-start-on-road-to-cold-bay

https://defenders.org/newsroom/judge-vacates-land-exchange-halts-road-through-izembek-national-wildlife-refuge

Photo: Pacific black brant fly over Izembek National Wildlife Refuge credit Lisa Hupp/USFWS