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AlaskaEcosystem
Coastal, Tundra, Wetland| NOTICE: Comment period extended to 45 days: Comment period end date has changed from December 30, 2024 to February 13, 2025. |
Thank you for your interest in the potential land exchange for a road connecting King Cove and Cold Bay through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and the Congressionally designated Izembek Wilderness.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has prepared the draft SEIS at the request of the Secretary of the Interior and will be accepting public comments. You can review the draft SEIS and related documents by visiting this Regulations.gov page. A downloadable Izembek NWR Land Exchange/Road Corridor Draft SEIS Handout is also available containing maps, commenting information, and background on the project.
Quick Links
Press Release Questions and Answers MAIL IN COMMENT FORM Overview Handout Meetings Flyer PUBLIC MEETING PRESENTATION
Izembek Draft SEIS Public Meetings and ANILCA Section 810 Hearings
Please note that this information is tentative and may change due to weather/travel-related challenges. In the event there is a cancellation, we will work to reschedule as quickly as we can. Please stay up to date via this website for any last-minute changes.
Meeting Format: The meeting format will start with a presentation, followed by an opportunity to offer comments on the Draft SEIS. For communities where an ANILCA 810 hearing will be held (see more information below), we will begin taking ANILCA 810 public testimony immediately following the public meeting.
Updated as of December 9, 2024
| Community | Meeting Type | Date | Meeting Time* | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King Cove | Public Meeting and ANILCA 810 Hearing | Wednesday, December 4th | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Agdaagux Tribal Center Address: 303 Squirrel Rd |
| Cold Bay | Public Meeting and ANILCA 810 Hearing | Thursday, December 5th | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Cold Bay Community Center Address: 10 Baranov Rd |
| Sand Point | Public Meeting and ANILCA 810 Hearing | Friday, December 6th | 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Aleutians East Borough Building Address: 100 Mossberry Ln |
| Anchorage | Public Meeting | Monday, December 9th | 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Wilda Marsten Theater, Loussac Library Address: 3600 Denali Street |
| Nelson Lagoon** | Virtual Public Meeting and ANILCA 810 Hearing | Wednesday, December 11th | 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Register for the virtual Zoom meeting. |
| Bethel | Public Meeting and ANILCA 810 Hearing | Thursday, December 12th | 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center Address: 420 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway |
| Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Communities** | Virtual Public Meeting and ANILCA 810 Hearing | Friday, December 13th | 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Register for the virtual Zoom meeting. |
| False Pass** | Virtual Public Meeting and ANILCA 810 Hearing | Monday, December 16th | 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Register for the virtual Zoom meeting. |
| Virtual Meeting*** | The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites interested Federally Recognized Tribal Governments in Alaska to participate in a consultation meeting regarding the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Land Exchange/Road Corridor Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS). | Tuesday, December 17th | 1:00 p.m. | Register for the virtual Zoom meeting |
| Virtual Meeting*** | The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites interested Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act Corporations in Alaska to participate in a consultation meeting regarding the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Land Exchange/Road Corridor Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS). | Wednesday, December 18th | 1:00 p.m. | Register for the virtual Zoom meeting |
* The Service will accommodate a reasonable extension beyond the planned 2-hour timeframe, as needed and per facility hours of operation.
** Due to restrictions with flight availability, the Service regrettably will not be able to meet in person in Nelson Lagoon or False Pass. The virtual meetings scheduled will have a geographic focus for the community listed, but can also accommodate any interested participants.
***If you are authorized to consult with the Department of Interior on behalf of a Federally Recognized Tribe or ANCSA Corporation, please provide written authorization from the Tribal government or Corporation to bobbiejo_skibo@fws.gov. Registration to consult is for authorized official representatives.
ANILCA 810 Subsistence Hearings
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is required by Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) to evaluate the effects on subsistence uses and needs in determining whether to withdraw, reserve, lease, or otherwise permit the use, occupancy, or disposition of public lands on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. ANILCA also requires the Service to hold public hearings on subsistence resources and activities in conjunction with the public meetings on the Draft SEIS in the vicinity of communities for which a determination has been made of a positive “may significantly restrict.”
The communities are as follows:
- King Cove
- Cold Bay
- False Pass
- Nelson Lagoon
- Sand Point
The Service will also hold a public hearing on subsistence resources and activities in conjunction with the public meeting in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta hub community of Bethel, because the Service acknowledges that a number of communities in the vicinity, who rely on subsistence resources, could meet the “may significantly restrict” threshold based on a reduction in abundance in certain migratory birds harvested by communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
How to Submit Public Comments
The public comment period opens on November 15, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Public comments will be accepted until February 13, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
There are three ways to submit public comments:
On the Regulations.gov page announcing the availability of the draft SEIS.
By U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R7–NWRS–2023–0072; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.
By testifying at a public meeting that will be held during the public comment period.
Once the public comment period closes, the Service will review the comments received and revise the Draft SEIS, as appropriate, to prepare the final SEIS.
The draft SEIS supplements the Service’s 2013 EIS on the impacts of a then-proposed land exchange and road corridor and the viability of alternatives to provide safe and reliable transportation for noncommercial health, safety, and subsistence uses between the City of King Cove and the airport at Cold Bay, Alaska.
