ANCHORAGE (March 4, 2008) — The Wilderness Society will join native communities, conservation groups, Fairbanks residents and hundreds of other concerned voices today when the organization testifies in opposition to a proposed land swap that would open 110,000 acres of critical and irreplaceable wildlife habitat and wilderness in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is holding its final hearing on the controversial land swap at 5pm today in Anchorage as part of a process to collect public comments on the agency’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposal.
“The Wilderness Society has many concerns about this proposal,” said Nicole Whittington-Evans, Associate Director for The Wilderness Society’s Anchorage office. “Not only does the exchange threaten subsistence ways of life, but it violates the very purposes of the refuge. The Fish and Wildlife Service has itself acknowledged in the past that oil and gas development are not compatible with the purposes for which this refuge was established, yet the agency is not only going forward with this proposal, but giving up some of its most valuable land.”
With this proposal, the Fish and Wildlife Service would trade 110,000 acres of refuge land plus subsurface title to another 97,000 refuge acres for approximately 150,000 acres owned by Doyon. Doyon is interested in exploring and drilling for oil and gas and would likely seek to acquire additional refuge lands for expanded operations in the future. The lands USFWS is proposing to give to Doyon represent some of the most valuable habitat for Dall sheep. The project would also allow roads to be built through the agency’s own recommended Wilderness area, alongside a designated Wild River, and through the White Mountain National Recreation Area.
“As a result of the Exxon disaster, Alaskans know all too well about the negative consequences of oil and gas development,” said Rob Rosenfeld, International Development and Policy Advisor for the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. “Native residents of Nuiqsit are also learning first-hand about the negative health impacts of living near oil production facilities. The air quality impacts in Yukon Flats could be much worse than what we are seeing on the North Slope. Also, just one oil spill could spell disaster for the entire Yukon River watershed, an international treasure.”
The Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 11 million acres in eastern interior Alaska. The refuge supports the highest density of breeding ducks in Alaska, along with three species of salmon, and many other species important for subsistence. Native Gwich’in Athabascan people have relied on these resources for thousands of years, and the plants and animals of this land continue to play a vital social, cultural, and economic role for the eight native villages located in and near the refuge. Among the most vocal opponents at other hearings over the last few weeks have been native people living in communities within the refuge.
Doyon’s shareholders have already spoken out against the land exchange, and 7 of the native villages in and near the refuge have passed resolutions opposing this project. “This land exchange, and the oil development Doyon proposes, threatens to change our way of life and everything we have ever known,” stated Dacho Alexander, First Chief of the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribe in Fort Yukon. “Doyon tells us that oil and gas development will bring jobs and money, but we are happy the way things are. We are already rich because we have our land, the Yukon River, and everything it provides for us. Oil development will bring air pollution, water pollution, and it will not benefit anyone who lives here. Only the Doyon Corporation stands to gain from this exchange.”
The lands USFWS would acquire in the exchange do not necessarily provide any benefit to the refuge and its purposes. The agency is giving up upland lakes in exchange for more lowland habitat, a move that could actually harm, not help birds. “The effects of climate change have already taken a toll on this landscape in the form of more frequent fires and drying lakes,” pointed out Wendy Loya, ecologist and climate change expert for The Wilderness Society. “Oil and gas development here would only add to these effects, and until we better understand the long-term changes that could result from global warming, it’s even more important that the Fish and Wildlife Service protect key habitats, especially for migratory birds.”
Other problems with the exchange include the unfairly rushed public process and the absence of an appraisal which justifies the acreage being swapped.
“If this proposal is allowed to move forward, Doyon will be able to expand its operations into other parts of the refuge, further fragmenting the refuge and undermining the pristine habitat it was designed to protect for future generations,” added Whittington-Evans. “This is not a question of jobs versus the environment. It’s a matter of what’s best for the native people who have lived here for thousands of years, what’s best for the residents of Alaska, and what’s best for all Americans. This plan is a bad idea, and should not proceed.”
The mission of The Wilderness Society is to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild lands.
