Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Manager Sandra Siekaniec is asking for public comments regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's proposed Area Closure of Off-Road Vehicle Use for Subsistence Purposes. The area in question is limited to 4-square miles adjacent to the recently approved King Cove Access Project. The Aleutians East Borough is to construct a 17.2 mile road along the east side of Cold Bay waters between the King Cove airstrip and a planned Northeast Cold Bay Hovercraft Terminal on King Cove Corporation lands. The road would pass within one half mile of Wilderness lands within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge).
Because these Refuge lands have not been accessible, they do not have a history of off road vehicle (ORV) use. TUR>If ORV users were to use the new road as a means of entering the Refuge through routes other than currently designated roads or trails, damage to the Refuge could result.
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Public hearings on the proposed area closure will be conducted at the following locations in the communities of Cold Bay and King Cove, Alaska:
Cold Bay Community Center; Monday, May 2, 2005; 7:00 p.m.
King Cove Community Center; Tuesday, May 3, 2005; 7:00 p.m.
Information will also be provided at these meetings concerning the location of 17 (b) easements to provide public access to subsistence activities and other traditional activities.
This request for public comment is a follow-up on the King Cove Road Environmental Impact Statement. ORV access and the location of the 17 (b) easements were discussed in of the Final Environmental Impact Statement King Cove Access Project 1.5.12 Issue 12 on page 10. The limited ORV access and 17 (b) easements are only on the east side of Cold Bay adjacent to the King Cove Hovercraft Terminal Road Project.
Additional background on the ORV issue can be found in the following documents, which can be obtained from city offices of the nearby communities or from the web site at:
2. "Figure 1. Map of Proposed ORV Closure Area?
3. "Impact Analysis of Off-Road Vehicle Use for Subsistence Purposes on Refuge Lands and Resources Adjacent to the King Cove Access Project?
4. "Historical Review of the Use of Motorized Vehicles on Lands Administered by Izembek Refuge?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our homepage at http://www.fws.gov
