As a longtime resident, business owner and hunter in Cold Bay, I have a deep love and respect for the rich habitat and subsistence resources of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Its lagoons, eelgrass beds, wildlife and waterfowl are a priceless asset to the region.
Sadly, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and the people of King Cove are unyielding in their effort to force the construction of an unnecessary road that would cause permanent harm to Izembek, hurting the very species and habitat the refuge was created to protect.
I have never been an environmentalist, and writing an opinion piece to oppose a road project is not something I ever expected to be doing. But the proposed road, which has been studied and firmly rejected by the federal government, simply makes no sense. It would do all harm, and no good.
The people of King Cove say the road would improve their access to Cold Bay's larger runway during medical emergencies, allowing quicker flights to Anchorage. But the road—as it is proposed—would be a one-lane gravel route across extremely remote, windswept and stormy terrain.
During severe storms in Cold Bay, it is often a struggle just to keep routes open so my employees can to get to work. Driving an ambulance through miles of drifted snow on a gravel road would be impossible. And I can assure you that attempts to keep the road plowed and open would be hopeless. Not to mention hugely expensive.
Alaska communities that are off the road system all face challenges with emergency medical transportation. Many of them envy King Cove for it's modern medical clinic and the $37.5 million in federal money allocated under the 1996 King Cove Health and Safety Act to address transportation needs. At a time of deep federal budget cuts that are affecting numerous public services programs, and reducing the size of America's military forces, how can we afford to spend upwards of $80 million on a gravel road that has been rejected by the U.S.government and found to not be in the public interest?
The multimillion-dollar hovercraft purchased with those tax dollars was a success, and carried a full ambulance and crew to Cold Bay in about 20 minutes, compared with the nearly two-hour drive estimated if the road were built. Unfortunately, the Aleutians East Borough dumped the hovercraft and continued its fight for a road.
Proponents of the road are unwilling to compromise, because they want to open Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. They say the road would be used only for emergencies, but who would enforce restrictions on private vehicles that trespassed on it to improve hunting and recreational access to the refuge?
The tracks of off-road vehicles already scar portions of Izembek, which is home to brown bears, caribou and many other species important for subsistence. Migratory waterfowl depend on the area's lagoons for breeding, nesting, molting and feeding habitat, and a declining caribou herd often winters in the proposed road corridor. Virtually the entire world population of Pacific black brant and emperor geese relies on this area for building fat reserves before and after long spring and fall migrations. These birds feed villages throughout the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta. Numerous species, including nesting tundra swans and caribou, would lose essential habitat if the road were built.
That's why the Waterfowl Conservation Committee of the Association of Village Council Presidents, which represents 56 villages in Western Alaska, has opposed the road since 1998.
Why would we sacrifice this resource for a road that wouldn't really improve emergency medical access for the people of King Cove? Other transportation options exist, but if we ruin the refuge, it is gone forever. So are the birds and the caribou.
Alaskans, and all Americans, deserve a solution for King Cove that doesn't destroy Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
Gary Ferguson was directly involved in the formation of city governments in Sand Point and King Cove, and the formation of the Aleutians East Borough. He married and raised his family in Sand Point from 1963 to 1984, then moved to Cold Bay, where he still lives. He is owner of G&K Inc.-Cold Bay Electric Utility and Aleutian Services Inc., which handles both marine freight and air freight.