Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Land Exchange/Road Corridor, Cold Bay, AL, 16059-16062 [2012-6476]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 53 (Monday, March 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16059-16062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6476]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R7-R-2011-N273; FXRS12650700000U4-123-FF07R06000]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Izembek National Wildlife 
Refuge Land Exchange/Road Corridor, Cold Bay, AL

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments; announcement 
of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the 
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge proposed land exchange/road corridor 
for public review and comment. In the DEIS, we describe the purpose and 
need, the proposed action, alternatives, and impact analysis for the 
proposed land exchange/road corridor of certain lands owned by the 
United States and managed by the Service, certain lands owned by the 
State of Alaska, and certain lands owned by the King Cove Corporation. 
The DEIS also evaluates a proposed road corridor through the Izembek 
National Wildlife Refuge and the Izembek Wilderness Area.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by 
May 18, 2012. We will hold public meetings in the five communities 
within and near the Refuge, and also in the city of Anchorage, in 
Alaska. We will announce these upcoming public meetings in local news 
media.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or requests for copies or more 
information by any of the following methods. You may request a summary 
of the DEIS, or a CD-ROM containing the summary and full DEIS.
    Agency Web Site: Download a copy of the summary or full DEIS 
document at https://izembek.fws.gov/EIS.htm.
    Email: izembek_eis@fws.gov; include ``Izembek National Wildlife 
Refuge DEIS'' in the subject line of the message.
    Fax: Attn: Stephanie Brady, Project Team Leader, (907) 786-3965.
    U.S. Mail: Stephanie Brady, Project Team Leader, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Rd., MS-231, Anchorage, AK 99503.
    In-Person Pickup or Drop-off: You may pick up a copy or drop off 
comments during regular business hours at the address listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Brady, (907) 786-3357, or at 
the addresses above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Introduction

    With this notice, we continue the EIS process for the Izembek 
National Wildlife Refuge land exchange/road corridor proposal. We 
started this process with notices of intent in the Federal Register (74 
FR 39336; August 6, 2009; 75 FR 8396; February 24, 2010), indicating 
the beginning of the scoping period and publishing the dates and 
locations of the scoping meetings.
    The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (417,533 acres) and the North 
Creek (8,452 acres) and Pavlof (1,447,264 acres) units of the Alaska 
Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge are located at the westernmost tip 
of the Alaska Peninsula. To the north of the Izembek Refuge is the 
Bering Sea; to the south is the Pacific Ocean. The Alaska Peninsula is 
dominated by the rugged Aleutian Range, part of the Aleutian arc chain 
of volcanoes. Landforms include mountains, active volcanoes, U-shaped 
valleys, glacial moraines, low tundra wetlands, lakes, sand dunes, and 
lagoons. Elevations range from sea level to the 9,372-foot Shishaldin 
Volcano. Shishaldin Volcano is a designated National Natural Landmark. 
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge stretches from the Arctic 
Ocean to the southeast panhandle of Alaska and protects breeding 
habitat for seabirds, marine mammals, and other wildlife on more than 
2,500 islands, spires, rocks, and coastal headlands.

Background

    On December 6, 1960, Public Land Order 2216 established the 
498,000-acre Izembek National Wildlife Range, which included Izembek 
Lagoon and its entire watershed near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula as 
``a refuge, breeding ground and management area for all forms of 
wildlife.'' Eighty-four thousand, two hundred acres of this national 
wildlife range, including Izembek Lagoon, are state lands under the 
Submerged Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1312. The State of Alaska established 
the Izembek State Game Refuge to continue protecting the rare resources 
of Izembek Lagoon in 1972. In December 1980, the Alaska National 
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA; Pub. L. 96-487) was enacted. 
Section 303(3) redesignated the existing Izembek National Wildlife 
Range, containing the 417,533-acre watershed surrounding Izembek 
Lagoon, as the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.
    As described in ANILCA, Izembek Refuge purposes include the 
following:
    (i) To conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their 
natural diversity * * *;
    (ii) To fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United 
States with respect to fish and wildlife and their habitats;
    (iii) To provide, in a manner consistent with the purposes set 
forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii), the opportunity for continued 
subsistence uses by local residents; and
    (iv) To ensure, to the maximum extent practicable and in a manner 
consistent with the purposes set forth in paragraph (i), water quality 
and necessary water quantity within the refuge.
    Section 702(6) of ANILCA also designated 300,000 acres (72%) of the 
Izembek Refuge Unit as wilderness. The Wilderness Act creates 
additional purposes for designated wilderness areas within refuge 
boundaries. Specifically, these areas are to be managed ``for the use 
and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them 
unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness, and so as to 
provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their

[[Page 16060]]

wilderness character, and for the gathering and dissemination of 
information regarding their use and enjoyment as wilderness.'' The 
Wilderness Act specifically prohibits the construction of permanent 
roads through wilderness area designated under the Act.
    The Izembek Refuge is inhabited by a diverse and abundant community 
of fish and wildlife. Izembek Lagoon and adjacent coastal waters and 
wetlands form one of the most important migratory bird staging habitats 
in the world. In recognition of that, in 2001 it was designated as a 
Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy for its 
importance to internationally migrating birds. Hundreds of thousands of 
geese, ducks, and shorebirds use the Izembek Refuge's wetlands and the 
adjacent lagoons to rest and feed during their long migrations between 
arctic breeding areas and their diverse wintering areas, some as far 
away as South America and New Zealand. Each spring and fall, Izembek 
Lagoon provides staging habitat for more than 90% of the world's 
population of Pacific brant and many sea ducks and other waterbirds 
winter at the Izembek Refuge and adjacent marine waters.
    Together, the Izembek Refuge and Izembek State Game Refuge, which 
encompasses the tidelands of Izembek Lagoon, were recognized for the 
area's extraordinary ecological values when they became one of the 
first sites in North America to be designated a Wetland of 
International Importance under the Ramsar convention, one of only 19 
such sites within the United States. Izembek Lagoon supports some of 
the most extensive remaining eelgrass meadows in the world, providing a 
rich environment for waterbirds and other wildlife. The Refuge was also 
designated as a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird 
Conservancy for its importance to internationally migrating birds. 
Izembek Lagoon and adjacent habitats qualify as a site of Regional 
Importance (hosts at least 20,000 birds annually) and likely 
International Importance (hosts at least 100,000 birds annually) in the 
Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). The lagoon's 
barrier islands protect the eelgrass habitat and wildlife species from 
the dramatic storms of the Bering Sea.
    The Izembek Refuge also supports species of concern such as the 
threatened Steller's Eider, threatened sea otter, threatened Steller 
Sea Lion, tundra swan, black brant, gray-bellied brant, and Emperor 
Goose. Wildlife habitat throughout the Izembek Wilderness currently 
maintains a high level of connectivity providing undisturbed habitat 
for brown bears, caribou, moose, salmon and countless migratory birds. 
Additionally, caribou use Izembek Refuge as wintering grounds and brown 
bear use the area around the isthmus for denning. Red fox, wolves and 
wolverines are found on the refuge and harbor seals can be seen along 
the coastline and in the lagoons. Coho, chum, sockeye and pink salmon 
return in great numbers to the many streams of Izembek Refuge to spawn 
each year.
    The Refuge also has a rich human history, from ancient settlements 
of Alaska Natives, through the 18th and 19th century Russian fur 
traders, to a World War II outpost. The Izembek Wilderness covers most 
of the refuge and includes pristine streams, extensive wetlands, steep 
mountains, tundra, and sand dunes, and provides high scenic, wildlife, 
and scientific values, as well as outstanding opportunities for 
solitude and primitive recreation. The overall remoteness of the 
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and associated wilderness also lends 
itself to providing visitors with outstanding opportunities for 
primitive and unconfined recreation. Currently, the narrow isthmus 
separating the Bering Sea from the North Pacific is not fragmented by 
road construction and provides connectivity of habitat for many species 
inhabiting the southern Alaska Peninsula region. In addition to lands 
within Izembek Refuge, the land exchange involves parcels on Sitkinak 
Island within Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and parcels 
owned by the King Cove Corporation and the State of Alaska. Sitkinak 
Island is primarily owned by the State of Alaska, with two parcels 
owned by the Service. Some of the State of Alaska lands proposed for 
exchange would become part of the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife 
Refuge if the exchange is approved.
    The King Cove Corporation is an Alaska Native Village Corporation 
established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (43 
U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (ANCSA). Under the authority of ANCSA, Congress 
granted King Cove Corporation land entitlements within and adjacent to 
Izembek Refuge. The State of Alaska also owns lands, submerged lands, 
shorelands, and tidelands within and adjacent to Izembek and Alaska 
Peninsula Refuges, including the Izembek State Game Refuge.
    Prior legislation and an EIS also focused on providing access 
between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. The King Cove Health 
and Safety Act (Section 353) of the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency 
Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1999 (Pub. L. 105-227) provided 
appropriations of $37.5 million for the Aleutians East Borough to 
construct a marine-road link between the communities of King Cove and 
Cold Bay ($20 million). This law also provided appropriation for 
improvements to the King Cove Airport ($15 million) and King Cove 
Clinic ($2.5 million). The conference committee report on this law 
stated the committees have agreed to these funds as an alternative to 
an easement for a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge 
wilderness area to address critical health and safety needs.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the King Cove Access 
Project EIS and issued a Record of Decision addressing the marine-road 
link in 2003. The road was constructed to Lenard Harbor, where 
hovercraft support facilities were installed. A hovercraft was 
purchased and began operating in 2007. Hovercraft transit service was 
provided by the Aleutians East Borough until November 2010. King Cove 
residents continued to advocate for a road as the safest and most 
reliable transportation system.
    In 2009 the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (Act), 
Public Law 111-11; 123 Stat. 991, was enacted. Subject to complying 
with the requirements of the Act, it authorized the Secretary of the 
Interior to enter into a land exchange between the Service and State of 
Alaska and between the Service and the King Cove Corporation for the 
purpose of constructing a single-lane gravel road between the 
communities of King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska through Izembek National 
Wildlife Refuge. The land exchange would involve the removal of 
approximately 200 acres within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, 
including lands within the wilderness portion of the Refuge, for the 
road corridor, and approximately 1,600 acres of Federal land within the 
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge on Sitkinak Island. In 
exchange, we would receive approximately 43,093 acres of land owned by 
the State of Alaska and approximately 13,300 acres of land owned by the 
King Cove Corporation. The lands from the State of Alaska would be 
designated wilderness, as would the approximately 2,565 acres of lands 
from the King Cove Corporation. These lands are located around Cold Bay 
and adjacent to the North Creek Unit of Alaska Peninsula National 
Wildlife Refuge.

[[Page 16061]]

    The extraordinary wildlife and wilderness resources of Izembek 
National Wildlife Refuge have been recognized for their national and 
international significance. Congress designated the wilderness area for 
its outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive and unconfined 
type of recreation. It contains outstanding ecological, geological, or 
other features of scientific, educational, scenic, and historical 
value. It has retained its primeval character and influence, without 
permanent improvements or human habitation, and is currently managed to 
protect and preserve its natural conditions. Section 6402(b) of the 
Act, requires the Service to prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508). The Act directs that the EIS analyze the proposed 
land exchange and the potential construction and operation of a road 
between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska. The Act 
requires that the Service identify a specific road corridor through the 
Refuge in consultation with the State, the City of King Cove and the 
Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove. Following completion of the EIS and Record 
of Decision section 6402(d) of the Act requires the Secretary to 
determine whether the land exchange (including the construction of a 
road between the City of King Cove, Alaska, and the Cold Bay Airport) 
is in the public interest.

EIS Alternatives We Are Considering

    Subject to complying with the requirements of the Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior is authorized to consider a land exchange 
between the Service and State of Alaska and between the Service and the 
King Cove Corporation for the purpose of constructing a single-lane 
gravel road between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska. 
The Act also required that we prepare this draft EIS. The Agdaagux 
Tribe of King Cove, Aleutians East Borough, City of King Cove, Federal 
Highway Administration/Western Federal Lands, King Cove Corporation, 
Native Village of Belkofski, State of Alaska, and U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Alaska District (Corps) are formal cooperators in the 
preparation of this draft EIS. The Service is the lead agency.
    The DEIS includes evaluation of two specific potential road 
corridors through the Izembek Refuge and wilderness that were 
identified in consultation with the State of Alaska, the City of King 
Cove, and the Agdaagux Tribe of King Cove. We developed and evaluated 
the following alternatives, summarized in the table and described 
briefly below. A full description of each alternative is in the DEIS.

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    Alternative 1  No Action         Alternative 2       Alternative 3       Alternative 4       Alternative 5
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No land exchange. Current modes   Land Exchange and   Land Exchange and   Hovercraft          Lenard Harbor
 of transportation, including      southern road       northern            operation 6 days    ferry with Cold
 air and marine.                   alignment through   alignment through   per week from       Bay dock
                                   Izembek refuge      Izembek refuge      northeast           improvements.
                                   and wilderness.     and wilderness.     hovercraft
                                                                           terminal to Cross
                                                                           Wind Cove.
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Alternative 1--No Action

    Under Alternative 1, the Service would not enter into a land 
exchange with King Cove Corporation and the State of Alaska for the 
purpose of constructing a road between King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska. 
Current modes of transportation between the cities of King Cove and 
Cold Bay would continue to operate, including air, personal marine 
vessels, ferry service approximately twice per month in the summer 
season, and seasonal hovercraft service. This alternative assumes that 
The Aleutians East Borough would reinstitute hovercraft service between 
the new northeast terminal and Cross Wind Cove in 2013. Scheduled 
hovercraft service would be three days per week during the months of 
April through October.
    As the DEIS was approaching completion, the Aleutians East Borough 
sent the Service a letter stating that they will not resume hovercraft 
service in the foreseeable future. The final EIS will reflect the 
current status of the hovercraft and other changes that are made in 
response to public comments.

Alternative 2--Land Exchange and Southern Road Alignment

    Alternative 2 proposes a land exchange between the federal 
government, State of Alaska, and King Cove Corporation as described in 
the Proposed Action. The estimated amount of federal land exchanged in 
this alternative for the road corridor would be 201 acres, including 
131 acres in Izembek Wilderness, assuming a 100-foot corridor width.

Alternative 3--Land Exchange and Central Road Alignment

    Alternative 3 proposes a land exchange between the federal 
government, State of Alaska, and King Cove Corporation, as described in 
the Proposed Action. The estimated amount of federal land exchanged in 
this alternative for the road corridor would be 227 acres, including 
152 acres in Izembek Wilderness, assuming a 100-foot corridor width.

Alternative 4--Hovercraft Operations From the Northeast Hovercraft 
Terminal to Cross Wind Cove (Six Days Per Week)

    Alternative 4 is the Proposed Action in the 2003 EIS for the King 
Cove Access Project completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The 
alternative considered in this EIS would not require further 
construction activities; the alternative will consider operations of 
the hovercraft, as described in the 2003 EIS, for service 6 days per 
week between the Northeast Hovercraft Terminal and the Cross Wind Cove. 
As the DEIS was approaching completion, the Aleutians East Borough sent 
the Service a letter stating they will not resume hovercraft service in 
the foreseeable future.

Alternative 5--Lenard Harbor Ferry With Cold Bay Dock Improvements

    Alternative 5 would use a ferry to travel 14 miles between a 
terminal in Lenard Harbor and a substantially modified Cold Bay dock. 
This alternative is similar to an alternative that was analyzed in the 
2003 EIS, with the exception of project elements that have been 
permitted or constructed to date, including the access road to the 
site, a terminal building with associated utility infrastructure, and a 
parking area. However, the Lenard Harbor terminal structure has been 
damaged by a storm, and would have to be replaced. Upgrades to the 
parking area and security fencing would also be necessary. Ferry 
service would be provided 6 days per week.

[[Page 16062]]

Preferred Alternative

    There is no preferred alternative selected for the Draft EIS. We 
will evaluate public comments and have a preferred alternative in the 
final EIS.

Public Review

    We started the EIS for Izembek Refuge land exchange/road corridor 
in August 2009. At that time and throughout the planning process, we 
requested public comments and considered and incorporated them in 
numerous ways. In January 2010, we published a scoping newsletter 
describing the process for the EIS and informing the public of upcoming 
scoping meetings, and how they could be informed or involved. In 
October 2010, we published another newsletter informing the public of 
the issues identified during scoping. These newsletters were mailed to 
approximately 1,000 individuals, agencies, and organizations, and the 
documents were available over the Internet at https://izembek.fws.gov/
eis.htm.
    To gather additional input from the public, we held seven public 
open house meetings--five in communities adjacent to or within the 
boundaries of the Izembek Refuge; one in Washington, DC; and one in 
Anchorage, Alaska.
    Individuals and organizations provided 31,568 comments during the 
scoping process. The responses came in emails, web forms, postcards, 
faxes, letters, and public hearing transcripts. Approximately 87 people 
spoke at meetings in 7 communities. The responses were reviewed, coded, 
and analyzed. Comments were sorted into broad issue groups including:
    1. NEPA process (permits, the EIS, consultation and coordination);
    2. Purpose and need for the action;
    3. Proposed action, alternatives, and mitigation measures;
    4. Affected environment, environmental consequences, and potential 
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts; and
    5. Data and available information.
    We considered and evaluated these issues and public concerns, and 
used them to develop various aspects of the DEIS. The DEIS is now 
available for public review. As described in the following sections, 
the public may obtain copies of the DEIS summary, compact discs of the 
full document or view the document on our web site. Comments may be 
submitted at public meetings or via email, regular mail or fax. Once 
the public comment period ends, the comments will be analyzed and used 
to craft the final EIS which will be released later this year.

Public Availability of Documents

    In addition to any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain 
documents at our Web site: https://izembek.fws.gov/EIS.htm.

Public Meetings

    We will involve the public through open houses, meetings, and 
written comments. We will mail documents to our national and local 
Refuge mailing lists. Public open house meetings will be held in 
Anchorage, Cold Bay, False Pass, King Cove, Nelson Lagoon and Sand 
Point, Alaska. Dates, times, and locations of each meeting or open 
house will be announced in advance in local media and on our Web sites.

Submitting Comments/Issues for Comment

    We particularly seek comments on the issues and alternatives 
addressed in the DEIS. We will respond to all substantive comments in 
the final EIS.
    We consider comments substantive if they:
     Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of the 
information in the document;
     Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of the 
environmental assessment;
     Present reasonable alternatives other than those presented 
in the draft EIS; and/or
     Provide new or additional information relevant to the 
assessment.

Next Steps

    After this comment period ends, we will analyze the comments and 
address them in the form of a final EIS and decision document.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: March 13, 2012.
Geoffrey L. Haskett,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2012-6476 Filed 3-16-12; 8:45 am]
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