Beaver Creek
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Protecting the Refuge
Evading Congressional intent to protect an intact ecosystem, the land trade would remove habitats from the refuge to allow incompatible oil and gas drilling on the land. Roads, pipelines, and pollution also threaten Beaver Creek and the White Mountains.
The Land
Yukon Flats, third largest in the National Wildlife Refuge System, straddles the Arctic Circle and 300 miles of the Yukon River. Diverse wetlands with 40,000 lakes and ponds are fed by clean rivers flowing from White Mountains and Brooks Range foothills.
Quick Facts & Links
The proposed land swap would have severed the refuge in half and harmed wildlife habitats. Oil spills risk the mighty Yukon River and salmon runs vital for fisheries supporting Gwich’in communities and dozens of other Alaska Native and Canadian communities. The Obama Administration reversed course in 2010 and halted the land swap.
Victory in 6-Year Fight! Applause to Fish & Wildlife Service for Halting Yukon Flats Refuge Land Trade
Alaska Native and conservation groups applauded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for listening to public and tribal concerns by preferring the “No Land Exchange” alternative in its final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge Proposed Land Exchange.
