Contacts
Ted Heuer (907) 456-0440
Deadline for Comments on Yukon Flats Land Exchange and Acquisitons Extended
The Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge is extending the deadline for public comments on a proposed land exchange (and acquisition of Native lands) with Doyon, Limited. We are extending the original comment period by an additional 120 days, to July 30, 2005.
Doyon, Limited, an Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Corporation, currently owns 1.25 million acres within the exterior boundary of Yukon Flats NWR. In October of 2004, negotiators for Doyon and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Region, agreed in principle to provide Doyon title to some refuge lands that may hold developable oil and gas resources. In exchange, the Service would receive habitat currently owned by Doyon within the refuge boundary. This would consist of wetlands previously identified by the Service as quality fish and wildlife habitat.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service held public meetings in early 2005 to obtain feedback on the proposed land exchange. Meetings were held in the cities of Fairbanks and Anchorage; as well as the villages of Arctic Village, Beaver, Birch Creek, Central, Chalkytsik, Circle, Fort Yukon, Stevens Village, and Venetie.
During those public meetings, and in written comments provided to the Service, many individuals and organizations requested an extension of the original public comment period. This announcement is in response to those requests. The extension of the comment period will enable the public to have more time to review the ?Agreement in Principle? and the Service?s recently-published Evaluation and Review of a Proposed Land Exchange and Acquisition of Native Lands, which provides a review of the management implications and potential environmental impacts of the proposed exchange.
We have posted prior news releases, the ?Agreement in Principle,? the Evaluation and Review of a Proposed Land Exchange and Acquisition of Native Lands, and a schedule of the previously-held public informational meetings online at http://alaska.fws.gov/nwr/yukonflats/content.htm.
Information about the proposed land exchange may also be obtained by contacting the refuge office. Public comments may be submitted to yukonflatsrefuge@fws.gov or to Refuge Manager, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, 101 12th Avenue, Room 264, Box 14, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701; or by calling (907) 456-0440 or sending a fax to (907) 456-0447.
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 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources 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 and Native American tribal 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 home page at http://www.fws.gov
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