The Yukon River is a central feature of the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge and serves as a life force for fish, wildlife, and the Native people who have lived here for thousands of years. Photo courtesy USFWS.

The Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in eastern interior Alaska encompasses 11 million acres representing some of the most productive Arctic wildlife habitat in North America. The diverse landscape, which ranges from mountains and high alpine tundra to a vast wetland basin of rivers, streams, and more than 20,000 lakes, supports more than 150 species of birds, 39 mammals, and 18 species of fish. Known especially for its value to migratory birds, the refuge hosts the highest density of breeding ducks in Alaska. Native Gwich'in and Koyukon Athabascan people have relied on these resources for thousands of  years, and subsistence activities continue to define the cultural and social fabric of the eight native villages located in and near the Refuge. A land exchange proposed between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the native-owned, for-profit Doyon corporation (Doyon) poses new and serious threats to wildlife, water quality, and ways of life.      

Proposed Land Exchange

In 2004 the USFWS and Doyon reached an initial agreement to trade 110,000 acres of refuge land plus subsurface title to another 97,000 refuge acres for approximately 150,000 acres owned by Doyon. Doyon is interested in exploring and drilling for oil and gas and would likely seek to acquire additional refuge lands for expanded operations in the future.

What's at Stake?

Native Traditions and Wildlife Protection
Among the purposes for which Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge (Yukon Flats refuge) was established are "to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity, to provide for continued subsistence uses by local residents, and to ensure water quality and quantity in the refuge." Oil and gas development are not compatible with these purposes-something that the USFWS itself has acknowledged in the past. The USFWS describes Yukon Flats as "a natural, virtually undisturbed ecosystem." Development poses a threat not only to water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and subsistence cultures, but also to the wilderness and recreational values of the refuge and its adjacent public lands.

Resource Values of Yukon Flats NWR and Adjacent Lands
The proposed land exchange and subsequent oil and gas development will likely adversely affect:

• Wildlife populations and their habitats
  Roads, noise, increased human activity, and air and water pollution will have both direct impacts to wildlife, as well as indirect impacts as a result of changes to habitat. 
• Chinook and chum salmon and Arctic Grayling
  These fish are important food sources for local people. Their populations will likely be impacted by the large water withdrawals required by oil development, and the addition of pollutants and sediment to rivers and streams.
• The waters and scenic and recreational values of Beaver Creek and Yukon River
  Beaver Creek (including a section legislatively designated as a Wild River) flows through the area of the proposed land exchange. Oil and gas development not only will impair the creek's wild and scenic character, but also will likely add pollutants and alter water temperatures, flow, and sediment loads.  Other water bodies may also be affected, including some that drain into the Yukon River. 

  Oil and gas development would be a major threat to Native cultures that depend on the fish and wildlife found in the Yukon River watershed. Photo by Nicole Whittington-Evans.

• The wilderness values of the White
  Crazy Mountain Potential Wilderness Area-This premier refuge wilderness is important habitat for Dall sheep and also provides a connecting corridor to adjacent public lands. Oil and gas development will require roads, pipelines, and other infrastructure sited directly through this area, and also likely through the White Mountains National Recreation Area, and directly adjacent to a portion of Beaver Creek designated as a Wild River.
• Native Culture and Subsistence Ways of Life
  Traditional native culture and subsistence ways of life are dependent on land, water, plants and wildlife and tribal leaders are strongly opposing the land exchange proposal. "Oil and gas development can severely affect everyone who depends on the Yukon River....If there was a spill it could flow downhill in the watershed to the Yukon River and impact the salmon and all other wildlife that depend on the river," cautions a brochure published by the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribal Government in Fort Yukon.

Other Concerns

• Climate Change
  Concerns also have been raised about adding the impacts of oil and gas exploration to the effects of global warming on lands in and around the refuge. Documented effects include drying lakes, hotter temperatures, changes in salmon health and migration patterns, and increased forest fires.
• Doyon's Track Record
  Doyon's poor environmental record is another reason to oppose the land exchange. Doyon's record includes a $3 million fine and 15 guilty pleas by the corporation for dumping hazardous wastes down wells.