KODIAK, Alaska (AP) - Legislation to fund the U.S. Coast Guard includes a rider that would protect a small Alaska island in exchange for opening up a plot of tideland on Kodiak Island for development.
The provision introduced by Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan would authorize the swap of the federally owned land in Womens Bay for Ayakulik Island, a nearly 11-acre (4.4-hectare) patch off the southwestern coast of Kodiak Island, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported Friday.
Ayakulik Island, which is currently owned by a private company, would be handed over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for conservation under the measure. The island is a nesting place for the red-faced cormorant.
In a letter earlier this month, Sullivan said the legislation would turn the bay into an economic driver for the island while protecting property the federal agency values for conservation.
A representative of Sullivan’s office said negotiations are ongoing but the language to authorize the land swap remains in the bill.
While Ayakulik Island is valuable habitat, so too is Womens Bay for fish and migratory waterfowl, said Thomas Lance, a natural resources director for the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak.
“The Sun’aq Tribe has been very protective of anything that goes on in Womens Bay,” Lance said. “That’s where people subsist. They practice fishing.”
The Kodiak Audubon Society initially raised concerns about the effects of development on the bay’s habitat for wintering emperor geese, said Stacy Studebaker, a member of group. But the society now tentatively supports the deal, she said.
“We had concerns but we realized it’s not a huge impact, and the mitigation for the red-faced cormorant is good for us,” Studebaker said.
The Coast Guard, which operates near the site, will have final authority on development for the area and can place restrictions on its use, according to the bill.
Coast Guard officials declined to comment on the matter.
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Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com
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