AIDEA: Ambler Road won’t impact caribou
tion. The report notes that AIDEA’s Red Dog Road and Port infrastructure typically allows the WAH to cross during their fall migration. The Am- bler Access Project is an example of a resource development project that can coexist with subsistence harvest and maintenance of wildlife popula- tions similar to Red Dog.” Key findings from the report, not - ed by AIDEA, include: n Minimal habitat loss: The proposed road footprint is less than 0.005% of the WAH’s 92.2-mil - lion-acre range and is unlikely to negatively affect habitat loss. n Lack of interference with ma- jor migration routes: The primary migration routes of the WAH have been west and north of the proposed road. The number of collared cari- bou crossing the proposed road route during fall migrations and winter has been small in past years. n Ambler Road and mine’s lo - cation are not near WAH calving grounds: The Ambler Road and as- sociated mines are located over 150 miles away from the Western Arctic Caribou core calving grounds, some of which are in and near the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A). n Demonstrated migration resil- ience across existing infrastructure: Caribou have successfully crossed the Dalton Highway and other roads in Alaska and Canada during migrations for many years. These observations suggest the WAH migrations will not likely be blocked by the Ambler Road. n Natural factors as primary influences: Predation by bears and wolves, especially on calves, and winter weather and icing events, are primary factors impacting the WAH. The Ambler Road’s influence on the WAH will likely be minor compared
Independent review draws
to these natural factors. n Regular road crossings by car - ibou: Caribou regularly cross high - ways and mining roads during mi - grations in other parts of Alaska and Canada. The proposed Ambler Road will be closed to the public, with only mining vehicle traffic. No hunting will be permitted on or from the road. n Ambler Access Project Sub- sistence Advisory Committee (AAP SAC) Oversight & Recommendations: The AAP SAC adopted and improved upon the best practices in place of the Red Dog Road and Port Subsis- tence and Wildlife Policies. The SAC has requested the Department of In- terior to implement predator control around the Western Arctic herd in NPR-A and all federal lands where predator control is allowed, to re- duce the impacts of predation on the WAH. “The information in this report supports our traditional knowledge of herd migration and the need for increased predator control,” said Larry Westlake Sr., Kiana Elder and Co-Chair of the Ambler Access Proj- ect Subsistence Advisory Committee. “What I found interesting is that the Ambler Access Project starts with best practices along the De- long Mountain Transport System at Red Dog, setting a strong standard for future Ambler Road development, operations and caribou migration protection,” said Tristen Pattee, sub- sistence hunter in Ambler, Alaska. AIDEA officials said they remain committed to ensuring the Ambler Road has minimal impacts on the environment and that the WAH re - port underscores its commitment to understanding any influence the proposed road would have on subsis- tence resources in Northwest Alaska.
on variety of data A new independent scientific re - view commissioned by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) concludes that the proposed Ambler Access Project is unlikely to have significant negative impacts on the Western Arctic Cari - bou Herd (WAH), the largest caribou herd in Alaska. Wildlife geneticist Matthew A. Cronin, Ph.D., of Northwest Biolo - gy and Forestry Company LLC, con - ducted the review and compiled his findings into a report titled “A Review of Information on Caribou in Relation to the Ambler Road Project in Northern Alaska.” It evaluates decades of car- ibou movement data, existing infra- structure impacts and the proposed design and operating rules of the 211- mile proposed private Ambler Road in northern Alaska that would connect the Dalton Highway to the Ambler mining district. “There has been concern that the Ambler Road could impact the WAH numbers, migration and habitat use,” AIDEA officials noted upon release of the review data. “The findings of the report indicate that it is unlikely the project will have significant impacts, given the proposed Ambler Road’s design and management, and the herd’s past distribution and move - ments.” In addition, AIDEA notes that “Previous reports of the Red Dog Road negatively affecting caribou migration failed to highlight the ef- fects of hunting activity and preda -
Photo Courtesy BLM
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