The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit today denied Defenders of Wildlife’s emergency motion to halt construction on King Cove Corp.’s 2.8-mile road segment leading to the doorstep of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. Defenders’ request for immediate injunctive relief marks the latest stage in its larger effort to block a damaging and precedent-setting road from King Cove to Cold Bay, Alaska, that would plow through the heart of Izembek. Even if the whole road is never completed, the KCC segment will allow additional all-terrain vehicle encroachment into Izembek, irreparably damaging its wildlife, wetlands and wilderness resources.
“Today’s decision unfortunately allows the bulldozers to keep rolling to finish a road that will lead to nothing but more harm to Izembek’s wildlife and wilderness,” said Jane Davenport, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife’s Biodiversity Law Center. “But the fight is not over, and we will hold the Trump administration accountable in court for its attempts to sell off Izembek — and all our irreplaceable public lands.”
On August 14, the Department of the Interior issued an illegal Refuge Act decision finding that building the KCC segment is compatible with fulfilling Izembek’s statutory purposes. Defenders immediately filed a lawsuit to challenge this decision and a motion for emergency relief seeking to pause ground-disturbing activities until its claims are resolved.
A federal district judge in Alaska denied the motion, allowing construction to begin on Sept. 1. The KCC segment is planned for completion by December or even earlier, weather permitting. Defenders immediately appealed to the Ninth Circuit, again seeking emergency relief to halt construction during its appeal. A merits briefing is not scheduled to conclude until mid-November.
The KCC segment is a planned 2.8-mile road on King Cove Corp. lands designed to connect to a road corridor through Izembek National Wildlife Refuge and Wilderness. Another federal district judge in Alaska recently vacated as unlawful the Trump administration’s 2025 land exchange trading away refuge and wilderness lands to KCC for the longer corridor.
For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.
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