Join ConservAmerica on Wednesday, September 15, starting at 1 pm EST, for a for a timely conversation on federal land protection policy and the importance of striking a balance between protecting special places for future generations and respecting states’ rights, private property, and individual freedom.

When land is placed in federal protective status, it can provide a wide range of benefits – from conservation to public recreation – but the people who have traditionally used that land can be caught in the middle. There may be no better example of that problem than the remote Alaska fishing community of King Cove, population 996. When the federal government created the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska 41 years ago, it cut off the traditional land route between the Aleut community of King Cove and a nearby all-weather airport that local residents relied upon in emergencies. We will look at the community’s decades-long effort to negotiate a land exchange with the Interior Department and take a broader look at federal land policies and how the designation process can be improved to protect land, wildlife and people.

Panelists:
Gary Hennigh, King Cove City Administrator
Todd Myers, Environmental Director, Washington Policy Center
Hannah Downey, Policy Director, Property and Environment Research Center (PERC)
Nick Loris, Vice President Public Policy, C3 Solutions
McKie Campbell, BlueWater Strategies