Afognak Island land sold for conservation easement

KODIAK, Alaska (AP) – Natives of Kodiak has sold a 3,000-acre (1,200-hectare) property on Afognak Island to be used as a conservation easement.

The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports the property at Portage Lake on the northeast side of the island was purchased by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, the entity overseeing $900 million in settlement funds.

The property will be owned by the state of Alaska, and the Bureau of Land Management will hold the easement to prevent development.

The land’s sale price was not immediately available.

Ellen Kazary, executive director of the Great Land Trust, says the property adjoins other protected lands, “creating a corridor for wildlife travel.” The land trust facilitated the deal.

Kazary says the land has a number of saltwater and freshwater access points and supports wildlife.
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Information from: Kodiak (Alaska) Daily Mirror, http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com

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