ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. (CPAI), conducted wide-ranging surveys for birds on
the Colville Delta and in the northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NE NPRA)
in 2009. CPAI has conducted wildlife studies for many years on the central Arctic
Coastal Plain to identify important wildlife areas that may need special consideration
during new oilfield construction and to monitor the effects of oil development. This
document is a summary of the bird surveys conducted in 2009 for the Alpine Satellite
Development Project (ASDP), which includes the Colville Delta and adjacent portion
of the Northeast Planning Area of the NPRA (Figure 1). The Alpine Satellite
Development Project is composed of a drill site, processing facility, camp, and
airstrip at CD-1 (Alpine Facility) and a drill site at CD-2, all constructed from 1998 to
2000. Regulatory agencies reviewed and approved a request by CPAI for additional
satellite drill sites in the ASDP Environmental Impact Statement in 2004 (Alpine
Satellite Development Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement). In 2005–2006, 2
satellite drill sites were constructed: CD-3 on the outer delta and CD-4 on the Nibliq
(Nechelik Channel). CD-3 is designed as a roadless drill site and is accessed by aircraft
during the summer and by ice roads during the winter. CD-4 is connected to the
Alpine Facility by road. Four more drill sites are proposed on the west side of the
Nibliq (CD-5, GMT-1, GMT-2, and Fiord West). All satellite drill sites will send oil to
the existing Alpine Facility for processing. Details on the 2009 studies can be found in
3 technical reports “Avian Studies for the Alpine Satellite Development Project,
2009”, “Eider Nest Searches at the CD-3 Pad, Ice Road, and Spill-Response Sites on
the Colville Delta, 2009”, and “Eider Surveys at CD-5, GMT-1, and Fiord West in the
Northeast NPRA, Alaska, 2009”, all prepared by ABR, Inc., a biological research
company contracted by CPAI. Copies of these reports are sent to the Kuukpik
Corporation offices in Anchorage and Nuiqsut and the Kuukpik Subsistence Oversight
Panel (KSOP) office in Nuiqsut, as well as other northern communities, government
agencies, and non-government organizations. Questions about the reports and studies
can be directed to Caryn Rea, Environmental Studies Coordinator for ConocoPhillips,
at (907) 265-6515.
