Shepard Point Region
Habitat & Biological Assessment in the Corridor
of
the Proposed Shepard Point Road & Port
In 1993, the Alaska State Legislature directed the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) to develop a road corridor from Orca Point to Shepard Point, in order to establish access to a deepdraft oil response port facility near Cordova. Road construction is proposed for the intertidal zone and upland areas and may thus alter marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. The proposed port construction may further alter the shallow subtidal environment at Shepard Point itself.
The Shepard Point Road Habitat & Biological Assessment addresses the need for site specific biological and habitat data for plant and animal species along the east shore of Orca Inlet, in the adjacent uplands, and at the site of the proposed port. The proposed construction is in a region supporting a large number of plant and animal species including those designated as threatened, endangered, sensitive; species designated by federal legislation as needing protection; species impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill; and species of socioeconomic importance in the region .