Chugach Native Corporation and Federal Government Finalize Alaska Land Swap to Protect Exxon Valdez Recovery Zones

231,000 acres of subsurface rights would be traded for 65,000 acres of fee-simple land — a 3.5-to-1 ratio by acreage

The 1989 Exxon Valdez spill released roughly 11 million gallons of crude oil, fouling approximately 1,300 miles of Alaskan coastline

An estimated 23,000 gallons of oil — about 0.2% of the original spill — still lingers in Prince William Sound shorelines

The EVOS Habitat Protection Program has conserved roughly 650,000 acres — but Chugach's subsurface rights underneath those lands were never purchased

37 years after the spill, some species have recovered but others — including Pacific herring and a resident killer whale pod — have not