In November 1995, the federal government agreed to purchase from Koniag, Inc., surface title to 59,674 acres of prime habitat for bear, salmon, bald eagles, and other species in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. The Council contributed $19.5 million to this acquisition and the federal government contributed $7 million from the federal restitution fund, for a total purchase price of $26.5 million.
The 1995 agreement also protected an additional 55,402 acres along the Karluk and Sturgeon rivers under a conservation easement that was set to expire in December 2001. The Trustee Council paid an additional $2.0 million for this original conservation easement. In January 2001, the Council offered Koniag $29,800,000 (plus a "bridge payment" of $150,000) to extend the easement (with the addition of Camp Island) at least ten years. The Koniag Board of Directors accepted the Council's offer and final closing documents were prepared. The terms of the agreement include establishment of a fund that might be tapped for acquisition of this additional acreage--at Koniag's sole discretion--at some date in the future. In 2014, Koniag elected not to extend the term of the conservation easement. As a result, there is no longer an EVOS conservation easement on the Karluk or Sturgeon river.
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