Iliamna Lake

In December, the Conservation Fund, an environmental preservation organization, purchased conservation easements for 44,000 acres of land owned by a Native village corporation near Iliamna Lake, about 20 miles south of the proposed mine site and the area covered by the E.P.A. ruling.

“The corps’ decision is a huge victory for wild salmon, the Iliamna lake seal and other imperiled wildlife that call this spectacular place home,” he said.

LifeMed Alaska had sent a King Air flight from Kodiak to the state-owned airport at the mouth of the Kvichak River on Iliamna Lake.

The company and the Corps had both favored a route that included a ferry crossing of Iliamna Lake, one of the largest in the United States.

Other Native Alaskan groups, including the village corporation of Pedro Bay on Iliamna Lake, also plan to withhold access to their lands.