We’re cheering a federal judge who, on Thursday, blocked a deal that would’ve allowed a road to be built through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

The nearly-500 square mile refuge lies between the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska and is home to one of the world’s largest eelgrass beds. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, including the global Pacific black brant population, visit the refuge for its eelgrass annually.

The Pacific black brant is a stunning goose who mostly feeds on the eelgrass, and, Designated as the First Wetland of International Importance, the Izembek lagoon is home to the largest concentration of eelgrass beds in North America. The birds make awe researchers and birders by making the 50 hour trek from baja California each year.

The planned road would’ve cut directly through Izembek’s wetlands that some 200 plus species, including the Pacific black brants, call home, and the judge recognized this. The judge, an Obama-era appointee, ruled that the current administration violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to study the effects of construction on vulnerable wildlife.

When public lands are being aggressively put up for plunder and environmental safeguards are undermined, it’s important to take pause to recognize the small victories. For now, the animals who rely on Izembek’s wetlands are spared.