Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge

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Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Mountain Range Alaska Peninsula NWR.jpg
Mountain Range Alaska Peninsula NWR
Map Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge.png
Map of the refuge
Location Alaska, United States
Nearest city Cold Bay, Alaska
Coordinates 56°N159°W / 56°N 159°W / 56; -159 Coordinates: 56°N159°W / 56°N 159°W / 56; -159 [1]
Area14,421 km2 (5,568 sq mi)
Established1980
Governing body U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website Alaska Peninsula National NWR

The Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Alaska whose use is regulated as an ecological-protection measure. It stretches along the southern coast of the Alaska Peninsula, between the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge on its east and the end of the peninsula at False Pass in the west. In between, however, it is broken into sections by lands of the Aniakchak National Monument and Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is administered from offices in King Salmon, Alaska and was established to conserve Alaska Peninsula brown bears, caribou, moose, marine mammals, shorebirds, other migratory birds and fish, and to comply with treaty obligations. [2]

Contents

History

View of the Mount Chiginagak Chiginagak.jpg
View of the Mount Chiginagak

The refuge was established on December 2, 1980, by the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) following designation as a national wildlife monument in 1978 by the then President Jimmy Carter. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [3] In 1983, the Fish and Wildlife Service undertook the responsibility to manage the Becharof Refuge, along with the Ugashik and Chignik units of the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge. [3]

In 1989 the park area was affected by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill which devastated the Alaska Peninsula.

In an effort to determine species presence, distribution, habitat use, and migratory patterns, extensive studies have been conducted in the refuge. Biologists have studied extensively in the biologically rich Naknek River basin which provides an important habitat for thousands of ducks, geese and swans. [4] From mid-March through mid-May, refuge biologists monitor waterfowl from established points from Naknek Lake to Kvichak Bay in Naknek. [4] Biologists have been working in the area since 1992 to count waterfowl by species approximately four times a week. [4]

Species common to the refuge include common merganser, common goldeneye, tundra swan, greater white-fronted goose, mallard, northern pintail, American and Eurasian wigeon, American green-winged teal, Canada goose, greater scaup, northern shoveler, red-breasted merganser, black scoter, and long-tailed duck. [4] Working with Boreal Partners in Flight, the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP), and Earthwatch, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service undertook comprehensive landbird studies at Mother Goose Lake from 1994 through to 2001. [4]

Between 1994 and 1999 over 110 Earthwatch volunteers used the scheme to educate themselves in bird biology. [4] In conjunction with the National Audubon Society, the park has also hosted an annual Christmas Bird Count between December 14 and January 5 annually since 1986 to register birds in the corridor from the Kvichak Bay beach at Naknek to Lake Camp at the mouth of Naknek Lake. [4] The refuge has sponsored a North American Migration Count on the second Saturday in May since 1998.

Geography

Mount Veniaminof. MountVeniaminof.jpg
Mount Veniaminof.
Port Wrangell Port Wrangell Alaska Peninsula NWR.jpg
Port Wrangell
Landscape Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge Landscape.jpg
Landscape

The refuge covers an area of 5,568 square miles (14,421 km2) and lies in the Alaska Peninsula. It spans Aleutians East Borough, Kodiak Island and Lake and Peninsula Borough. The Alaska Peninsula Refuge contains a number of geologic and scenic features, with a mixture of volcanic activity juxtaposed alongside glacial valleys and coasts under erosion.

The refuge contains the Chiginagak and Veniaminof volcanoes, the latter of which is one of Alaska’s active volcanoes, and last erupted in 1995. [2] The crater which is approximately 5.2 miles (8.4 km) in diameter contains a 25-square-mile (65 km2) ice field, making it the most extensive crater glacier in North America. [2] In 1967, Mount Veniaminof was designated as a National Natural Landmark. The Upper Sandy River has its source at Mount Veniaminof and flows down to form a delta above Sandy Lake.

In contrast to the volcanic landscape of the refuge, the Pacific coast of the protected area is characterised by rugged cliffs, bays, fjords, and streams. In particular the Castle Cape Fjords in the Chignik area is an extremely pronounced feature, with a strong erosion by the sea, with rocks shaded in contrasting dark and light tones. [2] Notable streams drain into Agripina Bay and Port Wrangell from the glaciers and through the valleys of the refuge.

Wildlife

The park supports a diversity of fish and wildlife and are an important nesting site for seabirds such as puffins, cormorants, kittiwakes, and guillemots, emperor geese, harlequin ducks, Steller's eider, and notably the bald eagle. [2] All five species of Pacific salmon spawn including the commercially productive sockeye salmon run into the Chignik system. Sea lions, gray whales, harbor seals and sea otters can all be found along the coast. [2] Alaskan brown bears are a common sight in the coastal meadows in spring and summer when they come to feed on the spawning salmon. [5] Often as many as 500 bears may inhabit the Black Lake-Chignik Lake Area during August, making it one of the most dense seasonal concentrations of grizzly bears in North America. [2] Caribou and moose are also under protection in the park. The moose in particular inhabit the Mother Goose Lake and the lines of the King Salmon River, also supporting populations of wolf packs, beaver, wolverine, river otter, two species of fox, snowshoe hare and Canadian lynx. [2]

Related Research Articles

Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska Borough in Alaska, United States

Lake and Peninsula Borough is a borough in the state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,476, down from 1,631 in 2010. The borough seat of King Salmon is located in neighboring Bristol Bay Borough, although is not the seat of that borough. The most populous community in the borough is the census-designated place of Port Alsworth. With an average of 0.017 inhabitants/km2, the Lake and Peninsula Borough is the second least densely populated organized county-equivalent in the United States; only the unorganized Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area has a lower density.

Katmai National Park and Preserve National park in Alaska, United States

Katmai National Park and Preserve is an American national park and preserve in southwest Alaska, notable for the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes and for its brown bears. The park and preserve encompass 4,093,077 acres, which is between the sizes of Connecticut and New Jersey. Most of the national park is a designated wilderness area. The park is named after Mount Katmai, its centerpiece stratovolcano. The park is located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island, with headquarters in nearby King Salmon, about 290 miles (470 km) southwest of Anchorage. The area was first designated a national monument in 1918 to protect the area around the major 1912 volcanic eruption of Novarupta, which formed the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, a 40-square-mile (100 km2), 100-to-700-foot-deep pyroclastic flow. The park includes as many as 18 individual volcanoes, seven of which have been active since 1900.

Alaska Peninsula Peninsula extending towards the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska, USA

The Alaska Peninsula is a peninsula extending about 800 km (497 mi) to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates the Pacific Ocean from Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea.

Bristol Bay Bay near southwest Alaska

Bristol Bay is the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km (250 mi) long and 290 km, (180 mi) wide at its mouth. A number of rivers flow into the bay, including the Cinder, Egegik, Igushik, Kvichak, Meshik, Nushagak, Naknek, Togiak, and Ugashik.

Naknek Lake Body of water

Naknek Lake is a lake in southern Alaska, near the base of the Alaska Peninsula. Located in Katmai National Park and Preserve, the lake is 40 miles (64 km) long and three to eight miles wide, the largest lake in the park. The lake drains west into Bristol Bay through the Naknek River. The elevation of the lake has lowered over the past 5,000 years as it has cut through a glacial moraine, separating Naknek Lake and Brooks Lake and creating Brooks Falls about 3500 years ago.

Alagnak River

The Alagnak River is a 64-mile (103 km) tributary of the Kvichak River in the U.S. state of Alaska. It has a catchment area of approximately 1400 square mi (3600 km2). It is located in central Lake and Peninsula Borough.

Nushagak Peninsula

The Nushagak Peninsula is an uninhabited peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is situated in the Dillingham Census Area, west of the Alaska Peninsula. The 520,000 acres (210,000 ha) byland measures 35 by 15 miles. It was named for Nushagak Bay in 1910 by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. With a large area of lakes, ponds and tidal sloughs, the peninsula contains the biggest complex of wetlands of the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge.

Becharof Wilderness

Becharof Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located within the Becharof National Wildlife Refuge, it comprises approximately 500,000 acres (2,000 km2) and is bordered by the Katmai Wilderness on the north. It was designated Wilderness in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The region is home to a wide array of wildlife, including brown bears, salmon, caribou, and migratory birds.

Southwest Alaska

Southwest Alaska is a region of the U.S. state of Alaska. The area is not exactly defined by any governmental administrative region(s); nor does it always have a clear geographic boundary.

Egegik River

The Egegik River is a waterway in the U.S. state of Alaska. A biological survey was conducted at the base of the Alaska Peninsula in 1902 by Wilfred Hudson Osgood, which included the Egegik River.

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife habitat preserve located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, United States

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is a 1.92-million-acre (7,770 km2) wildlife habitat preserve located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, United States. It is adjacent to Kenai Fjords National Park. This refuge was created in 1941 as the Kenai National Moose Range, but in 1980 it was changed to its present status by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The refuge is administered from offices in Soldotna.

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife refuge in Alaska, United States

The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is the smallest of the National Wildlife Refuges located in the U.S. state of Alaska. It lies on the northwest coastal side of central Aleutians East Borough. Almost all of the refuge was designated as wilderness in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The refuge is administered from offices in Cold Bay.

Becharof National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge in the Aleutian Range of the Alaska Peninsula of southwestern Alaska

Becharof National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the Aleutian Range of the Alaska Peninsula of southwestern Alaska. It is adjacent to Katmai National Park and Preserve. This national wildlife refuge, which covers an area of 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km2), was established in 1980 to conserve major brown bears, salmon, migratory birds, caribou, marine birds, and mammals and to comply with treaty obligations. It lies primarily in the east-central part of Lake and Peninsula Borough, but extends eastward into the mainland portion of Kodiak Island Borough. The refuge is administered from offices in King Salmon.

Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge

Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in central Alaska, United States. One of 16 refuges in Alaska, it was established in 1980 when Congress passed The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). At 1,640,000 acres (6,600 km2), Kanuti Refuge is about the size of the state of Delaware. Located at the Arctic Circle, the refuge is a prime example of Alaska's boreal ecosystem. It is dominated by black and white spruce, with some white birch and poplars.

Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge

The Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge is a 3,500,000-acre (14,000 km2) conservation area in Alaska. It lies within the floodplain of the Koyukuk River, in a basin that extends from the Yukon River to the Purcell Mountains and the foothills of the Brooks Range. This region of wetlands is home to fish, waterfowl, beaver and Alaskan moose, and wooded lowlands where two species of fox, bears, wolf packs, Canadian lynx and marten prowl.

Togiak National Wildlife Refuge

Dominated by the Ahklun Mountains in the north and the cold waters of Bristol Bay to the south, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge confronts the traveler with a kaleidoscope of landscapes. The natural forces that have shaped this land range from the violent and powerful to the geologically patient. Earthquakes and volcanoes filled the former role, and their marks can still be found, but it was the gradual advance and retreat of glacial ice that carved many of the physical features of this refuge.

Alaska Peninsula montane taiga Taiga ecoregion of Alaska, United States

The Alaska Peninsula montane taiga is a taiga and boreal forests ecoregion, located in Alaska, and defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) categorization system.

Beringia lowland tundra Tundra ecoregion of Alaska, United States

The Beringia lowland tundra is a tundra ecoregion of North America, on the west coast of Alaska, mostly covered in wetland.

Sandy Lake is a lake on the Alaska Peninsula. The lake is located between the Upper Sandy River and Lower Sandy River, which drains into the Bering Sea. It lies 25 miles north-east of Port Moller Airport and is on the boundary of the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge. Mount Veniaminof lies to the west of the lake.

Hidden Lake (Alaska) Body of water

Hidden Lake is a lake on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, formed by an ancient channel of the Kenai River. It is located entirely inside the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The lake is deepest at its southeast end, with depths up to 148 feet (45 m). The back country section of the lake in the northwest has several islands and depths in the range of 10–70 feet (3.0–21.3 m). Being in the foothills of the Kenai Mountains, much of the shoreline is very steep, and wooded with birch and spruce trees. The only outflow from the lake is Hidden Creek, a short, shallow creek that flows into the Kenai River just North of Skilak Lake.

References

  1. "Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge:Wildands". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2009.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. 1 2 "Overview". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge:Biological". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2009.PD-icon.svgThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. "Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge". State Parks.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.