Admiralty Island
Admiralty Iceland is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It belongs to the ABC islands of Alaska and is located approximately in the center of the archipelago between the towns of Sitka and Juneau. The island is 164 km long and 48 km wide and covers an area of 4264 km ². According to the 2000 census, 650 people on the island. The Tlingit community of Angoon with 572 inhabitants, is the only permanent settlement on the island. 265 km ² (6.2%) in the northern part of the island is uninhabited and belong to the city of Juneau. The highest point of the island is Eagle Peak ( 1395 m).
The name was given by the British Admiralty Iceland explorers, Russian fur hunters called the island because of the many brown bears Ostrow Kutsnoi (Island of Fear ).
Flora and Fauna
Of the native Tlingit the island Kootznoowoo (Bear fortress ) is called. Admiralty Iceland has about 1700 animals with the densest population of brown bears in North America. The bears can be best observed at the Park Creek, where they catch salmon from the fast-flowing river in late summer and autumn. The island is almost completely wooded, the indicator species are Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock. In sheltered places to grow deciduous trees are found at higher altitudes in the center of the island tundra. Around 5,000 bald eagles and Sitka black -tailed deer live on the island. In the coastal waters of harbor seals, Steller sea lions and humpback whales, various species of sea ducks such as scoters and harlequin duck live.
Nature Conservation and Tourism
The island is part of the Tongass National Forest comprising several islands, a National Forest under management of the U.S. Forest Service. The only exception is the settlement area of Angoon. 3865 km ², the major part of the island, form since 1978, the Admiralty Iceland National Monument, a nature reserve by the type of National Monuments. 3793 km ² ( nearly the entire island except the northern tip ) were posed as Kootznoowoo Wilderness under the further protection of a Wilderness Area in 1980. In the wilderness areas, there are no roads, no buildings (excluding some existing before the protected status huts, rented the Forest Service ), trails be entertained. Trekking and canoeing are the only acceptable forms of locomotion, vehicles of all kinds (including mountain bikes ) are prohibited. Fishing and hunting are allowed in accordance with statutory regulation.
The Admiralty Canoe Route Iceland is interesting for canoeists once through the island, eight large lakes connected by portages on boardwalks.
Industry
In the north of the island lies the Greens Creek mine, one of the largest silver mines in the world. In the protected status of the island exploration drilling, continuing the exploration, development and operation from 1987/89 already ran were therefore allowed in the reserve. The Greens Creek mine promoted in 2007 some 245 tons of silver, as well as by-products 2 tons of gold, 63,000 tons of zinc and 21,000 tons of lead. This makes it the fifth-largest silver mine in the world.