Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge

The Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge is a 14,472 km ² protected area of ​​the National Wildlife Refuge system on the Alaska Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. It consists of three parts along the Aleutian Island chain on the Pacific Coast and is one of a chain of nature reserves on the peninsula, Katmai National Park, Becharof National Wildlife Refuge, the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve and Izembek National Wildlife Refuge includes. The landscape offers rugged mountain ranges and volcanoes, tundra and coastal regions.

Wildlife

Abundant salmon stocks are the staple food of a large population of brown bears in the Refuge, while black bears do not occur. The reindeer herd Northern Alaska Peninsula with about 7000 animals, wolves and wolverines live in the reserve. Moose were first observed at the beginning of the 20th century and are only since the 1950s, in an appreciable number available.

On the coast of Refuges, there are occurrences of sea otters, seals and sea lions. Whales cruising in their wanderings the waters off the Alaska Peninsula. The wetlands and coastal areas of the reserve are the habitat and nesting site for a variety of water birds.

History

On 2 December 1980 14,421 km ² were reported on the Alaska Peninsula under the name Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge as a protected area by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. 1983 put the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to manage the Ugashik and Chignik units of Refuges with the Becharof Refuges and the Seal Cape unit of the Alaska Maritime NWR together. The Pavlof unit in the southwest is co-supervised by the Administration of Izembek NWR.