Chamisso Island

Chamisso Iceland ( Inuktitut: Iguagvik ) is an island in Kotzebue Sound, an estuary of the Chukchi Sea, which extends north of the Bering Strait in the North American mainland. It is located south of the Choris Peninsula at the entrance of Eschscholtz Bay.

Geography

Chamisso Iceland is of roughly triangular shape. The island is 2.3 km long and up to 1.4 km wide. The highest point is 70 meters above sea level. The sea bed is almost everywhere steeply, just to the east leaves a low sandy spit to a landing.

Nature

The Chamisso Island is designated as a nature reserve since December 7, 1912. Together with the smaller neighboring island Puffin Iceland and some rocks, it forms since 1975, 1.84 km ² Chamisso Wilderness, which in turn is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.

The vegetation is that of a tundra. There are also local beach and marsh plant communities. On the island about 3000 breeding sea birds, especially the Horned Puffin. Foxes and seals visit at least temporarily the island.

History

The first European Otto von Kotzebue entered as head of the Russian Rurik expedition the island on August 3, 1816. He named after the poet and naturalist Adelbert von Chamisso, who was himself a participant in the expedition. Kotzebue found here a rest area on the Inuit and several storehouse containing seal meat.

1826 anchored the HMS Blossom under Captain Frederick William Beechey off the island, took on water and waited in vain for John Franklin, who explored the northern coast of Alaska from the mouth of the Mackenzie River coming with boats, and William Edward Parry, who attempted the Northwest Passage with HMS Hecla and HMS Fury to navigate. It came to a bloody conflict with the Inuit, which wounded several English and at least one Inuit was killed.