View
362
Download
1
Category
Preview:
DESCRIPTION
Alaska's Yukon Delta Refuge is a wild and awesome place with a deep history.
Citation preview
Alaska’s Yukon Delta National Wildlife RefugeNotable Facts:
background image: Aerial image of mining areas in the refuge, which is a major concern for the refuge’s managers
The refuge is located on 19 million acres on the south west corner of the Alaskan mainland, reaching from the Bering sea to
Alaska’s midland mountain ranges
The refuge provides a habitat for at least 44 species of fish, hundreds of
bird species, and dozens of mammals.
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge was established to set aside pristine wetlands and conserve populations
of:shorebirds, seabirds, whistling swans, emperor, white-fronted and Canada geese, black brant and other migratory birds, salmon, muskox, and marine mammals.
http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/photos/ykdelta.jpg
The Yukon Refuge features Nunivak Island, a sprawling 1.1 million acres itself, which plays host to a herd of
muskox, parts of which were used to repopulate herds in other parts of Alaska and Russia.
The Yukon and the Kuskowim rivers, with all of their tributaries, create an expansive wetland. This enables many species to thrive despite sometimes
inhospitable climate conditions. One third of the refuge is covered in water.
There are 5 different species of Pacific Salmon alone.
All four North American flyways lead birds to the delta. Over a million
ducks and half a million geese breed here annually.
There are over 2.5 million acres of vegetation and forest habitats.
All three species of North American bear (brown, black, and Polar) can
be found here.
Despite being covered by so much water, the refuge supports large mammals such
as: moose, caribou, bear, whales, seals, and muskox.
According to USFWS, the Yukon Delta is the most important shorebird nesting
area in the country.
The Yukon has a rich (literally) heritage with gold. The Yukon gold rush still impacts the Delta today as the
USFWS works dillegently to manage a varied array of species put at risk by remnants of a century of mining.
This includes monitoring levels of the always troublesome Mercury.
EARTH
SKY
SPACEwww.continentalmapping.com
Recommended