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Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge

National wildlife refuge in central Alaska, United States

Field	Value
name	Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge
iucn_category	IV
map	USA Alaska
relief	1
map_caption	Map of Alaska, United States
map_width	300
photo	Kanuti River October 2011.jpg
photo_caption	Kanuti River in the refuge
location	Alaska, United States
nearest_city	Allakaket, Alaska
coordinates
area	1640000 acre
established	1980
governing_body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
website

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 1640000 acre, 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.

Description and species

The region's short, hot summers are marked by numerous thunderstorms and lightning strikes, leading to a continuous cycle of burn and recovery. Natural wildfires create diverse habitats with the different plant species supporting a variety of wildlife. The refuge's boreal forest is home to 37 species of mammals, including two species of fox, Canadian lynx, brown and black bear species, wolf packs, moose, mink, coyote, muskrat, beaver, marten, river otter, muskoxen, and wolverine. Caribou from the Western Arctic and Ray Mountain herds occasionally winter on Kanuti, as well.

The refuge's migratory fish, chinook, chum and coho salmon, as well as sheefish, are creatures of extremes. Its sheefish make the longest spawning journey of any of their species, while Kanuti's salmon have to swim more than 1000 mi up the Yukon River before entering the Koyukuk River system to spawn. Refuge waters support twelve other fish species, including arctic grayling and northern pike.

Protecting breeding habitat for migratory birds is central to the mission of Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Nearly 130 species of birds spend part or all of the year on refuge lands. With the loss of wetlands in regions outside Alaska, the importance of Kanuti as a nesting area for birds is likely to increase.

Certain lands within the Kanuti Refuge boundary are now under Native Alaskan ownership. Subsistence hunting is permitted within the refuge. Permafrost inhibits drainage of the surface water, leaving a soggy landscape that can make hiking difficult, if not impossible, in certain parts of the refuge. No designated trails, campsites, or public use cabins exist within refuge boundaries.

References

{{cite gnis. 1416044. Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

national-wildlife-refuges-in-alaska protected-areas-of-yukon–koyukuk-census-area,-alaska wetlands-of-alaska landforms-of-yukon–koyukuk-census-area,-alaska

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