| Photo: Adak Island in the central Aleutians.
USFWS. The windswept, often foggy lands of the Alaska Maritime Refuge
are a vital treasure, not only for animals whose life depends on them, but also
for us as citizens of a sustainable world. Most Expansive Refuge The
refuge lands stretch along Alaska’s coast from the southeast panhandle west to
Attu Island at the tip of the Aleutian Chain and north through the Bering Sea
to above the Arctic Circle. This is the most extensive
refuge in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Born of Fire Volcanic
activity shaped and continues to shape refuge islands along this Ring
of Fire. Most of the nation’s historically active volcanoes are on this
refuge. Many islands are a wonderland of volcanic features: calderas, craters,
cone shaped peaks, hot springs and lava flows Wilderness Homes More
than 2,500 islands, spires, rocks and coastal headlands provide a variety of habitat
to shelter the nests or breeding colonies of more than 40 million marine birds
and mammals. At least half of the land is within the National Wilderness Preservation
System. Learn more.
St. Matthew Island, a 32-mile-long dot in the Bering Sea, is the most
remote place in all of Alaska. Ancient Willows – Two Inches Tall Much
of the refuge is treeless, except for the rainforest islands of St.
Lazaria, Hazy and Forrester in Southeast Alaska. Willow shrubs do grow
on other islands and north of the Arctic Circle, but they grow outward, not upward.
They hug the ground and sometimes spread over an area 50 feet wide. If you press
your hand to the tundra, even on blustery days, you can feel the warmth compared
with the upper air – and understand how a carpet of tiny wildflowers blooms is
such a seemingly hostile climate. Natural Bridge Between Continents Many
islands in the refuge are closer to Asia than mainland North America. These islands
become a path over which plants and animals from each continent can travel to
mingle and evolve. That makes this a frontier where the next new bird or plant
may be discovered. The tiny Aleutian shield fern (Polystichum aleuticum
) is known to exist only on Adak Island in the central Aleutians. It is on
the Endangered Species List. International Biosphere Reserve The
Aleutian Islands
received international recognition in 1976 as a biosphere reserve, designated
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
A biosphere reserve conserves
examples of ecosystems typical of that world region, managed for their protection
and as a center for monitoring and research. Learn
more. |