Refuge History

On December 6, 1960, Public Land Order 2216 established the 498,000-acre Izembek National Wildlife Range, which included Izembek Lagoon and its entire watershed near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula as "a refuge, breeding ground, and management area for all forms of wildlife."

From glacial peaks to ocean beaches, habitat diversity abounds on the 417,533 acre Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Through the Alaska Submerged Lands Act (Public Law 100-395), 84,220 acres of this national wildlife range, including Izembek Lagoon, were determined to be state lands. In 1972, the State of Alaska established the Izembek State Game Refuge to continue protecting the rare resources of Izembek Lagoon.

The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA, Public Law 96-487) passed in December 1980, re-designated the Izembek National Wildlife Range a National Wildlife Refuge containing the 417,533-acre watershed surrounding Izembek Lagoon, ANILCA also redefined Refuge purposes and designated a 300,000 acre wilderness within the refuge.

The 1,447,246-acre Pavlof Unit and 8,452-acre North Creek Unit, currently components of the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, have been administered by the Izembek Refuge staff since their establishment in 1980 under ANILCA. The Pavlof Unit stretches along the south side of the Alaska Peninsula from Port Moller/American Bay to the tip of the Peninsula. The triangular North Creek Unit is located on the north side of the Peninsula, adjacent to Izembek Refuge. The western boundary of the Pavlof Unit is contiguous with the Izembek Refuge boundary.

Established by Executive Order No. 1733 on March 3, 1913, the 1,008,697-acre Unimak Island unit of the Aleutian Islands Reservation was created as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds. In 1980, ANILCA re-designated Unimak Island as being part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Aleutian Islands Unit. ANILCA also designated 910,000 acres as the Unimak Wilderness Area. The island has been historically administered by the Izembek Refuge staff due to logistics and similarities in the habitat and physiography of the island to that of the lower Peninsula. Shishaldin Volcano is a designated National Historic Landmark, because its nearly perfect cone has guided seamen since the days of Russian explorers and undoubtedly the Aleut people before them.

Last updated: July 18, 2008