National Wilderness Preservation System

The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation System, which today has grown to more than 104 million acres, approximately half of which are located in Alaska. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages 21 designated wilderness areas totalling approximately 18.6 million acres on 10 National Wildlife Refuges units in Alaska. Most wilderness areas on Refuges in Alaska were designated with passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-487) (ANILCA), which also modified some provisions of the Wilderness Act to allow for the continuation of subsistence lifestyles and traditional activities. Wilderness lands on Alaska Refuges are managed according to the provisions of the Wilderness Act, except where there is a conflict with ANILCA, in which case the provisions of ANILCA prevail.

The prominent provisions of ANILCA that modify the Wilderness Act include:

Section 811 (b) permits the “appropritate use for subsistence purposes of snowmobiles, motorboats, and other means of surface transportation traditionally employed for such purposes by local residents, subject to reasonable regulation.”

Section 1110 (a) permits “the use of snowmachines (during periods of adequate snow cover, or frozen river conditions in the case of wild and senic rivers), motorboats, airplanes and nonmotorized surface transportation methods for traditional activities (where such activities are permitted by [ANILCA] or other law) and for travel to and from villages and homesites.”

Section 1315 (c), provides that “previously existing public use cabins within wilderness designated by [ANILCA], may be permitted to continue and may be maintained or replaced subject to such restriction as the Secretary deems necessary to preserve the wilderness character of the area.”

Section 1315 (d), authorizes the Service “to construct and maintain a limited number of new public use cabins and shelters if such cabins and shelters are necessary for the protection of the public health and safety.”

Wilderness Area Date Est.	Size (acres)	National Wildlife Refuge
Aleutian Islands (1980)	1,300,000	Alaska Maritime
Bering Sea (1970)	81,340	Alaska Maritime
Bogoslof (1970)	175	Alaska Maritime
Chamisso (1975)	455	Alaska Maritime
Forrester Island (1970)	2,832	Alaska Maritime
Hazy Islands (1970)	32	Alaska Maritime
Semidi (1980)	250,000	Alaska Maritime
Simeonof (1976)	25,855	Alaska Maritime
St. Lazaria (1970)	65	Alaska Maritime
Tuxedni (1970)	5,566	Alaska Maritime
Unimak (1980)	910,000	Alaska Maritime
Mollie Beattie (1980)	8,000,000	Arctic
Becharof (1980)	400,000	Becharof
Innoko (1980)	1,240,000	Innoko
Izembek (1980)	307,981	Izembek
Kenai (1980)	1,354,247	Kenai
Koyukuk (1980)	400,000	Koyukuk
Selawik (1980)	240,000	Selawik
Togiak (1980)	2,270,799	Togiak
Andreafsky (1980)	1,300,000	Yukon Delta
Nunivak (1980)	600,000	Yukon Delta

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