Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, which comprises 2,150,00 acres, was established to conserve the Western Arctic Caribou Herd; waterfowl, shorebirds, other migratory birds; and salmon and sheefish; to fulfill treaty obligations; to provide for continued subsistence uses; and to ensure necessary water quality and quantity. The refuge has its headquarters in Kotzebue, Alaska.

It could be argued that Selawik National Wildlife Refuge contains some of the most historically significant acreage in North America, because the refuge lands once formed part of the American portion of the vast Bering Land Bridge that, some scientists speculate, was the route followed by the ancestors of many of today’s large mammals, as well as early humans, when traveling between Asia and the Americas some 12,000 years ago.

For more information, see Selawik's Web site.

Comprehensive Conservation Plan
The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Plan requires a comprehensive conservation plan for all refuges in Alaska. The conservation plan for this refuge was completed in 1987. The Plan provides direction for managing the refuge by identifying the types and level of activities that can occur on the refuge. The refuge is divided into three management categories: most of the Refuge, more than 1.8 million acres, is in a Minimal Management land-use category; 240,000 acres are in congressionally designated Wilderness; and 107,000 acres are in a Wild and Scenic River category.