Questions & Answers

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How many ducks breed and nest on the refuge? The number of breeding ducks averages between 1 to 2 million, the highest density in the state. More canvasbacks nest on the refuge than in the rest of Alaska combined.

Where do the ducks go when they leave the refuge in the fall? Waterfowl banded on the Yukon Flats have been recovered in 11 foreign countries, eight Canadian Provinces, and 45 of the 50 United States.

Why does the refuge attract so many ducks? Yukon Flats is rich in quality habitat. With some 20,000 wetlands, the refuge provides thousands of miles of shoreline and cover for nesting waterfowl. There are so many water bodies that a person could explore four each day for the next 14 years!

Do birds other than waterfowl use the Yukon Flats? More than 160 species of birds use the refuge. A songbird banding station on the refuge has recorded one of the highest capture rates in Alaska. Numerous other waterbirds and shorebirds, including some 15,000 common, Pacific and red-throated loons spend summers among the lakes, rivers and wetlands on the refuge.

Do polar bears occur on the refuge? No. Polar bears are found to the north on the coast of adjacent Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. However, grizzly and black bears wander the refuge, as do 33 other mammal species. The refuge provides ideal habitat for many furbearers, including lynx, marten, mink, river otter, wolves and wolverines.

Is it too cold for fish? No. Fish species in northern Alaska have adapted to the arctic winter conditions. Fish overwinter in deep holes in rivers and lakes, although some shallow lakes do freeze to the bottom.

How many fish species occur on the refuge? The Yukon River and ten other rivers flow through the refuge. These support three species of salmon and 15 species of freshwater fish. Salmon that migrate from the Bering Sea through the Yukon Flats to Canada must swim nearly 2,000 miles upstream before spawning!

Are the refuge’s natural resources important to local residents? Yes. One Koyukon and six Gwich’in Athabascan villages depend on refuge resources to maintain their traditional lifestyles, as they have for generations.

Physical Features
Where is the refuge located? Located in east-central Alaska and bisected by the Arctic Circle and the Yukon River, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge lies between the Dalton Highway to the west, White Mountains National Recreation Area and Steese National Conservation Area to the south, and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Venetie Indian Reservation to the north. Canada is less than 30 miles to the east.

How large is the refuge? The Yukon Flats Refuge is the nation’s third largest national wildlife refuge, larger than the states of Maryland and Delaware combined. The boundary of the refuge encompasses more than 11 million acres.

What does the refuge look like? The refuge’s topography may be divided into three major categories:

• Lowlands a broad area of wetlands and rivers (the “Flats”) that accounts for roughly 50% of the refuge
• Uplands a halo of land surrounding the lowlands, approximately 25% of the refuge
• Mountains the northwest and southern boundaries of the refuge, about 25% of the refuge

Has the refuge been recognized for any special features? Yes. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) established the Beaver Creek National Wild River. This river flows through the White Mountains National Recreation Area and the refuge. The upper 127 miles of Beaver Creek have been designated “Wild,” including 16 miles within the refuge. A 100-mile stretch of the lower Sheenjek River has been recommended for national wild river designation. In the 1987 refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan, 650,000 acres in the White and Crazy Mountains were recommended for protection under the Wilderness Act.

Refuge History
When was the refuge established? The Secretary of the Interior designated the area now occupied by the refuge as a national monument in 1978. In 1980, the President signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act thereby establishing the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. The Yukon Flats Refuge is the nation’s third largest national wildlife refuge, larger than the states of Maryland and Delaware combined. The boundaries of the refuge surround more than 11 million acres.

Why was the refuge established? During the 1960s, a massive hydroelectric project was proposed for the upper Yukon River. Known as the Rampart Dam project, it would have flooded approximately 10,500 square miles of the Yukon Flats, an area larger than Lake Erie. To help decision makers, federal wildlife biologists were tasked with gathering information on the value of the area to wildlife, especially waterfowl. This information ultimately led to widespread opposition to the project, and highlighted the importance of the area to migratory birds.

Refuge Climate
How cold does it get on the refuge? The refuge experiences an extreme annual temperature variance. The coldest temperature recorded was just shy of the state record of –75° F (-59° C), while the warmest 100° F (38° C), was recorded in Fort Yukon, June 27, 1915. This stands as the highest recorded temperature in Alaska! In the heart of the refuge, the average maximum temperature for the month of July from 1938 – 1989 was 73.2° F (22.8° C), while the average monthly minimum, -27.8° F (-33.2° C), occurred during the month of January, 1938-1989.

How much precipitation falls in an average year on the refuge? The average annual precipitation in Fort Yukon was 6.57 inches from 1938 -1990. The average annual snowfall for the same location and period was 41.9 inches. Despite its low annual precipitation, the refuge maintains plant growth typical of more temperate regions. This is possible because of the frozen subsoil and low evaporation rate typical of the arctic.

Summer storms and lightning. Despite lack of rainfall, summer storms play an integral part in maintaining habitat for wildlife. As storms pass over the refuge, lightning strikes ignite dry tundra and other fuels. If very little or no rain accompanies the lightning, wildland fires will start - often burning more than 100,000 acres. As many as 2,000 lightning strikes have been recorded in a single day, sparking the highest incidence of naturally occurring wildland fires in Alaska.

Last updated: July 22, 2008