The Andreafsky Wilderness is a remote and pristine area in western Alaska, known for its rugged terrain, diverse wildlife, and untouched natural beauty.
The Kanektok River is a popular destination for fishing enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers. Known for its abundant salmon runs, the river offers opportunities for fishing, rafting, and wildlife viewing. Visitors can expect to see bald eagles, brown bears, and other wildlife along the river banks.
The Kilbuck Mountains are a rugged and remote mountain range located within the Andreafsky Wilderness. The mountains offer stunning vistas, hiking opportunities, and the chance to experience true wilderness. Visitors can explore the mountains on foot or by backcountry camping.
The Andreafsky River is a tributary of the Yukon River that flows through the heart of the Andreafsky Wilderness. The river is a popular destination for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. Visitors can enjoy the pristine wilderness surroundings and may even spot moose, caribou, and other wildlife along the riverbanks.
The Togiak National Wildlife Refuge borders the Andreafsky Wilderness and offers additional opportunities for wildlife viewing and outdoor recreation. The refuge is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including brown bears, wolves, and migratory birds. Visitors can explore the refuge on hiking trails, boat tours, and wildlife viewing platforms.
Description: Brant Nesting Area - Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge[1]
Image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Three Emperor Geese flying at Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA.
Image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: A chick Gyrfalcon on a nest in Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, USA.
Image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Map of Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
Image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Downy nest of a Steller's Eider with seven eggs found on the tundra at the Black Brant research area on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Kristine Sowl/USFWS
Image by USFWSAlaska – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Note: Some of the following information may have arrived from the agency cut off or incomplete. Description: Potholes. Subjects: Wetlands. Publisher: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Image by Department of the Interior. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. National Conservation Training Center. 10/1997-8888 – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Despite springtime’s lengthening daylight, most of Alaska’s Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge retains a late-winter appearance as the major rivers, lakes and wetlands remain coated with ice in early May 2022. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of an icy spring day on the refuge on May 3. Nighttime low temperatures have been staying below freezing in late April and early May this year, but with daylight temperatures consistently rising about 10˚F above freezing across most of the refuge, ice breakup across the refuge will soon begin. In most years, ice breakup begins in late April or May and is completed by late May. The Yukon River originates in British Columbia, Canada, and flows through Yukon Territory before entering the U.S. state of Alaska. As the Yukon River nears the Bering Sea, it spreads out in braided meanders, creating a vast delta in the low-lying coastal tundra plain. In the south, the meanders of the Kuskokwim River add to the wetlands of the Yukon Delta. The meanders of the two major rivers feed a multitude of channels, coastal ponds, lakes, and wetland, creating a unique environment that is important and vital habitat for waterfowl, migratory, and breeding birds as well as provides critical spawning habitat for Pacific salmon species. The coastal waters are home to a variety of marine mammals, including whales that swim through the Bering Sea during migration. In the drier uplands, animals such as bear, caribou, moose, wolves and muskox thrive. The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge spans 19.16 million acres (77,500 square km), making it the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the United States (the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the largest). The importance of preserving this delta and adjacent lands of southwestern Alaska was first officially recognized when President Theodore Roosevelt first created refuge lands in the area in 1909. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act into law, which consolidated existing refuges, added more protected lands, and created the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Reserve. Not only is the Yukon Delta an important home for wildlife, it is one of the most populated rural areas in Alaska, with over 50 Indigenous communities. As the ancestral home of the Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Deg Xit'an people of Alaska, this is a region rich in culture, where residents depend on the wildland, waters, and wildlife to support an active subsistence way of life. Unlike many wildlife refuges, which focus solely on the wildlife and habitat within their boundaries, goals of the Yukon Delta Wildlife Refuge focus not only on conserving fish and wildlife populations and their habitats in their natural diversity, but also to provide the opportunity for continued subsistence uses by local residents.
Image by MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC – Public domain – Wikimedia
Image by Department of the Interior. National Park Service. Alaska Region. (12/2/1980 - 5/1995) – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Image title: Yukon delta national wildlife refuge Image from Public domain images website, http://www.public-domain-image.com/full-image/vintage-photography-public-domain-images-pictures/yukon-delta-national-wildlife-refuge.jpg.html
Image by King, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Public domain – Wikimedia
Description: Image title: Yukon delta national wildlife refuge Alaska sunset Image from Public domain images website, http://www.public-domain-image.com/full-image/nature-landscapes-public-domain-images-pictures/sunset-public-domain-images-pictures/yukon-delta-national-wildlife-refuge-alaska-sunset.jpg.html
Image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Public domain – Wikimedia