Noatak National Preserve
Noatak National Preserve | ||
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Howard Pass and the Brooks Range in Noatak National Preserve | ||
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Location: | Alaska , United States | |
Next city: | Kotzebue | |
Surface: | 26,587 km² | |
Founding: | December 1, 1978 | |
Visitors: | 7010 (2005) |
The Noatak National Preserve is a nature reserve under the administration of the National Park Service in Alaska northeast of the Kotzebue Sound , which is framed by the Baird and De Long Mountains of the Brooks Range .
Under Protection is the catchment area of the Noatak River , the last untouched by human influence flow system of the United States is. The area is a transition zone from arctic to sub-arctic climates and consists mainly of tundra . Moose , grizzly bears , black bears , wolves , arctic foxes , lemmings and Dall sheep have their habitat here. Large herds of caribou roam the reserve.
The preserve borders the Kobuk Valley National Park to the south and the Gates of the Arctic National Park to the east . 23,332 km², almost the entire area of the protected area with the exception of the region around the place Noatak , are designated under the name Noatak Wilderness as wilderness area , the strictest class of nature reserves in the United States.
The reserve was established as a National Monument on December 1, 1978 . On December 2, 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act changed its status to that of a National Preserve .
Web links
- National Park Service: Noatak National Preserve (official site; English)
- Cultural Resources of Noatak National Preserve (English)
- Noatak Wilderness (English)