Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
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Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
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.jpg) Bald eagle in Alaska |
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| location | Alaska (USA) | |
| surface | 200 km² | |
| Geographical location | 59 ° 23 ' N , 135 ° 52' W | |
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| Setup date | 1982 | |
| administration | Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources |
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The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is a 200 km² state park established in 1982 in the Haines State Forest in the northwest of the Panhandle of Alaska . Most of the reserve is on the lower reaches of the Chilkat River north of Haines . Parts of the Klehini and Tsirku River valleys complete the preserve.
The area is home to the world's largest population of bald eagles, with 200 to 400 birds living there year-round. During the salmon migration in autumn, the number increases to up to 4,000 animals.
In the alluvial cone at the confluence of the Tsirku in the Chilkat, more water than can flow away collects due to inflows of rain and melt water in the warm seasons. This dammed reservoir has a temperature a few degrees higher than the surrounding water during the frost months and thus keeps the runoff of the Chilkat to the Lynn Canal free of ice for about 8 km. This open water provides the eagles with sufficient food in winter.