Selawik National Wildlife Refuge

Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
Selawik Flats
Coordinates: 66 ° 30 ′ 0 ″  N , 159 ° 24 ′ 0 ″  W.
Location:	Alaska , United States
Next city:	Selawik
Surface:	8702 km²
Founding:	2nd December 1980

The Selawik National Wildlife Refuge is an 8702 km² protected area in the National Wildlife Refuge System of the USA . It lies east of Kotzebue Sound on the west coast of Alaska and was part of the Beringia land bridge , which formed a connection from Asia to North America until about 10,000 years ago.

In the north of the sanctuary, the Selawik Wilderness, which is almost 1000 km² in size, is a wilderness area , the strictest class of nature reserves in the United States, in which human intervention in nature is minimal. North of the refuge are the Kobuk Valley National Park and the Noatak National Preserve .

Wildlife

Caribou antlers in the snow

The landscape of the reserve consists largely of tundra and wetlands . The refuge is located in the transition zone from boreal forests to arctic tundra. The Selwawik and Kobuk rivers and their delta form the Selawik Flats . The Selawik Hills and Purcell Mountains in the south and the Waring Mountains in the north form ridges in the reserve.

Grizzlys , black bears , wolves , arctic wolves and red foxes live in the region as well as moose and musk ox . The Western Arctic caribou herd migrates through the area.

The Selawik National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for many migratory and sea birds. White-fronted geese and whistling swans use the short arctic summer to raise their young. Sandhill cranes arrive in the swamp and wetlands of the reserve in spring . Songbirds such as the yellow wagtail , the golden wood warbler and the badger breed also breed in the region.

history

Cottongrass in the Selawik NWR

Northwest Alaska played a major role in the history of the indigenous people who developed a diverse culture there. The Inupiat lived for millennia as hunters and gatherers in the area of ​​today's protected area.

Until the late 19th century, the Inupiat remained largely unaffected by western influences and the development of the North American continent. Settlements around churches and schools founded by missionaries were slow to form. The village of Selawik was established in 1908.

It was not until the gold rush in Nome in 1899 that hundreds of prospectors came to the Noatak and Kobuk Rivers and brought the region into the public eye.

The refuge was established in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service . It is listed in Category IV ( Biotope and Species Protection Area ) by the World Conservation Union .

Web links

Commons : Selawik National Wildlife Refuge  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• US Fish & Wildlife Service: Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (official site; English)
• Selawik Wilderness on wilderness.net (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (Mammals). (PDF) (No longer available online.) US Fish & Wildlife Service, archived from the original on September 26, 2006 ; accessed on July 4, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (Birds). (PDF) (No longer available online.) US Fish & Wildlife Service, archived from the original on September 26, 2006 ; accessed on July 4, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ World Database on Protected Areas - Selawik National Wildlife Refuge (English)