National Wildlife Refuge
|1390 Buskin River Road
Kodiak, AK 99615
Phone Number: 907-487-2600
|Visit the Refuge's Web Site:
|Over 3000 Kodiak brown bear roam the rugged coastline of this Refuge|
Continued . . . There are about 117 drainages (34% of the entire Kodiak Archipelago) that support self sustaining populations of anadromous (fish that migrate in and out of fresh water and saltwater) or resident fish species on the refuge. These drainages range in size from 236 to less than 1 square mile (600 to 2 km2) in area. The drainages located on the southwest portion of the refuge (the Kodiak Refugium, the only glacier-free area on the Archipelago) provide one of the highest diversities of freshwater habitat and species abundance per-unit-area found anywhere in Alaska or the Pacific Northwest.
Five species of Pacific salmon, rainbow and steelhead trout, and Dolly Varden/arctic char occur in many drainages in the refuge, supporting commercial, sports-fishing and subsistence uses. Spawning salmon and their decaying carcasses offer a vital source of energy and nutrients for many other species. A few other species of fish occur throughout refuge inland waters. Although most of these other species are of little sport, commercial or subsistence interest, they are important food sources for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.
Kodiak is a the second largest island in North America lying 30 miles across Shelikof Strait from the Alaska mainland. Spruce forest blankets lowlands in the eastern third of the archipelago, while in the west tundra prevails. A rugged spine of mountains rising to over 4000 feet splits the length of the island. Kodiak's coastline, including cliffs, inlets and bays, interior valleys, alpine, and tundra areas provide abundant habitat for a wide variety of bird life. A total of 238 species of birds have been observed on the Kodiak archipelago with over 160 species being recorded on the refuge. The refuge provides nesting habitat for over 100 bird species, the most prominent being the bald eagle: about 600 nesting pairs use the refuge, which is likely one highest densities for a resident population of nesting bald eagles in North America. In winter, Kodiak is important to sea ducks and other water birds. Over a million and a half pelagic seabirds and sea ducks winter in coastal estuaries adjacent to the refuge. A wide range of upland and marine habitats, and temperatures moderated by the Gulf of Alaska, give Kodiak the greatest diversity of wintering birds in the state of Alaska. Twenty-five hundred to three thousand bald eagles also winter on Kodiak. While Kodiak is not on a major bird migration route a relatively large diversity of migrants can be seen in small numbers during spring and fall migration periods. Many of the birds that breed on Kodiak are year round residents.
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