The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge is spread out along most of the 47,300 miles of Alaska's coastline. The sheer span of the refuge is difficult to grasp and includes more than 2,500 islands, islets, spires, rocks, reefs, waters and headlands consisting of five separate units. The refuge encompasses an area from Forrester Island, to the north of Canada's Queen Charlotte Islands to the westernmost tip of the Aleutians and north to Cape Lisburne on the Arctic Ocean. No other maritime refuge in America is as large or as productive.
The Gulf of Alaska Unit contains scattered small islands extending along 800 miles of coast from the Inside Passage's rainforests including St. Lazaria Island near Sitka, across the arc of Prince William Sound and the fjord-edged Kenai Peninsula where the Chiswell Islands are the most visited in all the refuge, to the Barren Islands and waters and islets off Kodiak Island. The Alaska Peninsula Unit extends more than 400 miles along the south coast of the Alaska Peninsula from just west of Kodiak Island to the southern tip of the peninsula and includes hundreds of sea stacks and islands, many with steep or mountainous terrain often surrounded by reefs or rocky shores, including the Semidi and Shumagin island groups. The Aleutian Islands Unit extends more than 1,100 miles in a chain of volcanic islands from Unimak Island at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula westward to Attu Island. The Bering Sea Unit extends more than 600 miles from islands and lands on Norton Sound along the Seward Peninsula to islands far into the Bering Sea and the Pribilof Islands, the best place to watch marine birds and mammals from land on the refuge. The Chukchi Sea Unit contains scattered islands, spits and mainland areas extending along 500 miles of coast from southwest of Barrow on the Arctic Ocean and includes the mountainous mainland area and sea cliffs of Cape Lisburne and Cape Thompson at the western end of the Brooks Range.
Activities and Attractions
Abundant, unique and charismatic species make wildlife watching on this refuge a joy. Although access is difficult, the birds and mammals are easy to see once you get there. Cliffs swarming with seabirds along with otters, sea lions, birds blown in from Asia and rare and unique species are viewing highlights. The seven most visited and easiest places to wildlife watch on the refuge are:
Near Homer, on the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula with access to islands in Kachemak Bay, Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska. Alaska Islands & Ocean Visitor Center, the refuge headquarters, takes you on a dramatic journey through the refuge's past and present as well as provides trails that access slough and beach habitats utilized in season by seabirds, shorebirds, waterfowl and moose. Boat tours and kayak outfitters offer excursions in the area. You can also ferry to Kodiak where you pass through the Barren Islands, the largest seabird colony in the northern Gulf of Alaska.
Homer is also the site of the annual Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival held in early May each year to celebrate the return of huge flocks of migrating shorebirds arriving from Asia, Hawaii and South America. The four-day festival is Alaska's largest wildlife festival and offers guided bird walks, viewing stations, workshops, boat viewing tours and many other activities.
Near Seward, also on the Kenai Peninsula and road accessible, you can access the Chiswell Islands. The rugged and rocky Chiswell Islands rise from the Gulf of Alaska at the mouth of Resurrection Bay and are the most visited seabird colonies of the refuge. Many boat tours include the Chiswell Islands as well as portions of the Kenai Fjords National Park to view calving glaciers, nesting bald eagles, seals and sea otters.
Near Sitka in the Inside Passage, visitors have access to St. Lazaria Island; a unique part of the mainly treeless refuge with is lush temperate rainforests. More than 500,000 seabirds nest on this 65-acre island. Local charter boats and tours bring visitors to view the amazing sea bird colonies and wildlife.
The Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea are home to myriad seabirds and the northern fur seal. Sometimes referred to as the 'Galapagos of the North,' these islands are a naturalist's paradise. An estimated 3 million seabirds and 1 million marine mammals come to breed and raise their young each summer. Visitor services are available on both St. Paul and St. George islands with several flights a week from Anchorage. Several small cruise ships offer itineraries that include the Pribilofs.
Adak Island is located about halfway out the Aleutian Chain and has scheduled air service from Unalaska. Adak offers the chance to see birds seldom found elsewhere. Sea otters and seals can be seen in a saltwater lagoon and whales ply the offshore waters. Bald eagles are common sights.
Unalaska/Port of Dutch Harbor is the gateway to refuge lands on Unalaska Island and the rest of the Aleutians with scheduled jet service from Anchorage and once a month ferry service in summer. Spectacularly craggy cliffs, sea stacks, pinnacles and snow-topped volcanoes make up the scenery while rare whiskered auklet colonies along with countless other birds offer entertainment. Wildflowers and lush grasses blanket the treeless island in summer.
Near Nome lies Safety Sound, a unique mainland birding hot spot with road access from Nome. Many commercial birding tours visit Nome, especially in late May to see the thousands of migratory birds that descend on the area each year.
Accessibility
Most of the refuge is remote and access is usually by boat. The most visited areas of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge are highlighted in the previous section. For more detailed information and planning assistance, contact the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center in Homer or follow the link at the bottom of the page.
Fees
There are no fees, although in some areas where crossing Native lands is required, a fee may be required by the Native corporation or organization.
Weather and Climate
Weather will vary depending on which part of the refuge you visit. The refuge website and the Visitor Center have detailed information.
Facilities
Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center - 907-235-6546 - 95 Sterling Highway, Homer (open year round)
History
The Alaska Maritime Refuge was given its current name and extensive acreage in 1980, when 11 previously established refuges, totaling about 3 million acres, and an additional 1.9 million acres were joined.
http://alaskamaritime.fws.gov/