Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area)
Map showing the location of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Map showing the location of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
Map of the United States
LocationAleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States
Nearest cityCold Bay, Alaska
Coordinates55°15′N 162°45′W / 55.250°N 162.750°W / 55.250; -162.750
Area315,000 acres (1,270 km2)[1][2]
Established1960
Governing bodyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
WebsiteIzembek NWR
Official nameIzembek Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge
Designated18 December 1986
Reference no.349[3]

The Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is the smallest of the National Wildlife Refuges located in the U.S. state of Alaska. It lies on the northwest (Bering Sea) coastal side of central Aleutians East Borough. Almost all of the refuge (307,982 acres (124,636 ha)[4] out of 315,000 acres (1,270 km2)) was designated as wilderness in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Anilca).[1] The refuge is administered from offices in Cold Bay.

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge lies between the highly productive waters of the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. Within the heart of the refuge is Izembek Lagoon, a 30-mile (48 km) long and 5-mile (8.0 km) wide coastal ecosystem that contains one of the world's largest eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds. More than 200 species of wildlife and nine species of fish can be found on the refuge.[5] Millions of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds find food and shelter in the coastal lagoons and freshwater wetlands on their way to and from their subarctic and arctic breeding grounds. This extraordinary abundance and diversity of waterfowl has attracted international attention.

  1. ^ a b "Izembek National Wildlife Refuge". Fws.gov. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Yardley, William; Barringer, Felicity (September 27, 2008). "Swapping Land for a Road to Somewhere Divides Alaskans". The New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  3. ^ "Izembek Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "Izembek Wilderness". Wilderness Connect. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Fortuna, Carolyn (November 9, 2024). "Tribes Fight "Precedent-Setting" Alaskan Land Exchange Proposal". CleanTechnica. Retrieved November 10, 2024.