Banking on Nature: The Economic Benefits to Local Communities of National Wildlife Refuge Visitation
Koyukuk/Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge Complex Description The 3.5 million-acre Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge lies within the floodplain of the Koyukuk River, in a basin that extends from the Yukon River to the Purcell Mountains and the foothills of the Brooks Range. This region of wetlands and low rolling uplands is home to an abundance of fish, waterfowl and songbirds, beaver, snowshoe hares and voles, moose and caribou, bears, wolves, lynx and marten. In the Koyukuk's wetlands, breeding waterfowl feast upon water plants and abundant protein-rich invertebrates. Young birds grow quickly in the short, lush summer, and prepare for the fall migration. As many as 100,000 ducks are hatched and raised on Refuge lands during a single nesting season. Migratory songbirds and raptors also depend on the rich resources of the Koyukuk Refuge for breeding and raising young. Koyukuk Refuge's Three-Day Slough area, part of the 400,000 acre Koyukuk Wilderness, has some of the most productive moose habitat in Alaska. The Wilderness Area also encompasses the Nogahabara Sand Dune field, home to several rare plant and insect species. Caribou from the migratory Western Arctic Herd, which numbers more than 450,000, often move into the northernmost reaches of the Refuge in winter months in search of lichens that lie beneath the snow. The Koyukuk also supports a resident nonmigratory caribou population, the Galena Mountain Herd, which numbers about 300. Wolves, lynx and other furbearers, as well as black and grizzly bears, are found on the Refuge year around. The heart of Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge is a lowland basin of forests and wetlands that forms the floodplain of the meandering Nowitna River. The Refuge's climate is typically marked by light precipitation, mild winds, long, hard winters and short, relatively warm, summers. The hills that circle the refuge lowlands are capped by alpine tundra. It takes a week in a canoe, or more than an hour in a small plane, to traverse the Nowitna Refuge's 2.1 million acres of pristine wildlife habitat. Approximately 223 miles of the Nowitna River's 283-mile length flow within the boundaries of the Refuge. Fish species inhabiting the river and its related lakes and streams include sheefish, burbot, whitefish, sucker, king and chum salmon, northern pike and arctic grayling. The slow, meandering lower reaches of the Nowitna wander through another of Alaska's productive waterfowl nurseries. The grassy margins of the river, surrounding lakes, and waterways provide breeding habitat for trumpeter swans, white-fronted geese, canvasback ducks, cranes, and many other migratory species. More than 120 bird species have been sighted on the Refuge during summer months, but only a few dozen hardy species remain through winters. Forested uplands of the Nowitna Refuge are important habitat for marten and their small mammal prey, lynx, bears, and wolves. The refuge has been a traditional trapping area for area residents for centuries. Area Economy Koyukuk/Nowitna NWR is located in the western interior region of Alaska. There are eight rural villages within or near the refuge: Galena, Huslia, Hughes, Koyukuk, Nulato, Kaltag, Ruby, and Tanana. Galena serves as the area hub, with Fairbanks serving as the nearest larger city. Most travel between these communities is done by commercial air carriers, personal boats or snow machine.
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