Establishment
Wrangell-St. Elias National Monument (10,950,000 acres) was established along with 16 other national monuments on November 16, 1978. The Alaska Native Interests Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) of November 12, 1980 established Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST) and nine other national parks, and designated 56,000,000 acres of wilderness, effectively more than doubling the acreage in the NPS and Wilderness Preservation System. The Park contained 8,147,000 acres and the Preserve 4,171,000 acres. ANILCA-designated wilderness in WRST measured 9,660,000 acres.