Wilderness
National Wilderness Preservation System
The
Wilderness Act of 1964 established the National Wilderness Preservation
System, which today has grown to more than 104 million  acres,
approximately half of which are located in Alaska. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service manages 21 designated Wilderness areas totalling approximately
18.6 million acres on 10 National Wildlife Refuges units in Alaska.
Most wilderness areas on Refuges in Alaska were designated with passage
of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (Pub.
L. 96-487) (ANILCA), which also modified some provisions of the Wilderness
Act to allow for the continuation of subsistence lifestyles and traditional
activities. Wilderness lands on Alaska Refuges are managed according
to the provisions of the Wilderness Act, except where there is a conflict
with ANILCA, in which case the provisions of ANILCA prevail.
The prominent provisions of ANILCA that modify the Wilderness Act include:
Section 811 (b) permits the “appropritate use for subsistence
purposes of snowmobiles, motorboats, and other means of surface transportation
traditionally employed for such purposes by local residents, subject
to reasonable regulation.”
Section 1110 (a) permits “the use of snowmachines (during periods
of adequate snow cover, or frozen river conditions in the case of
wild and senic rivers), motorboats, airplanes and nonmotorized surface
transportation methods for traditional activities (where such activities
are permitted by [ANILCA] or other law) and for travel to and from
villages and homesites.”
Section 1315 (c), provides that “previously existing public
use cabins within wilderness designated by [ANILCA], may be permitted
to continue and may be maintained or replaced subject to such restriction
as the Secretary deems necessary to preserve the wilderness character
of the area.”
Section 1315 (d), authorizes the Service “to construct and
maintain a limited number of new public use cabins and shelters if
such cabins and shelters are necessary for the protection of the public
health and safety.”
Wilderness
Area |
Size
(acres) |
Refuge
Unit |
| Aleutain
Islands (1980) |
1,300,000.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Bering
Sea (1970) |
81,340.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Bogoslof (1970) |
175.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Chamisso (1975) |
455.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Forrester
Island (1970) |
2,832.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Hazy
Islands (1970) |
32.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Semidi (1980) |
250,000.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Simeonof (1976) |
25,855.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| St.
Lazaria (1970) |
65.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Tuxedni (1970) |
5,566.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Unimak (1980) |
910,000.00 |
Alaska Maritime NWR |
| Mollie
Beattie (1980) |
8,000,000.00 |
Arctic NWR |
| Becharof (1980) |
400,000.00 |
Becharof NWR |
| Innoko (1980) |
1,240,000.00 |
Innoko NWR |
| Izembek (1980) |
307,981.76 |
Izembek NWR |
| Kenai (1980) |
1,354,247.00 |
Kenai NWR |
| Koyukuk (1980) |
400,000.00 |
Koyukuk NWR |
| Selawik (1980) |
240,000.00 |
Selawik NWR |
| Togiak (1980) |
2,270,799.00 |
Togiak NWR |
| Andreafsky (1980) |
1,300,000.00 |
Yukon Delta NWR |
| Nunivak (1980) |
600,000.00 |
Yukon Delta NWR |
Last updated: September 25, 2008
Visitor Services & Fire Management
Alaska National Wildlife Refuge Home
Alaska Region Home
|
