Alaska
Alaska is a land of superlatives…biggest park, highest mountain, and most bears. In fact, two-thirds of the acreage of the entire U.S. National Park System is in Alaska -- that's 54 million acres! Much of this was added in 1980 when Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), one of the great milestones in the history of American land conservation.
Report Finds Lake Clark National Park and Preserve's Resources Threatened by Mining
A new report from NPCA's Center for State of the Parks finds Lake Clark park in outstanding condition, its cultural resources program awarded the highest score of any national park assessed to date. However, the report cautions that the industrial Pebble mining district, proposed on lands directly adjacent to Lake Clark preserve, poses an urgent threat to park resources.
Read more about the threats Lake Clark faces >
New Report: Minding the Gap
NPCA has just released “Minding The Gap: Is wildlife research sufficiently funded in Alaska’s national parks?” This report annotates the frequency and type of wildlife research for the years 1980 to 2006 on key hunted species in those Alaska parks, monuments and preserves where either sport and/or subsistence hunting is allowed. The report compares historic research data with what park biologists feel is the minimum research necessary for park managers to make sound decisions about hunting regulations such as season length and bag limit. The difference between the two is the “gap” and shows quite convincingly that more wildlife research funding is needed in Alaska’s national park units. Download the Report (PDF, 6.7 MB, 100 pages)
ANILCA established 10 new, and expanded three of Alaska's five existing national park units. These 15 parks protect an outstanding collection of vast intact wilderness, diverse and abundant wildlife, spectacular scenery, and the traditional ways of life for many Native Alaskans and rural residents. Perpetuating these values involves navigating several significant roadblocks and potholes on the path to stewardship that absolutely must be addressed to ensure that the vital, functioning ecosystems in Alaska's parks are sustained.
- Recognized as "ground zero" for global warming, Alaska and its national parks are feeling dramatic effects from our changing climate. Alaska's parks provide a living laboratory where this natural phenomenon can be observed (mostly) absent of direct urban & development influences as temperatures rise. Read More >>
- Another significant issue facing the wilderness integrity of Alaska's are the state of Alaska's hunting regulations, which apply on the 19 million acres of national preserve lands where sport hunting is allowed. Read More >>
- Unlike parks in the Lower 48 were most forms of off-road vehicles are prohibited, ANILCA allows snowmobiles and other motorized craft for access to inholdings, subsistence, and traditional activities. While NPCA recognizes that motorized access is necessary for some rural Alaskans to maintain their rural lifestyle within national park boundaries, there are ongoing legal questions about recreational ATV riding in Wrangell-ST. Elias and recreational snowmobile riding in Denali.
- NPCA closely monitors new and emerging issues that threaten park integrity from beyond park boundaries. The pristine waters of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve help protect spawning habitat critical to the legendary sockeye salmon fishery of southwest Alaska's Bristol Bay. Advanced exploration at the Pebble Mine site, a massive copper/gold/molybdenum deposit, is occurring only miles from Lake Clark's southern border. Also encroaching upon Lake Clark are proposals for coal mining and hydro-electric development just north of the park. Read More >
How You Can Help
Send Us Your Photo
We always welcome photos from NPCA supporters enjoying Alaska's National Parks. If you have pictures to share please send them to us. They may be included in future NPCA publications.
