Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

Parks Directory of the United States / National Wildlife Refuges

Address: PO Box 127
Cold Bay, AK 99571
Phone: 907-532-2445;
Fax: 907-532-2549;
Web: izembek.fws.gov
Established: 1960 as Izembek National Wildlife Range; became Izembek NWR in 1980.
Location: Tip of the Alaska Peninsula.
Facilities: Visitor contact station.
Activities: Camping (no designated campsites), boating, kayaking, fishing, hiking, hunting.
Special Features: Refuge protects the watershed of Izembek Lagoon, an estuary containing one of the largest eelgrass beds in the world, which serves as an international crossroad to migrating waterfowl and shorebirds. The world's population of Pacific brant, thousands of Canada geese, and other waterfowl congregate on the lagoon from late August through early November. Each spring and fall the entire population of emperor geese migrate through Izembek, with several thousand wintering here.
Habitats: 417,533 acres of lakes, rivers, valleys, glaciers, snowfields, thermal springs, active volcanoes, and an estuary.
Access: Refuge headquarters is located in Cold Bay, a small remote community accessible only by aircraft or the state marine ferry system, which serves Cold Bay once a month from May to October. Limited vehicle access to the refuge is via 40 miles of gravel roads and trails; aircraft or boats are required for access elsewhere within the refuge.
Wild life: Black brant, Canada geese, emperor geese, Steller's eiders, tundra swan, harbor seals, sea otters, sea lions, whales, brown bears, caribou and salmon.

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