Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge - USFWS Alaska Region - U.S. Fish ...

Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge
Tetlin NWR is the only refuge
in Alaska tasked with providing
opportunities for interpretation
and environmental education.
The management of each refuge is dictated, in large part, by
the legislation that created the Refuge. In 1980, ANILCA [16
U.S.C. § 302 (8) (B) states “[t]he purposes for which the Tetlin
National Wildlife Refuge is established and shall be managed
include--
(i) to conserve fish and wildlife populations and
habitats in their natural diversity including, but not limited
to, waterfowl, raptors and other migratory birds, furbearers,
moose, caribou (including participation in coordinated
ecological studies and management of the Chisana caribou
herd), salmon and Dolly Varden;
(ii) to fulfill international treaty obligations of the
United States with respect to fish and wildlife and their
habitats;
(iii) to provide, in a manner consistent with the
purposes set forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii), the
opportunity for continued subsistence uses by local residents;
(iv) to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable
and in a manner consistent with the purposes set forth in
paragraph (i), water quality and necessary water quantity
within the refuge; and
(v) to provide, in a manner consistent with
subparagraphs (i) and (ii), opportunities for interpretation and
environmental education, particularly in conjunction with any
adjacent State visitor facilities.”
While the first four purposes are common to most wildlife
refuges in Alaska, the TNWR was given the unique
responsibility of providing opportunities for interpretation
and environmental education. Identified special values of
TNWR include the sand dunes of the Tanana Valley, the
subsistence way of life practiced by residents of the area,
wetland habitats for waterfowl and other bird species, fish
and wildlife resources, cultural resources, and opportunities
for public education regarding natural and cultural resources
afforded by the proximity of the Alaska Highway.
USFWS
Pulsatilla patens in the first
flower to bloom after snowmelt.
Contaminant Assessment
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