ALASKA PENINSULA/BECHAROF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE COMPLEX King Salmon, Alaska ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1992 U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM ALASKA PENINSULA/BECHAROF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE COMPLEX King Salmon, Alaska ANNUAL NARRATIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1992 U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE SYSTEM.S REVIEWS AND APPROVALS ALASKA PENINSULA/BECl~OF NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE COMPLEX King Salmon, Alaska ANWJAL NARRP.TIVE REPORT Calendar Year 1992 h~.S-~'f ~~ :ti?<A/6( Refuge Manager Date A~cfate Manager Review Date ~ ~ Regional Office Approval Date TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION A. HIGHLIGHTS .•.....•......•••••••••.....•. 10 B. CLIMATIC CONDITIONS .•...•.•....•........ 11 C. LAND ACQUISITION 1. Fee Title ................................................•......... 17 2. Easements .......................................................... 20 3. Other .............................................................. 20 D. PLANNING 1. Master Plan ....................................................... NTR 2. Management Plan .................................................... 20 3. Public Participation ............................................... 24 4. Compliance with Environmental Mandates ...........................•. 25 5. Research and Investigations ........................................ 25 6. Other ..................................................•........... 26 E. ADMINISTRATION 1. Personnel .......................................................... 26 2. Youth Programs ..................................................... 33 3. Other Staffing Programs ............................................ 36 4. Volunteer Programs ...............................................•. 36 5 . Funding ............................................................ 40 6. Safety ............................................................. 42 7. Technical Assistance .............................................. NTR 8. Other Items ........................................................ 46 F. HABITAT MANAGEMENT 1. General ............................................................ 49 2. Wetlands ........................................................... 50 3 . Forests ........................................................... NTR 4. Crop lands ......................................................... NTR 5. Grasslands ........................................................ NTR 6. Other Habitats ..................................................... 51 7. Grazing ........................................................... NTR 8 . Haying ............................................................ NTR 9. Fire Management .................................................... 53 10. Pest Control ...................................................... NTR 11. Water Rights ...................................................... NTR 12. Wilderness and Special Areas ....................................... 55 13. WPA Easement Monitoring ........................................... NTR 14. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ............................................. 58 G. WILDLIFE 1. Wildlife Diversity ................................................ NTR 2. Endangered and/or Threatened Species .............................. NTR 3. Waterfowl .......................................................... 59 4. Marsh and Water Birds ............................................. NTR 5. Shorebirds, Gulls, Terns, and Allied Species ....................... 65 6 . Rap tors ........ ·................................................... NTR 7. Other Migratory Birds .............................................. 76 8. Game Mammals ............................................ , ••........ 78 9. Marine Mammals .................................................... NTR 10. Other Resident Wildlife ........................................... NTR 11. Fisheries Resources ................................................ 91 12. Wildlife Propagation and Stocking ................................. NTR 13. Surplus Animal Disposal ............................................ 93 14. Scientific Collection .......................................•..... NTR 15. Animal Control .................................................... NTR 16. Marking and Banding ................................................ 93 17. Disease Prevention and Control .................................... NTR 18. Subsistence ........................................................ 94 H. PUBLIC USE 1. General ............................................................ 94 2. Outdoor Classrooms - Students ...................................... 96 3. Outdoor Classrooms - Teachers ..................................... 103 4. Interpretive Foot Trails .......................................... NTR 5. Interpretive Tour Trails .......................................... NTR 6. Interpretive Exhibits/Demonstrations .............................. NTR 7. Other Interpretive Programs ....................................... 103 8. Hunting ........................................................... 110 9. Fishing ........................................................... 113 10. Trapping .......................................................... 115 11. Wildlife Observation .............................................. 116 12. Other Wildlife Oriented Recreation ................................ NTR 13. Camping ........................................................... NTR 14. Picnicking ........................................................ NTR 15. Off-Road Vehic1ing ................................................ 117 16. Other Non-Wildlife Oriented Recreation ............................ 118 17. ·Law Enforcement ................................................... 121 18. Cooperating Associations .......................................... 122 19. Concessions ....................................................... NTR 20. Cabins ............................................................ 122 21. Guides and Outfitters ............................................. 123 22. Take Pride in America and Alaska .................................. 129 23. Subsistence ....................................................... 139 I. EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES 1. New Construction .................................................. 142 2. Rehabilitation .................................................... 145 3 . Major Maintenance ................................................. 147 4. Equipment and Utilization and Replacement ......................... 148 5. Communications Systems ............................................ 149 6. Computer Systems ......... ,, ........................................ 149 7. Energy Conservation ............................................... 150 8 . Other ............................................................. NTR J. OTHER ITEMS 1. Cooperative Programs ...............................•.............. 150 2. Other Economic Uses ............................................... NTR 3. Items of Interest ................................................. 152 4. Credits ........................................................... 161 K. FEEDBACK ........................... 161 INTRODUCTION The Alaska Peninsula splits Bristol Bay and t he Bering Sea on the north and west from the Pacific Ocean on the south and east. This rugged peninsula juts out in a southwesterly crescent from the mainland beginning at the 59th parallel of latitude and running nearly 400 miles to about t:he 54th parallel. The southwestward crescent is continued for another 1,500 miles by ~ the Aleutian Islands. The backbone of the Alaska Peninsula is the Aleutian Mountain Range. This volcanic mountain range lies along the Pacific coast on the east side of the peninsula. Numerous peaks rise above 6,000 feet elevation. This creates a Pacific coast that is rocky and heavily fjorded. The Aleutian Range, including the Aleutian Islands, contains nearly 50 volcanoes known to have erupted or vented steam since 1760. They are part of a chain of volcanoes that rim the Pacific Ocean known as the "Ring of Fire". The Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges are superimposed over this rugged range of mountains (Figure 1). ) Aleutian Range volcanoes form part of the "Ring of Fire". This classic shot shows, north to south, Mt. Martin (Katmai NP&P), Kejulik Mts., Mt. Peulik (Becharof NWR), and Mt. Chiginagak (Alaska Peninsula NWR). 10/92, DAD The Becharof Refuge contains approximately 1.2 million acres (Figure 2). It is 10 miles south of King Salmon and 295 miles southwest· of Anchorage. The refuge lies between Katmai National Park and Alaska ) Peninsula Refuge. The refuge landscape consists of tundra, lakes, , wetlands, and volcanic peaks. Becharof Lake, the second largest lake in Alaska, is nestled between the low tundra wetlands to the north and west and the Aleutian Mountain Range to the east and south. Mount Peulik ;CI"lj !-'· 1-'· 1-'0Q P..S::: 1-'1"1 !-'-(!) '"f1 (!) ..... ;>:l (!) '"f1 t-' c 0 ()q (") (!) Ill (/) rT !-'· 0 ;:l 0 '"f1 rT ,.. .. ::r (!) ;J> 1-' Ill (/) l""' ~~'l>-""\ Ill ·r:,""..O ~<' (!) "';:l !-'- ;:l Becharof National (/) s::: Wildlife Refuge 1-' Ill Ill ;:l p.. Ugashik Unit Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge Chignik Unit Pacific Ocean Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge N 3 iltmli h\ioul Park u4 Ptmrn ,\ .... (). .lluia Pelliusull llatioall lildlife iefuKe Becharof National Wildlife Refuge U.S. fish