ECOLOGICAL SUBSECTIONS OF WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE Mapping and Delineation by: David K. Swanson Photographs by: Blain Anderson, National Park Service Alaska Region Inventory and Monitoring Program 2525 Gambell Anchorage, Alaska 99503 Alaska Region Inventory & Monitoring Program 2525 Gambell Street, Anchorage, Alaska 99503 (907) 257-2488 Fax (907) 264-5428 Text and maps by David K. Swanson Photographs by Blain Anderson National Park Service Inventory & Monitoring Program ECOLOGICAL SUBSECTIONS OF WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE, ALASKA September, 2001 Contents Contents.......................................................................................................................... ii Introduction..................................................................................................................... 4 Methods .......................................................................................................................... 1 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Alaska Range Region............................................................. 2 JKV Jack Valley Subsection .......................................................................................... 3 MES Mentasta Sedimentary Mountains Subsection ......................................................... 4 NBB Nabesna Basin Subsection .................................................................................... 5 SMM Southern Mentasta Mountains Subsection ............................................................. 7 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Chugach-St. Elias Region ....................................................... 8 BAI Bagley-Seward Icefield Subsection ......................................................................... 8 BRV Bremner Valley Subsection.................................................................................... 9 BSG Bering and Stellar Glaciers Subsection ................................................................. 10 CBM Churchill-Bona Massif Subsection ........................................................................ 10 CHM Chitina Moraines Subsection............................................................................... 11 CLG Chitina and Logan Glaciers Subsection ................................................................. 12 CRC Copper River Canyon Subsection ......................................................................... 14 IBF Icy Bay Foothills Subsection................................................................................. 15 IRG Icefield Ranges and Glaciers Subsection ............................................................... 15 MAG Malaspina Glacier Subsection.............................................................................. 16 MBM Mt. Bear Massif Subsection ................................................................................ 18 MLM Mt. Logan Massif Subsection .............................................................................. 19 NCC Northern Chugach Cirque-Glacier Mountains Subsection........................................ 20 NCF Northern Chugach Foothills Subsection ................................................................ 22 NGR Northern Chugach Glaciers and Ridges Subsection ............................................... 24 NIB Nikolai Butte Subsection...................................................................................... 24 RBM Robinson Mountains Subsection.......................................................................... 25 SSM Southern St. Elias Mountains Subsection.............................................................. 26 SUM Sulzer-Natazhat Mountains Subsection ................................................................ 28 TAV Tana Valley Subsection....................................................................................... 29 UCM University-Centennial Mountains Subsection ........................................................ 30 WBR Waxel-Barkley Ridge Subsection......................................................................... 31 WHM White-Hawkins Massif Subsection ...................................................................... 32 WSF Western St. Elias Foothills Subsection.................................................................. 32 YGG Yahtse and Guyot Glaciers Subsection ................................................................. 33 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Copper River Basin Region ................................................... 34 ALP Ahtna Lacustrine Plain Subsection........................................................................ 34 CVF Chitina Valley Floodplains and Terraces Subsection ............................................... 36 ii DLP Duck Lake Plain Subsection................................................................................. 40 KHT Kotsina-Kuskalana Hills and Terraces Subsection .................................................. 41 MCF Middle Copper River Floodplain and Terraces Subsection....................................... 42 NAP Natat Plain Subsection........................................................................................ 43 TAM Tanada Moraine Subsection................................................................................ 44 UCO Upper Copper River Floodplains and Terraces Subsection...................................... 45 WMT Wrangell Mountains Toeslope Subsection ........................................................... 46 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Gulf of Alaska Coast Region ................................................. 48 MAF Malaspina Foreland Subsection ........................................................................... 48 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Kluane Range Region .......................................................... 50 CHB Chisana Basin Subsection ................................................................................... 50 NIM Nutzotin Igneous Mountains Subsection............................................................... 51 NSM Nutzotin Sedimentary Mountains Subsection........................................................ 52 SBV Solo-Beaver Valley Subsection............................................................................. 54 SNH Southern Nutzotin Hills and Mountains Subsection................................................ 56 WRB White River Basin Subsection ............................................................................. 57 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Tanana-Kuskokwim Lowlands Region.................................... 60 JAF Jatahmund Basin Floodplains and Terraces Subsection........................................... 60 JAM Jatahmund Basin Moraines Subsection................................................................. 63 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Wrangell Mountains Region.................................................. 65 BDM Baldwin Mountains Subsection............................................................................ 65 CHP Cheshnina Plateaus and Valleys Subsection.......................................................... 66 CSR Cross Range Subsection ..................................................................................... 68 DSF Drum-Sanford Footslopes Subsection................................................................... 69 JLP Jacksina Lava Plateau Subsection ......................................................................... 71 JVR Jarvis Range Subsection...................................................................................... 72 MCM McCarthy Mountains Subsection ......................................................................... 73 MTD Mt. Drum Subsection ......................................................................................... 76 MTS Mt. Sanford Subsection ...................................................................................... 77 MWM Mt. Wrangell Mountainside Subsection............................................................... 78 NAM Nabesna Mountains Subsection .......................................................................... 79 RER Regal Range Subsection ..................................................................................... 80 TNM Tanada Mountains Subsection ............................................................................ 81 WRI Wrangell Icecap Subsection................................................................................ 82 Ecological Unit Descriptions – Yukon-Tanana Uplands Region............................................. 83 CAH Carden Hills Subsection ...................................................................................... 83 SBP Snag-Beaver Creek Plain Subsection .................................................................... 84 WEM Wellesley Mountains Subsection......................................................................... 86 References..................................................................................................................... 87 Table 1. National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units* ....................................... 91 Table 2: Index to the Ecological Units of the Alaska Range Ecoregion of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve .......................................................................................... 91 Table 3: Index to the Ecological Units of the Chugach-St. Elias Ecoregion of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park .....................................................................................................