Southwest Alaska is a region of the U.S. state of Alaska . The area is not exactly defined by any governmental administrative region(s); nor does it always have a clear geographic boundary.
41-507: Wood-Tikchik State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Alaska north of Dillingham . Over 1,600,000 acres (650,000 ha) (6,500 km) in area—about the size of the state of Delaware —, comprising more than half of all state park land in Alaska and 15% of the total state park land in the country. Despite being the largest state park in the nation, the park had no staff whatsoever for its first five years, and even now at times only
82-526: A land lease from the U.S. government , while Mackinac National Park was handed down to become the first of the Michigan state parks . As with national parks, facilities at state parks are often leased to concessionaires to operate. Breaks Interstate Park is operated under an interstate compact by Virginia state parks , although it is also one of the Kentucky state parks , straddling both sides of
123-407: A water trail of over 85 miles (137 km). The lakes of these two systems are large and deep, ranging from 15 to 45 miles (24 to 72 km) long and maximum depths of 342 to 940 feet (104 to 287 m). A dozen of these lakes have over 1,000 acres (400 ha) of surface area. There are rivers connecting the lake systems as long as 60 miles (97 km), all within park boundaries. Wood-Tikchik
164-536: A few exceptions such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, and Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska, the largest state park in the United States . In addition to preserving natural landscapes and providing recreational opportunities, many state parks also serve as important educational resources . They often offer guided tours, interpretive programs, and exhibits that help visitors learn about
205-688: A political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state , some of the Mexican states , and in Brazil . The term is also used in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales . The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium,
246-699: A restaurant) for lodging at some parks. These typically use "Resort" in the name, such as "_____ Resort State Park" in West Virginia state parks and "_____ State Resort Park" in neighboring Kentucky state parks , which has 17 such resort parks, the most of any state. Other states use the Resort name inconsistently (like DeGray Lake Resort State Park , the only one out of three resorts in Arkansas state parks ), or have only one such park ( South Carolina state parks ' Hickory Knob State Resort Park ), or do not use
287-485: A single ranger is in charge of patrolling the entire park, usually by aircraft . Yup'ik people inhabited the area that is now the park for centuries before contact with Europeans . In 1818 a Russian expedition explored the area and its rivers and established a fur trading post in the area that remained active until the Alaska Purchase in 1867. The National Park Service at one point considered managing
328-413: Is provincial park . Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but the terminology varies. State parks are thus similar to national parks , but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks . In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with
369-525: Is a popular tourist attraction at Katmai National Park and Preserve . This area is also home to a number of caribou herds - the Mulchatna herd is the third largest in the state. The western limit for both caribou and bears is on Unimak Island , first in the Aleutian chain. More western Aleutian Islands have no mammals larger than a fox . In the summer, many species of migratory birds nest on
410-626: Is allowed in the park with proper permits. The name of the park refers to two different lake systems within the park. The southern lake system eventually forms the Wood River, which flows into Bristol Bay , and the more northern Tikchik lakes empty into the Nuyakuk River , a tributary of the Nushagak River which also flows into Bristol Bay. The Wood River system of lakes are all directly connected to one another by streams, forming
451-489: Is considered a critical habitat for a variety of wildlife, however a primary reason for the park’s existence is to preserve salmon spawning areas. All five major salmon species breed in the park, with sockeye considered the most important for subsistence fisheries in the area. Other wildlife in the park include whitefish , black and brown bears , moose , caribou , wolverines , marmots , porcupines , otters and foxes. Both sport and subsistence hunting of large game
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#1732786786876492-538: Is currently occurring only on a small scale, a controversy rages over a number of proposed resource extraction projects. These include the proposed Pebble Mine , which would put a large open pit gold and copper mine at the headwaters of the Nushagak and Kvichak rivers in the Bristol Bay watershed. Also, the federal government is seeking to lift the moratorium on oil drilling leases in Bristol Bay . Most of
533-468: Is in large part Alaska Native , with 58.1% identifying as entirely or partly "Native American" in the 2000 census. About 121 towns and villages, generally far apart and with populations in the hundreds, exist in the region. Southwest Alaska can be considered to be the areas assigned to 4 of the 12 land-holding Alaska Native Corporations in 1971 for selection of land and for corporate organization of villages under ANCSA . The Calista Corporation region
574-739: Is in the Yukon/Kuskokwim delta, the lower and middle reaches of the Kuskokwim River drainage, and the Bering Sea coast from the Yukon to Cape Newenham. It contains 56 villages with a total population of about 23,000 people; Bethel (5,471), is the largest and is the commercial hub for the Kuskokwim region. The Calista region is outlined by the combined Kusilvak and Bethel Census Areas. Calista owns 4,997,263 acres (20,223 km ) of
615-485: Is one of only two state parks in Southwest Alaska . The other is Lake Aleknagik State Recreation Site at 59°16′46″N 158°37′29″W / 59.27944°N 158.62472°W / 59.27944; -158.62472 , a small 11-acre (4.5 ha) park whose primary purpose is to serve as a jumping off point for the larger Wood-Tikchik park. It is referred to by locals as "first lake" as it provides access to
656-483: Is owned and managed mainly by the federal government, the state of Alaska, and Alaska Native Regional Corporations including Calista, Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay, Aleut, and Koniag. There is little private land, other than that owned by the Native Corporations. The economy rests on resource extraction, subsistence, and government spending. Fishing , both commercial and recreational , is the mainstay of
697-530: Is processed locally. Only a small share of the value of the harvest is captured in the region, mainly as wages, and taxes and royalties levied by local governments and Native Regional Corporations. Hunting and other tourism industries are dependable, although small and seasonal, parts of the economy. Mining , mainly for gold, platinum, and mercury, has been a consistent part of the Southwest Alaska economy since purchase from Russia. Although mining
738-582: Is the largest town. About 8000 people live in the region, in about a dozen towns, and several military towns. Natives in Southwest Alaska are mainly Central Yup'ik in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and Bristol Bay areas, Alutiiq on the eastern Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island, Aleut in the Aleutians, Pribilofs, and the western Alaska Peninsula, and a few Dena'ina Athabaskans near the western shore of Cook Inlet. Land in Southwest Alaska
779-484: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration . Southwest Alaska Southwest Alaska includes a huge swath of terrain 500 miles (800 km) from the western Bering Sea coast to Cook Inlet . Although much of the region is coastal, it also includes tens of thousands of square miles of interior boreal forests, swamps, and highlands, and the immense mountain barrier of
820-530: The Holocene . A sequence of continental fragments, seafloor, and island arcs , torn, rafted, and assembled by plate tectonics , form the Proterozoic , Paleozoic and Mesozoic basement for more recent Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks deposited on top of, and intruded into, them. Southwest Alaska had a population of 53,349 as of the 2000 census , less than one-tenth of Alaska's inhabitants. The population
861-688: The Kenai Peninsula Borough that lies west of Cook Inlet ; along with the Aleutians West , Bethel , Dillingham , and Kusilvak census areas. These areas have a combined area of 170,732 square miles (442,190 km ), slightly larger than California. Volcanic eruptions and mountain-building are active along the Ring of Fire , while in far western Alaska lava fields only a few thousand years old are common. In between lie an incomplete record of rocks from as old as 2.07 Ga years to
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#1732786786876902-551: The 41,713,612 acres (168,809 km ) in the region, almost all the rest is owned by the state or federal government. In the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) region Dillingham (2,466), is the largest town. The BBNC region has 29 villages and a total population of about 8000. The Corporation region includes part of the Alaska Peninsula, the Bering Sea coast west to Cape Newenham and
943-611: The Alaska coast and east of the Russian coast; the immense combined delta of the Yukon River and Kuskokwim River ; hundreds of miles of interior highlands, including the lower and middle Kuskokwim drainages; the entire watersheds of Goodnews Bay and Bristol Bay and other parts of the southern coast, including mountain ranges and great interior lakes including the Wood-Tikchik Lakes , Lake Iliamna , and Lake Clark ;
984-526: The Wood River lake system is via the Wood River itself. There are a few privately owned remote lodges within the park, by reservation only. The entire park is open to camping, but a few areas do require a permit. Leave No Trace camping is heavily emphasized by the park managers and fires are only permitted on beaches or gravel bars, or one of the few provided fire pits . The park is deliberately mostly undeveloped wilderness, with various conservation groups working to purchase publicly available parcels within
1025-507: The area, but the Alaska State Legislature voted in 1978 to make it a state park. Due to its remote location, the park is not accessible from the contiguous road system. The only road access is from Dillingham, which has an airport with regularly scheduled flights. Many visitors to the park arrive by charted floatplane and land on one of the many lakes , all of which are open to floatplane landings. Marine access to
1066-747: The commercial hub of the area. The Corporation region is very similar to, but not exactly the same area as the Kodiak Island Borough , which has a population of about 14,000 people in 11 communities. Aleut Corporation 's lands are on the Aleutian Islands and the western end of the Alaska Peninsula. The Corporation area is exactly the same as the Aleutians East Borough and the Aleutians West Census Area combined. Unalaska /Dutch Harbor (4,283),
1107-738: The country's state parks. The NASPD further counts over 43,000 miles (69,000 km) of trail, 217,367 campsites, and 8,277 cabins and lodges across U.S. state parks. The largest state park system in the United States is Alaska State Parks , with over 100 sites encompassing 3.3 million acres. Many states include designations beyond "state park" in their state parks systems. Other designations might be state recreation areas , state beaches, and state nature reserves . Some state park systems include long-distance trails and historic sites . To encourage tourism in rural areas, several states have simple lodges, inns, hotels, or motels (usually with
1148-478: The designation at all (such as the lodges of Georgia state parks ). The term "lodge" may also refer to a hiking lodge , essentially a large cabin for hikers rather than a large facility with private rooms and a restaurant. Other lodging may include yurts and tipis . Not all parks owned by a state are necessarily part of its state-park system, such as Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Some Texas state parks are
1189-408: The economy. Much of the commercial fishing is conducted by non-residents. Kodiak and Unalaska are among the most productive fishing ports in the United States. The salmon , trout , king crab , and halibut fisheries are extremely lucrative. Bristol Bay 's commercial sockeye salmon industry is the largest in the world. Approximately 80% of that catch is taken by non-locals. A part of the fishery
1230-725: The lands draining onto that coast, as well as parts of the Alaska and Aleutian Ranges. The combined areas of the Dillingham Census Area , the Bristol Bay Borough, and the Lake and Peninsula Borough are almost coincident with the BBNC area. Koniag, Incorporated has a region which covers the Kodiak Archipelago and part of the Alaska Peninsula. Kodiak (6,334) on Kodiak Island is the largest town and
1271-493: The local flora , fauna , geology , and cultural history of the area. These programs are designed not only to enhance the visitor experience but also to promote conservation awareness and encourage responsible enjoyment of natural resources. There are 6,792 state park units in the United States, according to the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). There are some 813 million annual visits to
Wood-Tikchik State Park - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-562: The park, either to hold in trust or to sell back to the park system. This has created some friction with pro-development groups, including Yupik natives who would like to develop on land claims they have that predate the establishment of the park. The park is bounded on the west by Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and on the northwest by the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge , providing an extremely large area of remote wilderness on public lands. The park
1353-475: The smaller barges which continue up the Kuskokwim. Aniak, Iliamna and some other communities are accessible via scheduled flights from Anchorage on PenAir and smaller air carriers. The small carriers provide essential links onward to smaller communities. Alaska Marine Highway ferries connect Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska Peninsula, and a few Aleutian Island communities to the ports of Southcentral Alaska . A combination of ocean and river barges are important to
1394-411: The smaller settlements rely on subsistence activities. Most of the area's residents are shareholders in a Native Corporation. Southwest Alaska is one of the richest salmon areas in the world, with the world's largest commercial salmon fishery in Bristol Bay . It also has one of the highest concentrations of brown bears , feeding on the salmon, as well as berries and other vegetation. Bear watching
1435-520: The southern Alaska/Aleutian Range. The Aleutian Range, part of the Ring of Fire , includes many of Alaska's volcanoes including Mount Katmai , Novarupta and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes , Mount Redoubt , Mount Iliamna , and Augustine Volcano . Southwest Alaska encompasses, roughly from west to east: the Pribilof Islands , Nunivak Island and other Bering Sea islands lying west of
1476-474: The state line. Other multi-state parks are legally two separate parks with the same name and more informal cooperation between them. The title of oldest state park in the United States is claimed by Niagara Falls State Park in New York , established in 1885. Several public parks previously or currently maintained at the state level pre-date it. Indian Springs State Park has been operated continuously by
1517-454: The state of Georgia as a public park since 1825, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. In 1864 Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were ceded by the federal government to California until Yosemite National Park was proclaimed in 1890. In 1878 Wisconsin set aside a vast swath of its northern forests as "The State Park" but, needing money, sold most of it to lumber companies within 20 years. Mackinac National Park
1558-518: The tundra here, and there are many large seabird rookeries in the Aleutian Islands . Only small local road systems exist in Southwest Alaska. Only a few closely adjacent villages are linked by roads. The area is easily accessible only by air, sea, or river. Alaska Airlines 737 passenger jets serve Bethel , King Salmon, Dillingham, Adak, Dutch Harbor, and Kodiak. Bethel is also a link between arriving ocean barges carrying freight or fuel and
1599-401: The various lakes upstream. The site has a boat launch, gas and aviation fuel sales, and ranger headquarters for both state parks. 59°44′44″N 158°45′09″W / 59.74556°N 158.75250°W / 59.74556; -158.75250 State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as
1640-718: The western heights of the Alaska Range , and its continuation southward as the Aleutian Range along the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands . The Kodiak Archipelago , in the Pacific east of the Alaska Peninsula, is the most eastern part of Southwest Alaska. Southwest Alaska consists roughly of the Aleutians East , Bristol Bay , Kodiak Island , Lake and Peninsula boroughs, plus the portion of
1681-473: Was established in 1875 as the second U.S. national park before being converted to a state park in 1895. The first state park with the designation of "state park" was Itasca State Park in Minnesota , established in 1891. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when around 800 state parks (and several national ones) across the country were developed with assistance from federal job-creation programs like