Special Ecological Sites: Alaska's Eastern Prince William Sound and Copper River Delta

• Dave Cline
• May 01, 2005

The National Wildlife Federation has a special attachment to Alaska, one of the few places on earth where mankind still has the opportunity to show that economic prosperity and a healthy environment are complementary conditions. One of our priorities in the Great Land is the Chugach National Forest of southcentral Alaska. The Chugach is the second largest national forest and arguably its most beautiful and pristine. Located only 500 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the Chugach is a forest of thundering glaciers, towering mountains, primeval coastal rainforest, and fog-shrouded fjords. While best known as the site of ecological wonders such as the Copper River Delta and Prince William Sound, almost all of the 5.6 million acre forest is spectacular and unspoiled.

Our efforts focus on helping decision-makers and concerned citizens find common ground and common sense approaches to safeguarding the natural resources essential to wildlife and healthy communities. This requires a foundation of sound science and a keen understanding of the resources involved. Special Ecological Sites in Alaska’s Eastern Prince William Sound and Copper River Delta was created to provide those concerned about the region with a common understanding of its ecology and the specific areas most critical to its astounding biological productivity and diversity. The report examines the coastal habitats of an area loosely defined as the eastern Chugach National Forest and supplements NWF's 2002 Prince William Sound Biological Hot Spots Workshop Report which looked at the marine and coastal areas of Prince William Sound.