Selawik Wildlife Refuge

Selawik

Selawik straddles the Arctic Circle in northwestern Alaska about 360 miles northwest of Fairbanks. The refuge is composed of estuaries, lakes, river deltas, and tundra slopes. The most prominent feature is the extensive system of tundra wetlands that are nestled between the Waring Mountains and Selawik Hills.

Selawik is located where the Bering Land Bridge once existed. Plants, animals, and humans migrated freely across this land mass connecting Asia and North America many years ago. The refuge retains evidence of these ancient migrations.

Selawik is a breeding and resting area for a multitude of migratory waterbirds returning from North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Nesting ducks number in the hundreds of thousands. Thousands of caribou winter on the refuge as they feed on the lichen-covered foothills. Other comon mammals include moose, grizzly bear, and furbearers. Sheefish, whitefish, grayling, and northern pike inhabit lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers. Sheefish weighing 40 to 50 pounds are not uncommon.

Visitor Use

Portions of the Selawik River are nationally designated as a wild river. The river provides good river rafting and sportfishing. A limited commercial guide service is available.

For information contact:

Refuge Manager - (907)442-3799
Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 270
Kotzebue, AK 99752
FAX: (907) 442-3124
email: r7snwr@fws.gov