Innoko National Wildlife Refuge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Innoko National Wildlife Refuge
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
Kaiyuh Flats
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge Location in Alaska
Location	Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States
Nearest city	McGrath, Alaska
Area	3,850,481 acres (15,582.34 km2)
Established	December 2, 1980
Governing body	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Website	Innoko NWR

The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge of the United States located in western Alaska. It consists of 3,850,481 acres (15,582 km²), of which 1,240,000 acres (5,018 km²) is designated a wilderness area. It is the fifth-largest national wildlife refuge in the United States. The refuge is administered from offices in Galena.

The refuge was established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. The northern part of the refuge, called Kaiyuh Flats, is adjacent to the Yukon River southwest of Galena. It contains 751,000 acres (3,040 km²). The southern part contains approximately 3,099,000 acres (12,540 km²) of land surrounding the Innoko River. The land is swampy and is the nesting area for hundreds of thousands of birds including ospreys, northern hawk-owls, trumpeter swans, bald eagles, common ravens, short-eared owls, and red-tailed hawks. Mammalian species that habitat this refuge are brown and black bears, moose, wolf packs, Canadian lynx, marten, porcupine, beaver, caribou, river otter, red fox, wolverine, muskrat, and mink.

The refuge has no road access from outside and contains no roads. Air access can be arranged in McGrath.

Gallery

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  Mountains

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  River

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  Wetlands

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  Aerial view