Noatak National Preserve

Noatak National Preserve
IUCN category II (national park)
Location	Northwest Arctic Borough and North Slope Borough, Alaska, USA
Nearest city	Kotzebue, Alaska
Coordinates	68°00′N 159°30′W
Area	6,569,904 acres (26,587 km²)
Established	December 1, 1978
Visitors	7,010 (in 2005)
Governing body	National Park Service

High alpine tundra, Noatak National Preserve

The Noatak National Preserve is an United States National Preserve in northwestern Alaska that was established to protect the Noatak River Basin. The Noatak River system, located just north of the Arctic Circle, is thought to be the last remaining complete river system in the United States that has not been altered by human activities.

The Noatak Basin is a transition zone for plants and animals between Arctic and subarctic environments. Wildlife of the Noatak tundra includes moose, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, arctic foxes, lemmings, Dall sheep, vast herds of Caribou numbering more than 500,000 individuals, and a variety of birds.

The basin was proclaimed a United States National Monument in 1978 and a National Preserve in 1980 through the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Noatak National Preserve borders Kobuk Valley National Park on the south and borders Gates of the Arctic National Park on the east. Unlike the National Parks that it borders, sport hunting is allowed in Noatak National Preserve.

External links

• National Park Service: Noatak National Preserve