From
Rainforests to the Arctic map(pdf)
The
Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge extends from rainforests of Southeast
Alaska (Gulf of Alaska Unit)
. . . out the
Alaska Peninsula pointing toward Asia (Alaska
Peninsula Unit)
. . . to Attu Island at the western tip of the volcanic
Aleutian Chain (Aleutian Islands Unit)
.
. . into the Bering Sea (Bering Sea Unit)
.
. . and north almost to Barrow on the Arctic Ocean. (Chukchi
Sea Unit)
If superimposed on the Lower 48 States . . .
Lands
in the Alaska Maritime Refuge would stretch from Georgia to California to Minnesota.
Spanning
4 Time Zones
Technically, the Alaska Maritime Refuge spans 4 time zones
(Pacific, Yukon, Alaska, and Bering). In 1983 almost all the state was consolidated
under Alaska Time (standard and daylight) - one hour behind Pacific Time of the
West Coast. Only the central and western Aleutian Islands observe Hawaii-Aleutian
Time, two hours behind Pacific Time.
Compass Superlatives
Alaska's
most easterly, southerly, and westerly national wildlife refuge is the Alaska
Maritime Refuge. Only the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is more northerly.
In
2 Hemispheres
The 180th Meridian of longitude bisects the Alaska Maritime
Refuge's lands in the Aleutian Islands. Amatignak Island is 179°10' West Longitude
in the Western Hemisphere and across the waters of Amchitka Pass, Semisopochnoi
Island is 179°40' East Longitude in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Note:
The International Dateline, normally along the 180th Meridian, jogs west past
Attu to include all of the Aleutians in "today," rather than "tomorrow."
Most
Remote
St. Matthew, one of the refuge's most prolific seabird islands,
is the most remote spot in Alaska, 209 miles from the nearest village of Mekoryuk
according to science writer Ned Rozell. (Science
Forum, November 2003) According to Gary Ferguson's book, "Hawk's Rest", no
place in the lower 48 is further than 30 miles from a road.
