Gulf of Alaska
Expanse
The
Gulf of Alaska unit of the Alaska Maritime Refuge contains scattered small islands
extending along 800 miles of coast from Southeast Alaska’s rainforests including
St. Lazaria Island near Sitka. . .
. .
. across the arc of Prince William Sound and the fjord-edged Kenai Peninsula where
the Chiswell
Islands are the most-visited in all the refuge . . .
. . . to the Barren
Islands and waters and islets off Kodiak.
Moderate Climate
This
region has the most moderate climate found in the Alaska Maritime Refuge. Mild
winters and cool summers with heavy precipitation are typical.
Snowfall
is minimal. Rain is heaviest in fall and winter. Winter temperatures normally
remain above freezing except in lands adjacent to the Kenai Peninsula.
Wilderness
Islands
Islands established as refuges prior to incorporation into Alaska
Maritime Refuge are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. They
include Forrester Island, Hazy Islands and St. Lazaria along the outer coast of
Southeast Alaska; and Chisik, Duck and Egg islands in Tuxedni Bay, Cook Inlet
area.
