The Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge

Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge

Created almost thirty years back, the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge is positioned in the eastern interior region of Alaska. The Yukon flats geographically fall into the wetland basin and these have many pools, lakes and other rivers that flow through this area. The summers here are hotter with the mercury levels rising to almost a hundred degrees Fahrenheit while the winters are cooler and can drop to an unimaginable minus seventy degrees Fahrenheit. Even the daylight here undergoes this extreme type of climate and this is one reason where the vegetation is sparse.

Due to the climatic changes, we see that there are a mixed type of forests here and the main tress that are found in surplus in Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge are aspen, spruce and birch. There are a lot of fur animals that are found here – as these have the ability to withstand the extreme cold that this area is subjected to and these include beavers, river otter, musk rats, mink and lynx to name a few. Bears, wolves and sheep are also found in the refuge.

While most birds including ducks come to the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge for the summer, they leave before the onset of the killing winter. There are certain birds like the three toed woodpeckers, ravens and grey owls that live all around in the refuge. The population here thrives on the meat of these animals and birds as that is their only means of food.