Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge
Introduction


The heart of **Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge** is a [lowland](/wiki/Lowland "Lowland") basin of [forests](/wiki/Forest "Forest") and [wetlands](/wiki/Wetland "Wetland") that forms the [floodplain](/wiki/Floodplain "Floodplain") of the meandering [Nowitna River](/wiki/Nowitna_River "Nowitna River"). The refuge's climate is typically marked by light precipitation, mild winds, long, hard winters and short, relatively warm, summers. The hills that circle the refuge lowlands are capped by [alpine tundra](/wiki/Alpine_tundra "Alpine tundra").

It takes a week in a canoe, or more than an hour in a small plane, to traverse the refuge's  of pristine wildlife habitat. Approximately  of the Nowitna River's  length flow within the boundaries of the refuge. Fish species inhabiting the river and its related lakes and streams include [sheefish](/wiki/Sheefish "Sheefish"), [burbot](/wiki/Burbot "Burbot"), [whitefish](/wiki/Freshwater_whitefish "Freshwater whitefish"), [sucker](/wiki/Catostomidae "Catostomidae"), [king](/wiki/King_salmon "King salmon") and [chum salmon](/wiki/Chum_salmon "Chum salmon"), [northern pike](/wiki/Northern_pike "Northern pike") and [arctic grayling](/wiki/Arctic_grayling "Arctic grayling").

The slow, meandering lower reaches of the Nowitna wander through one of Alaska's many productive [waterfowl](/wiki/Waterfowl "Waterfowl") nurseries. The grassy margins of the river, surrounding lakes, and waterways provide breeding habitat for [trumpeter swans](/wiki/Trumpeter_swan "Trumpeter swan"), white\-fronted [geese](/wiki/Goose "Goose"), [canvasback ducks](/wiki/Canvasback_duck "Canvasback duck"), cranes, and many other migratory species. More than 120 bird species have been sighted on the refuge during summer months, but only a few dozen hardy species remain through winters.

Mature white spruce in the forested lowlands provide cover and den sites for marten, and trapping these and other furbearers remains important to the economy of people in the region. In fact, refuge lands have been used for centuries by Koyukon [Athabascans](/wiki/Athabascan "Athabascan") for hunting, fishing, trapping and other subsistence activities. Mammal species including two species of [fox](/wiki/Fox "Fox"), [moose](/wiki/Alaska_moose "Alaska moose"), [wolf](/wiki/Northwestern_wolf "Northwestern wolf") packs, [Canadian lynx](/wiki/Canada_lynx "Canada lynx"), [marten](/wiki/American_marten "American marten"), [wolverine](/wiki/Wolverine "Wolverine"), [black](/wiki/American_black_bear "American black bear") and [grizzly bear](/wiki/Grizzly_bear "Grizzly bear") species might be encountered anywhere on the refuge.


Are there other national wildlife refuges with similar features and uses?