| Largest of all refuges, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge occupies the huge delta of the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers in western Alaska. The terrain is mostly low-lying marshlands with interlaced river channels, oxbows, and tens of thousands of lakes and ponds. Hills and mountains form the eastern boundary and the principal terrain on Nunivak and Nelson Islands. The Andreafsky Wild River flows through the designated Wilderness near the northern boundary.The Delta is a premier waterfowl area supporting enormous numbers of water birds: over 750,000 swans and geese, 2 million ducks, and 100 million shorebirds and other water birds. Moose, caribou, black and grizzly bear and wolves are common in certain areas. Introduced muskox and reindeer occupy Nunivak Island.Accessible only by aircraft or boat, most of the refuge is lightly visited by outsiders, although rafting, fishing, and hunting, are popular in some areas. |
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