The Kuiu Wilderness and Tebenkof Bay Wilderness are federally designated wilderness areas within the Tongass National Forest, located on Kuiu Island, Petersburg Census Area, Alaska. The 60,581-acre (24,516 ha) Kuiu and 66,812-acre (27,038 ha) Tebenkof Bay wildernesses are managed by the United States Forest Service as a single area—creating a 200-square-mile (520 km2) wilderness preserve covering the heart of the island.[2][3] Together, the two areas protect old-growth temperate rainforests rising from coastal estuaries to subalpine meadows more than 2,000 feet (610 m) in elevation, with a high point atop the 3,355-foot (1,023 m) Kuiu Mountain.[2][4]
| Kuiu Wilderness | |
|---|---|
 Overlooking Port Malmesbury in the Kuiu Wilderness on Kuiu Island, Alaska. | |
  | |
| Location | Unorganized Borough, Alaska, USA |
| Nearest city | Kake, Alaska |
| Coordinates | 56°17′18″N 134°04′59″W / 56.28833°N 134.08306°W[1] |
| Area | 60,581 acres (245.16 km2) |
| Established | November 28, 1990 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Tebenkof Bay Wilderness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Unorganized Borough, Alaska, USA |
| Nearest city | Kake, Alaska |
| Area | 66,812 acres (270.38 km2) |
| Established | December 2, 1980 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Tebenkof Bay Wilderness was created by Congress and signed into law on December 2, 1980, as a provision of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.[5][6] The Kuiu was created by Congress and signed into law on November 28, 1990, as part of the Tongass Timber Reform Act.[5]
Ecology and history
editThe landscape of Kuiu Island has much in common with other areas of the Alexander Archipelago — heavily glaciated mountains alternating with narrow, deep fjords. Within the wilderness areas can be found a variety of ecological communities, including muskeg, Pacific temperate rain forest dominated by Sitka spruce and western hemlock, and alpine tundra zones as low as 2,000 feet above sea level.[2] Prior to European colonization, significant populations of Tlingit native people lived on the island, particularly in Tebenkof Bay.[2]
Recreation
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Access to the wilderness is possible only by boat or floatplane, with the most convenient Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal being in Kake.[2] One rustic camping shelter is available on a first-come, first-served basis, located near the shoreline of the Bay of Pillars.[7] The shelter was built in 1997, but was designed to be reminiscent of those constructed in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps crews working in Southeast Alaska.[8]
The two wilderness areas are a popular destination for kayaking and canoeing, offering experienced backcountry paddlers a mix of peaceful, sheltered waterways and difficult, open-ocean traverses. Several portages are available when seas are particularly treacherous.[2][4][9]
See also
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References
edit- ^ Kuiu Wilderness, Geographic Names Information System, United States Geological Survey.
- ^ a b c d e f Wilderness Areas of the Petersburg Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, United States Forest Service.
- ^ Kuiu Island Wilderness Areas Archived 2013-09-05 at the Wayback Machine, Cape Decision Lighthouse Society
- ^ a b Kuiu Wilderness, Wilderness.net
- ^ a b What "Can I Do In Wilderness? Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and Wilderness on National Forests in Alaska", United States Forest Service.
- ^ "Tebenkof Bay Wilderness", Wilderness.net
- ^ Bay of Pillars Shelter, Tongass National Forest, United States Forest Service.
- ^ Bay of Pillars Shelter, Petersburg Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, United States Forest Service.
- ^ Kuiu Island/Tebenkof Bay Canoe/Kayak Routes, Leaflet R10-RG-3, Tongass National Forest, United States Forest Service
External links
edit- Wilderness Areas of the Petersburg Ranger District - Tongass National Forest official site
- Kuiu Wilderness - Wilderness.net
- Tebenkof Bay Wilderness - Wilderness.net