Afognak Island, Alaska

Afognak Island includes remote and pristine landscapes of stunning beauty that contain superb coastal, terrestrial, and riparian habitat and abundant wildlife. Its lakes and streams support highly productive wild salmon runs, and 500-year old coastal rainforests provide excellent habitat for Kodiak brown bear, Roosevelt elk, and other species. Afognak's nearshore waters support 14 species of marine mammals and some 160 species of birds.

ALC has helped conserve more than 8,200 acres on Afognak to date, and is now working to protect some 37,000 acres of additional threatened coastal resources. ALC and its partners aim to ultimately protect a 150-mile area of contiguous habitat on the north coast of Afognak.

View maps.

 Afognak Map

Project Activities

  • Work in partnership with native corporations, public agencies, conservation groups, and local stakeholders to continue to protect wetland and coastal resources on Afognak Island
  • Continue due diligence on projects near Delphin Bay and Thorsheim Bay, which will protect habitat for marine mammals, wild salmon, Kodiak brown bears, and other species, and critical habitat for wintering sea ducks 

Benefits

  • Protects streams and lakes that support anadromous and resident fish populations, including native wild salmon, steelhead, rainbow trout, and Dolly Varden
  • Includes excellent feeding, pupping, and calving habitat for 14 species of marine mammals, including harbor seals, harbor porpoises, sea lions, and one of Alaska's largest sea otter populations
  • Protects habitat for wintering sea ducks and one of only two known resident Harlequin duck populations in the world
  • Conserves old growth timber stands that provide globally outstanding nesting habitat for the marbled murrelet, a species of concern in the Pacific Northwest
  • Protects habitat for Kodiak brown bears, Roosevelt elk, and Sitka black-tailed deer
  • Conserves an area specifically identified by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council as the best intact nesting, breeding and feeding habitat for many species injured in the spill

Project Photos: