Nunivak Island, Alaska, USA Photograph by US Fish and Wildlife Service   Northwestern North America: Western United States (Alaska) Tundra   58,300 square miles (150,900 square kilometers) -- about the size of Georgia Relatively Stable/Intact

· Waterfowl’s Dream
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Waterfowl’s Dream

Imagine flying over St. Lawrence Island and seeing colonies of two million seabirds. Nearby is a delta that contains some of the most significant waterfowl nesting habitat on earth. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta is home to the highest densities of nesting tundra swans, the majority of the world's emperor geese, and 50 percent of the world's black brant. This amazing sight is a result of the abundance of surface water in the Beringia Lowland Tundra ecoregion. Lakes and ponds cover 15 to 25 percent of the land, and wetlands cover between 55 and 78 percent. Steller's eiders also nest only here and in one area farther north.

Special Features

In addition to wetlands, lakes, and ponds, tidal flats along the coast provide excellent habitat for shorebirds such as bristle-thighed curlew, dotterel, bar-tailed godwit, and Pacific golden-plover. St. Lawrence Island supports the largest murre colonies in the eastern Bering Sea. Brown bear densities are high in the Katmai and Lake Iliamna areas.

	Tundra swans have a useful adaptation for feeding -- their long neck. They can reach deep down below the surface of lakes or in wetlands to grab plants to eat. These large birds may grow to over four feet (about a meter) tall from the tip of their black bill to their black feet. They gather in large groups, and you can't miss hearing their loud calls.

Wild Side

This ecoregion is an area of amazing biodiversity of plant and animal life. The low terrain and wet soils support grassy vegetation while in drier areas, sedges and dwarf shrubs such as crowberry grow. Spring and summer wildflowers make spectacular displays. Small clusters of black and white spruce with alder, willow, and dwarf birch are supported in the driest soil areas. In addition to the numerous species of birds, including Arctic loons, Canada geese, dovekies, McKay's buntings, bluethroats, and white wagtails, the ecoregion also supports many equally impressive mammal and fish species. River otters, short-tailed and least weasels, brown bears, moose, and caribou all call the area home. In addition, all five species of North American Pacific salmon are native here.

Cause for Concern

The ecoregion is almost entirely intact. Small permanent and seasonal human settlements cause minor habitat disturbance. A greater threat is the expansion of roads, especially in the north, and the increasing impact of mining. Commercial fishing in the ecoregion affects the many species that rely on fish for food, and may have long-term impacts. Global warming is causing melting of the permafrost and shifting of species ranges.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.