NW of Nome, Alaska, USA Photograph by Todd Hindman & students of Anvil City Science Acad   Northwestern North America: Western United States (Alaska) Tundra   37,600 square miles (97,300 square kilometers) -- about the size of Virginia. Relatively Stable/Intact

· Hilly Zones
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Hilly Zones

The varied terrain of this ecoregion consists of steep, jagged mountain ranges, such as the Ahklun and Kilbuck, among rolling hills and broad valleys. The peaks and ridges of the tallest mountains are almost barren, and some still have horseshoe-shaped cirque glaciers. Different kinds of plants are adapted to this ecoregion's elevation zones and to the soil moisture conditions of each. Throughout the ecoregion, the diversity of lichens and tundra plants is high. A variety of birds use the assorted habitats of the area to breed. Particularly on the coasts of the Seward Peninsula and St. Lawrence Island, there are abundant populations of cliff-nesting seabirds.

Special Features

The Walrus Islands in Togiak Bay support Alaska's largest walrus haul-out site - a place where the walruses come out of the water. Wildfire is common on the Seward Peninsula in this ecoregion, particularly in the summer when lichens and mosses dry out.

	The nearly extinct bristle-thighed curlew breeds only in this ecoregion. This shorebird gets its name from the stiff feathers that stick out from its thighs. Its long, curved beak helps it find food in sandy and muddy habitats. The Curlew migrates to tropical Pacific islands during the winter.

Wild Side

Plant and animal communities vary according to the different environmental conditions in this ecoregion. Critically endangered bristle-thighed curlews, thick-billed murres, and tufted puffins live along the coast. Lower elevations tend to be wetter, and water-tolerant grasses do best here. Spectacled eiders and turnstones are birds that also prefer the lower areas. Sedges prefer slightly drier conditions, where you will also find low-growing shrubs or mountain-avens and dwarf arctic birch. At the bottom of valleys, where plants are most protected from the elements, you'll find coniferous forests dominated by white spruce, broadleaf forests of balsam poplar, or mixed forests with white spruce and paper birch. On the Seward Peninsula, arctic foxes and tundra hares are common and polar bears are frequently seen. Caribou and musk oxen were introduced there in the 1890s and 1970s, respectively. In the southern portion of the ecoregion, beavers are numerous.

Cause for Concern

Scattered pockets of habitat loss are associated with human communities, but human population in this ecoregion is low. The main threat to this ecoregion is the expanding development of mines and mining roads on the Seward Peninsula, which has caused the majority of human impact to date. Mines in this ecoregion and the roads between them are fragmenting and altering the delicate tundra habitat. This activity has the potential to interrupt mammal migrations. It takes about 25-50 years for habitat in this ecoregion to recover from road paving, construction sites, and even human foot paths. Global warming is causing the permafrost to melt and is shifting the ranges of species.

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