Izembek Wilderness
Izembek Wilderness is a wilderness area in a coastal region of the U.S. state of Alaska panhandle, facing Bristol Bay. Located within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, all of the land has been designated Wilderness, with the exception of that along a gravel road system and several private holdings. The area was designated wilderness in 1980 with the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.Izembek Wilderness hosts a quarter-million migratory birds every fall, including the entire world's population of black brants and thousands of Canada and emperor geese, Steller's eiders, and various species of duck and shorebird. Izembek Lagoon contains one of the largest eelgrass beds in the world, providing food and shelter for the birds. Tundra swans live on the refuge year-round and thousands of gray, minke, and orca whales migrate along the coast. Hundreds of thousands of salmon spawn in the wilderness. Other common wildlife in the wilderness include brown bear, seal, walrus, Steller's sea lion, sea otter, and caribou from the Southern Alaska Peninsula herd.
