Park History
Port Alsworth
| The year 2000 is a big year for many people, especially those in Alaska. It was twenty years ago that ANILCA, the Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act, was passed by Congress and signed by President Carter. This legislation set aside over 50 million acres of land as National Parks and Preserves. Over 104 million acres total were protected as National Parks and Preserves, National Wildlife Refuges, National Forests, Bureau of Land Management, and National Monuments. Ten new National Park areas were set aside and others expanded for a total of fifteen National Park Service sites in Alaska. |
|
The park lands in Alaska are special. They are different from National Park sites in the Lower 48. Most of the National Parks here are National Parks and Preserves. The National Park portion of the units in Alaska are similar to those anywhere else in the country for the park visitor. However, they allow a very important activity to continue that is not allowed in other parks, subsistence. This allows Alaska residence to hunt, fish, and use the resources in the park as they traditionally have. The National Preserve is an area adjacent to the park where sport hunting is allowed.
At the same time large portions of these public lands were declared wilderness.
"A wilderness... undeveloped Federal land retaining its
primeval
character and influence... which is protected and
managed so as to preserve its natural
conditions... affected
primarily by the forces of nature, with impact of
man's work
substantially unnoticeable... has outstanding opportunities
for
solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation..."
(Wilderness Act of 1964)
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve was set aside to maintain its wilderness qualities. It was also established to protect a portion of the Bristol Bay watershed for the perpetuation of the Sockeye salmon fishery. Four of the five biotic communities found in Alaska are within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. A visit to Lake Clark is an experience that will afford you a rare opportunity in today's world, the opportunity to experience to solitude and grandeur in the same moment. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve belongs to all of us, past, present and future generations. Everyone is responsible for protecting it.