Lake Clark

Lake Clark National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Lake Clark National Park & Preserve www.nps.gov/lacl Fact Sheet Purpose Lake Clark was established to protect a region of dynamic geologic and ecological processes that create scenic mountain landscapes, unaltered watersheds supporting Bristol Bay red salmon, and habitats for wilderness dependent populations of fish & wildlife, vital to 10,000 years of human history. Established December 1, 1978 ....................... Designated as a National Monument by President Carter December 2, 1980 ....................... Designated as a National Park and Preserve and enlarged through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Size Total ............................................. 4,030,006 acres or ~ 6,297 square miles National Park ............................... 2,619,713 acres or ~ 4,093 square miles ....................... 1,410,293 acres or ~ 2,204 square miles National Preserve For comparison, the state of Hawaii is 4.11 million acres or 6,423 square miles. Rhode Island and Connecticut combined are only 3.77 million acres or 5,890 square miles. Additional Designations 2.61 million acres ......................... National Wilderness Preservation System 4 .................................................... National Register of Historic Places Dr. Elmer Bly House listed in 2006 Dick Proenneke Site listed in 2007 Libby’s No. 23 Bristol Bay Double-Ender listed in 2013 Wassillie Trefon Dena’ina Fish Cache listed in 2013 .................................................... 3 National Wild Rivers Chilikadrotna River - 11 miles listed in 1980 Mulchatna River - 24 miles listed in 1980 Tlikakila River - 51 miles listed in 1980 2 National Natural Landmarks .................................................... Redoubt Volcano listed in 1976 Iliamna Volcano listed in 1976 1 National Historic Landmark .................................................... Kijik Archeological District listed in 1994 Employment NPS Permanent Employees ..... 25 NPS Temporary Employees ..... 15 .......................... NPS Volunteers 42 Budget 2011 $3,301,000 Trails 6.9 miles The only developed and maintained trails in the park are part of the Tanalian Trails network near park headquarters in Port Alsworth. The Telaquana Trail, which appears on some maps running from Lake Clark to Telaquana Lake is, in fact, only a route. Hiking is allowed anywhere in the park not otherwise closed to public use. Lake shores, coastal beaches, and high tundra are excellent areas for that activity. Roads 0 miles To visit Lake Clark is to venture into a roadless wilderness. Access is possible via float plane into remote lakes, wheeled plane into Port Alsworth or on the coastal beaches, or via boat from Port Alsworth and along the 126 miles of the park’s Cook Inlet coastline. Plants Species ~ 800 2012 $3,297,300 Endangered 0 2013 $3,101,300 2014 $3,272,000 Non-Native 30 2015 $3,255,000 2016 $3,383,172 Wildlife Species Endangered Non-native Terrestrial Mammals 37 0 0 ............................................. Birds 190 0 0 ........................................................................ ............................................................ Amphibians 1 0 0 Freshwater & Anadromous Fish 25 0 0 .......................... 147,000 to 3.1 million per year ................................ Number of red salmon that migrate into Lake Clark via the Kvichak watershed as recorded at the Newhalen Counting Station. 13,000 per year ...................................................... Average number of red salmon that are harvested by subsistence users up-stream of the Newhalen Counting Station. Points of Interest with Elevations and Lake Depths Elevation Lake Depth Chinitna Bay 0 ft .......................................................... Silver Salmon Creek ............................................. 0 ft Lake Clark 254 ft 870 ft .............................................................. ........................................................ Crescent Lake 599 ft 110 ft ...................................................... Telaquana Lake 1,219 ft 435 ft Dick Proenneke’s Cabin on Upper Twin Lake.. 2,041 ft 276 ft Tanalian Mountain 3,960 ft ................................................ Iliamna Volcano 10,016 ft ..................................................... Redoubt Volcano 10,197 ft ................................................... Land Cover Percentage Sparsely Vegetated Gravel and Bedrock ............. 24% Snow and Glacial Ice ............................................ 20% ............................................................... Shrubland 19% Tundra 15% .................................................................... Forest 11% ...................................................................... Freshwater Rivers and Lakes ............................... 4% Salt Marshes, Sedge Meadows, and Bogs ........... 2% ............................................................... Grassland 1% Not measurable due to cloud cover .................... 4% Geology 2 ................................................................................ Active volcanoes sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire. 4 ................................................................................ Confirmed eruption events in recorded history (all Mt. Redoubt: 1902, 1966, 1989, 2009). 880,000 years .......................................................... Approximate age of Redoubt Volcano. ....................................................... The combined ice volume of Iliamna 3.6 cubic miles Volcano’s four largest glaciers, which is triple the amount of ice and perennial snow on Mt. Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park. 81,000 + ..................................................................... Acres of glacial ice that have melted since the mid 1950s (measured as surface area). Human History > 10,000 BP.... The first human settlers arrive in the region some time after the close of the last great ice age. > 1,700 BP...... Sea mammal hunters and gatherers camp at and possibly create the red ochre rock paintings at Clam Cove in Chinitna Bay. Similar paintings in Tuxedni Bay represent rituals associated with large sea mammal hunting. These are the only two rock painting sites known in the Alaska National Park system. ~AD 1000........ Dena’ina Athabascans are living in permanent settlements in the Kijik area near the shores of Lake Clark itself, intensively salmon fishing and storing surplus. 1741................ Russian explorers reach Alaska. The following century holds rapid change for Alaskan Natives in the Lake Clark region. ................ Lake Clark itself (known to the Dena’ina as Qizhjeh Vena) is named after John 1891 W. Clark of Nushagak, AK after he travels to the area with Albert B. Schanz and Vasili Shishkin. 1902 to 09....... Following outbreaks of flu & measles, Dena’ina Athabascans leave Kijik after ~900 years of occupation to settle in Old Nondalton further down lake. 1911 ................ The first permanent, year-round settlement at Tanalian Point on the shores of Lake Clark is established as a mixed community of Euro-Americans and Dena’ina Athabascans. ................ The first aircraft lands on Lake Clark at Tanalian Point. 1930 ................ The name Port Alsworth is given to the settlement Babe & Mary Alsworth 1950 founded a few years earlier on the shores of Lake Clark at Hardenburg Bay. With access for float planes and a hardened landing strip for wheeled planes, it soon eclipses Tanalian Point as it is better suited to the modern age of air travel. 1968 ................ Dick Proenneke completes and moves into his cabin at Upper Twin Lake. Today .............. Citizens of resident zone communities adjacent to the park and those who live on private land within the park boundaries continue to practice a traditional subsistence lifestyle by harvesting the area’s rich resources for food and other needs. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A™ Acres 973,350 800,419 771,706 616,159 440,459 151,955 93, 029 40,640 142,956 Miles2 1,521 1,251 1,206 963 688 237 145 63 223 Updated August 2014