USFWS
Becharof National Wildlife Refuge
Alaska Region   

Refuge Purposes

The Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) established the 1.2 million acre Becharof National Wildlife Refuge on Peregrine falcon at Puale Bay. UFSWS. Click to Enlarge.December 2, 1980. Refuge lands had previously been designated as a national wildlife monument in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter. Before that, the lands were part of the federal public domain. ANILCA sets forth the following major purposes for which Becharof Refuge was established and shall be managed:

  1. to conserve fish and wildlife populations and habitats in their natural diversity including, but not limited to, brown bears, salmon, migratory birds, the Alaska Peninsula caribou herd and marine birds and mammals;
  2. to fulfill the international treaty obligations of the United States with respect to fish and wildlife and their habitats;
  3. to provide, in a manner consistent with the purposes set forth in subparagraphs (i) and (ii), the opportunity for continued subsistence uses by local residents;
  4. to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable and in a manner consistent with the purposes set forth in paragraph (i), water quality and necessary water quality and necessary water quantity within the refuge.

In 1983, the Fish and Wildlife Service decided to manage the Becharof Refuge, the Ugashik and Chignik units of the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge and the Seal Cape area of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge as a complex because they shared resources and common issues.

Peregrine falcon at Puale Bay. USFWS. Click to enlarge.

Last updated: February 04, 2008