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Located along the Canadian border in central Alaska, the preserve protects
115 miles of the 1,800-mile Yukon River and the entire Charley River basin.
Numerous rustic cabins and historic sites are reminders of the importance
of the Yukon River during the 1898 gold rush. Paleontological and archeological
sites here add much to our knowledge of the environment thousands of years
ago. Peregrine falcons nest in the high bluffs overlooking the river, while
the rolling hills that make up the preserve are home to an abundant array
of wildlife. The Charley, a 100-mile long wild river, is considered by many
to be the most spectacular river in Alaska.
The Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, located in east-central Alaska,
protects 115 miles of the Yukon River and the entire Charley River basin,
a 100-mile-long National Wild River. Surrounded by high bluffs and rolling
hills, the river basin areas also feature rustic cabins and ghost towns
reminiscent of the 1898 gold rush as well as numerous prehistoric archeological
sites preserved in deposits revealing a tremendously varied geological history.
Wolves, grizzly and black bear as well as moose and caribou find habitat
in the preserve's 2.5 million acres. Many year-round and migratory birds
make their home here as well, including North America's highest nesting
density of peregrine falcons - once an endangered species.
Early man may have occupied the region 11,000 years ago, but Native populations
generally remained small. The discovery of gold in the Klondike in 1897
brought miners from all around to the region, who relocated at the news
of each new major discovery. Over the years, as gold mining became industrialized,
communities developed in many different places. Today, only ruins are
left. Two roadhouses, built along the only major road - the river - remain.
Occasional trapper or trader cabins are also still standing, some of which
are available for public use in the National Preserve, established by
the Alaska Natural Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980.
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