The Environment of the Yukon-Charley Rivers area, Alaska
Young SB. 1976. The Environment of the Yukon-Charley Rivers area, Alaska. Center For Northern Studies. Wolcott, VT. Contributions from the Center for Northern Studies. Contributions from the Center for Northern Studies No. 9
This report presents the results of a multidisciplinary reconnaissance-level investigation of the Yukon-Charley Rivers area conducted during the summers of 1974 and 1975. It includes chapters on general vegetation; climate; an annotated checklist of vascular flora; growth and population structure of white spruce; floristic investigations in the arctic-steppe biome; paleontology; paleobotanical sites; mammals; mountain sheep in the Cirque Lakes region; ornithology; entomology; limnology; and aboriginal occupations. It is concluded that it makes some sense to divide the study area into two parts, one being the upland areas in the middle and upper Charley River drainage, and the other the Yukon River and tributaries. Because of the ruggedness of the terrain, the amount of true alpine environment is relatively miniscule, and consequently many of the geomorphological and biotic features characteristic of mountainous regions in Alaska are comparatively rare in the Charley River region. It is speculated that a number of species are near critically low population levels due to lack of habitat. An example is an isolated population of Dolly Varden in an unnamed creek that drains the Cirque Lakes. The editor suggests that the concept of tundra being fragile is relevant to isolated tundra areas that lie outside of the tundra biome.
- Type
- Book
- Authors
- Young, Steven
- Date of Issue
- 1976
- Publisher
- Center For Northern Studies
- Units
- YUCH
- Keywords
- Birds, Boreal Forest, Center for Northern Studies, Charley, Charley River, Entomology, Fish, Inventory Natural Resources, Limnology, Mammal, Mountain Sheep, Natural Resources, Paleobotany, Plants, Reconnaissance Surveys, Regional Information, Terrestrial Mammals, Tundra, Vascular Plants, Vegetation, White Spruce, Yukon, Yukon River, Yukon-Charley Rivers, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Yukon-Tanana Upland