Kootznoowoo Wilderness
The temperate rainforests of Admiralty Island's Kootznoowoo Wilderness are unique among the 5,700,000 acres (2,300,000 ha) of federally protected Wilderness in Southeast Alaska.
Kootznoowoo Wilderness | |
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IUCN category Ib (wilderness area) | |
Location of Misty Fiords in the United States | |
Location | Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, United States |
Nearest city | Angoon, AK |
Area | 979,079 acres (3962 km2) |
Established | December 2, 1980 |
Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
The island's towering cathedrals of old growth Sitka spruce and western hemlock could not be more different from the glaciers and alpine tundra found in nearby Wilderness Areas such as Tracy Arm or Misty Fjords.
These ancient forests are home to the highest concentrations of brown bears in the world, as well as thousands of bald eagles, Sitka Black-tailed Deer, boreal toads, and all five species of Alaskan salmon.
The Kootznoowoo Wilderness includes most of Admiralty Island, except for the Mansfield Peninsula, the village of Angoon, and Native lands along the island's western shore.
The Wilderness is part of Admiralty Island National Monument, which itself is part of Tongass National Forest.
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