Location and Terrain
Situated in the Gulf of Alaska, the Kodiak Archipelago parallels the Katmai Coast along the Alaska Peninsula for 177 miles. It is a continuation of the Kenai Mountain Range, which begins 90 miles to the north in the Kenai Peninsula. Lying in the Aleutian Trench along the "chain of fire," these islands have been strongly affected by volcanic and seismic activity. Ten thousand years ago, most of the islands in the archipelago were covered by glaciers. Jagged peaks, fjord-like bays, and wide U-shaped valleys mark their retreat.
Climate and Vegetation
Kodiak Island is the largest island in the archipelago and the second largest island in the United States at 3,588 square miles. Although at times the elements are harsh, the mild, ever-changing maritime climate insulates the island from the extremes of the mainland. Its lush vegetation gives it the name of Alaska's "Emerald Island." In the late summer and early fall, low-bush cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries ripen everywhere. There are a large variety grasses, herbs, and medicinal plants on the island.
Wildlife
The island is best known for the Kodiak brown bear and mountain goats, red foxes, short-tailed weasels, little brown bats, tundra voles, and river otter. Introduced species include the snowshoe hare, mountain goat, Sitka black-tailed deer, arctic ground squirrel, Roosevelt elk, muskrat, red squirrel, and beaver. More than 200 species of bird live in the archipelago, including varieties of ducks, geese, horned and tufted puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, swans and many types of sea birds. Stellar sea lions are year-round residents, and sea otters, once hunted to near extinction by those who colonized the island, spend time in the sheltered waters near kelp beds. Harbor seals like the protected inner bays and lagoons where tide pools are also home to anemones, sea stars, sunbursts, chitons, and limpets. The largest marine mammals in Kodiak are fin, minke, humpback, killer, and gray whales. Halibut, rainbow trout, steelhead, Dolly Varden, and all five salmon species swim in Kodiak's waters. |
