Alaska's rugged southern coast, interior rivers and North Slope wetlands produce much of the Pacific Flyway's waterfowl. The Last Frontier State is still considered a vast and wild land, especially by those in the Lower 48. But the human touch is seen more now then ever before. Alaska's abundant natural resources in are high demand, and their extraction often conflicts with the needs of waterfowl and other wildlife.
Nearly all of Alaska's original wetlands and waterfowl hotspots are still intact, healthy, and annually producing millions of waterfowl. Yet, some of the most important areas for waterfowl, including the Copper and Yukon River deltas, the western boreal forest and the arctic plain, have been or are currently under investigation for hydropower, minerals, or petroleum development.
Ducks Unlimited's conservation projects in Alaska range from comprehensive planning to restoring degraded wetlands. We have ongoing projects to identify and map the most important waterfowl habitats before they are forever altered and other projects that repair wetland habitats that have been disturbed. For waterfowl and wetlands conservation in the Pacific Flyway, Alaska is truly the last frontier and Ducks Unlimited is leading the way.
