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Lake dark National Park and preserve is a composite of ecosystems
representative of many diverse regions throughout Alaska. Withing the park
the mountains of the Alaska and the Aleutian Ranges join creating the
chigmit mountains, an awesome, jagged array of peaks resulting from
centuries of uplifting, intrusion, earthquakes, Vulcanism and glacial
action. Two active volcanoes, Iliamva and Redoubt, vent steam from
their-show-capped peaks, rising more than 3060 metres. The rocky cliffs in
and adjacent to the park provide rookeries for puffins, cormorants,
Kittiwakes, and other seabirds. The western flank of the Chigmit mountains
descends through tundracovered foothills to boreal forest. Special lakes and
wild rivers fill the valleys flowing southwestward to Bristol Bay. Summer is
the time of life as Caribou Calve, buds turn to leaves, mosquitoes hatch and
salman return to spawn. Fireweed, lupine, bineberry and bearberry abound. In
autumn the burgundy-hued tundra blankets the slopes around Turqucise lake.
Fish include five species of Salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly varden, Lake
trout, northern pike and arctic grayling. Dallsheep, Caribou and moose
forage the area Brown and black bear are present as well as wolves, lynx,
foxes and other mammels. |
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