Page 210 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

208  ALASK A AREA B Y AREA

4 Walrus Islands
State Game
Sanctuary
100 miles (160 km) W of Dillingham.
Transport map C4. ~ Dillingham,
then by charter boat. n 267-2189.
Open May–mid-Aug. & Permits: 10
available for each 5-day period from
Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
∑ adfg.alaska.gov

Located in the northwestern
reaches of Bristol Bay, the
Walrus Islands State Game
Sanctuary is an archipelago of
seven rocky islands. The most
Boats docked at the bustling harbor in Dillingham popular destination in the
sanctuary is Round Island,
2 King Salmon industry. In 1884, after the where lounging walruses
US took possession of Alaska, cover the beaches.
285 miles (459 km) SW of Anchorage.
Transport map D4. * 370. ~ enor mous runs of salmon in After the northern pack ice
n Airport terminal, 246-4250. the Wood and Nushagak Rivers recedes in the spring, male
made Dillingham a logical walruses – as many as 14,000
The rugged little village of fish processing and canning a day – haul out onto the rocky,
King Salmon occupies a lovely site. Today, up to 10,000 tons exposed beaches between
setting amid wide open spaces. (9 million kg) of fish is pro cessed feeding excursions at sea. In
The town overlooks the banks every year from the Bristol Bay the summer, the surround ing
of the Naknek River, 15 miles salmon fishery. seas abound with harbor
(24 km) upstream from the The chief attraction here is the seals, as well as gray, orca,
fishing port of Naknek on Sam Fox Museum, named for and humpback whales. The
Bristol Bay. Much of the current Yup’ik carver Sam Fox, featuring beaches of Round Island and the
population of King Salmon is a large collection of his works as neighboring islands also attract
descended from people who well as skin and fur pieces and several hundred breeding Steller
were forced to relocate after the basketry.. The town is a staging sea lions, and the cliffs above
1912 eruption of the Novarupta point for visits to Togiak National bustle with nearly 400,000
volcano, in what is now Katmai Wildlife Refuge, Walrus Islands nesting sea birds. Red foxes
National Park (see pp210–11). State Game Sanctuary, and roam the beaches to feed on
As the gateway to Katmai Wood-Tikchik State Park. seabird eggs and fallen chicks.
National Park, King Salmon Access to Round Island is by
features an airstrip and lodg ing E Sam Fox Museum permit only. Visitors need to be
for those without reserva tions 306 D St W. Tel 842-4831. self-sufficient with gear that will
at Brooks Camp inside the Open 8am–5:30pm Mon–Fri, accommodate a range of
national park. The Katmai 10am–2pm Sat. 7 = climatic conditions.
National Park tourist office at
the airport has natural history The Tusky Pinniped
displays and videos on the park,
as well as a gift shop selling The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus
maps and books. divergens), a resident of the western
Gulf of Alaska, Bristol Bay, the Bering
Sea, and the Chukchi Sea, is a large,
3 Dillingham brown pinniped covered with coarse
hair. Its most distinctive features are
481 miles (774 km) SW of Anchorage. its shaggy “old man” moustache and
Transport map C4. * 2,300. ~ its two ivory tusks, which are actu ally
n 348 D St, 842-5115. ∑ dillingham enlarged canine teeth. While breeding,
chamberofcommerce.org males use the tusks to vanquish
competitors for females. They also
Founded by Russian fur Closely packed walruses lying on use the tusks to anchor themselves
traders in 1822 as a fort Round Island to the sea bottom while digging for
called Alexandrovski Redoubt, mollusks. Male walruses can grow up to 12 ft (4 m) in length and
Dillingham is the largest weigh in at 3,700 lbs (1,480 kg). Only Alaska Natives are permitted
community in the Bristol to hunt walruses for food and for ivory, which they turn into their
Bay region, as a result of its renowned scrimshaw carvings.
renowned commercial fishing
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p245 and p255

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