Official Yukon-Charley map site»

Size: 2.5 million acres
Year Established: 1980
Major Physical Features: YUCH contains 128 miles of the Yukon River and the entire 1.1-million-acre Charley River watershed. YUCH is located on the North American continental margin and has a nearly complete sedimentary rock geological record (Precambrian to present) .
Vegetation: Based on current information, YUCH has 886 species of vascular plants. The preserve contains climate change sensitive "arctic steppe" species. Four of these are listed as "species of concern" for federal threatened or endangered status.
Wildlife: YUCH has 39 species of mammals, 169 species of birds, 18 species of fish, and an unknown number of invertebrates.
Special Interest: YUCH has one of the densest nesting habitats for Peregrine Falcons within any federally protected area in North America.

Official Yukon-Charley Website »

Geological, paleontological, and archeological resources in the preserve are significant. North of the Yukon River lies the original continental margin, one of the most ancient terrains in Alaska. Fossilized formations in Yukon-Charley reveal important evidence of very early marine and estuarine communities. During the most recent glacial age (over 10,000 years ago), the preserve was entirely contained within the ice-free zone called Beringia. Archeological resources from this period could well illuminate the controversial timing and nature of the peopling of the New World.

Ridgeline

Climate change sensitive "arctic steppe" plant communities (modern remnants of vegetation that may have been widespread during the last series of ice ages) are found on the steep, dry, south-facing slopes of the preserve. These communities are considered modern remnants of past vegetation types that were widespread during the Pleistocene, now isolated by climate change and the passage of time. Four of these species are listed as "species of concern" for federal threatened or endangered status.

Burned trees and bluebells

Yukon-Charley contains a rich assemblage of animals including Dall sheep, moose, caribou, 14 species of furbearers including the economically important lynx and marten, wolves, grizzly and black bears, a variety of small mammals, and one amphibian. Many of these animals are important for subsistence use by local residents and may have been so since initial occupation of humans in the north.

Wooded pond

Over 160 species of birds (mostly migrant) have been documented in the preserve. Once on the brink of extinction in North America, Peregrine Falcons nest and breed along the bluffs of the Yukon and Charley Rivers within the preserve. In fact, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve has one of the densest nesting habitats for peregrines within any federally protected area in North America. These peregrines are used to index populations for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's endangered species recovery plan.

A unique resource protection concern in Yukon-Charley is military training overflights. Four Military Operations Areas cover the entirety of the preserve. Jet activity, especially low-level flights, creates high noise events and occasional sonic booms. Increased traffic in the summer (as much as 164-206 flights per day) coincides with the reproductive cycles of most bird and mammal species.