Announcing Prospectus and Request for Proposals for Big Game Guiding Special Use Permits

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's NWRS offers special use permits for Big Game Guides to provide commercial guiding services on National Wildlife Refuge lands within the Alaska Region. Special use permits will be awarded for big game guiding services through a competitive selection process. For more information please visit the Alaska Region's Announcing Prospectus and Request for Proposals for Big Game Guiding Special Use Permits page. 

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)

Birds arriving in Alaska for the breeding season may be infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has caused illness and death in waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, and birds of prey and some mammals. Learn more, including steps hunters can take to reduce the risk of infection and how to report observations/concerns.

Alaska's Izembek National Wildlife Refuge lies between the highly productive waters of the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska. The heart of the refuge is Izembek Lagoon, a coastal ecosystem that's home to one of the world's largest eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds. Hundreds of thousands of waterfowl, including virtually the entire population of Pacific black brant, visit the lagoon to feed on eelgrass and rest during migration. From brown bears to Pacific salmon, more than 200 species call this refuge home.

The landscape here is dynamic, with soaring peaks like Pavlof Volcano, the heavily-glaciated Shishaldin Volcano (Unimak Island), Frosty Peak, and the jagged spires of the Aghileen Pinnacles. Topography stretches from sea level to rugged volcanic mountains exceeding 9,000 feet, with coastal marshes and berry-producing, low-growing bush tundra interspersed with numerous lakes, ponds and alder brush-lined stream in between.

Latest News

a pastel colored snow field
History and Culture
Nippivik - the Sunset Time
As winter settles in across Alaska, the landscape shifts from vibrant reds and golds of autumn to a more subtle light: pastel pinks of a sun low on the horizon and moonlit blue on the snow. Wildlife and people adjust to the change and prepare to move through the longer nights with different...
Landscape photo of green mountains, a river bank, and blue sky with clouds
Our Partners
USFWS Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Alaska Native Relations Policy
Anchorage, Alaska—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced it is seeking public comment on the agency’s first ever proposed Alaska Native Relations Policy. 
a fish breaking the surface of the water
Migratory Species
The Tug of Pacific Salmon
If you've ever felt the tug of a shimmery salmon at the end of your line or in your net, you probably know that the act of catching is just a small piece of something much bigger.
a striped fly on orange flowers
Wildlife Wonders
Alaska’s Wanna-bees
There are nearly 900 species of flower flies in North America, with roughly 200 species in Alaska (they’re also known as syrphid or “hover” flies). Adult flower flies feed on pollen and nectar. As they move from plant to plant, they serve as unintentional pollinators — pollen grains hitch a ride on...
two white geese with black wing tips flying
Migratory Species
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Migratory Birds in Alaska
The Center for Disease Control believes that the public health risk from HPAI in North America is low. Alaska hunters should still exercise caution while hunting and eating migratory birds by following steps to reduce infection risk. Learn how to report observations/concerns in Alaska.
A pair of dolphins (marine mammals with tails and flippers) cruise through blue waters.
Wildlife Wonders
Wildlife Videos
Wildlife videos can take you to wonderful outdoor spaces and show you amazing sights without your leaving home.
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Visit Us

Looking over a woman's shoulder as she takes a photo of a map display with her phone.
Image Details
A visitor to the Izembek Refuge office takes a photo of the map display.

Travel to the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, near the tip of the Alaska Peninsula, is logistically challenging, but definitely worth the effort! The scenery, wildlife, and wilderness experiences that the refuge offers are truly unique - the experience of a lifetime. Most visitors access the refuge from the local community of Cold Bay, either by commercial flight from Anchorage or arriving by ferry with the Alaska Marine Highway System. Visit the refuge headquarters building to explore a mini visitor center with displays and exhibits, pick up information, and chat with staff.

Location and Contact Information

      Projects and Research

      brown birds
      Image Details
      Molting Steller's eiders to be banded and released.

      Refuge staff monitor several species to fulfill the refuge's mission. Working cooperatively with the State of Alaska staff assist with aerial surveys throughout the year to monitor the health and productivity of the Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Herd. Surveys of brown bear, moose, tundra swans, Pacific black brant, Taverner's and cackling Canada geese, emperor geese, other waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds monitor population numbers and productivity. Since 1961, refuge staff have captured and banded Steller's eiders (a threatened species) during their molting period on Izembek Lagoon. The data generated by these studies provide wildlife managers with critical population and survival rate information.