Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Name	Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Location	Portage, Alaska
Coordinates	60°49′N 149°30′W
Established	1993
Area	200 acres
Type	Wildlife sanctuary, zoo, rehabilitation center
Website	official site

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a non-profit wildlife sanctuary and conservation facility located near Girdwood, Alaska and Turnagain Arm off Seward Highway between Anchorage, Alaska and Seward, Alaska. Founded in 1993, the center provides rescue, rehabilitation, and permanent care for injured and orphaned wildlife native to Alaska and the North American subarctic, while also serving as a public exhibit and education venue for visitors traveling the Kenai Peninsula corridor. The center operates within a network of partners including state agencies and national organizations, contributing to species recovery efforts and scientific studies.

History

The center was established in 1993 by a collaboration of local conservationists, wildlife biologists, and civic leaders responding to increased human-wildlife conflicts along the Seward Highway corridor and growing tourism to the Kenai Peninsula. Early partners included the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, regional chapters of the National Audubon Society, and local chapters of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, each providing expertise in wildlife rescue and husbandry. Over time the facility expanded through land acquisitions and donations from entities such as the Alaska Native corporations and private benefactors, aligning with broader initiatives like the North American Conservation Strategy and regional wildlife management plans developed after significant events including the Exxon Valdez oil spill recovery era. Leadership and advisory boards have included veterinarians affiliated with the University of Alaska Anchorage and researchers who previously worked with programs at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Smithsonian Institution.

Facilities and Exhibits

The center occupies roughly 200 acres including mixed boreal forest, wetlands, and enclosures designed for species endemic to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Public amenities include interpretive trails, viewing platforms, and an educational center modeled on standards from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and guidelines used by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Specialized enclosures replicate natural terrains for species such as grizzly bears, moose, and woodland caribou, while veterinary facilities support diagnostics and procedures performed with equipment similar to that used in university research hospitals like those at the Mayo Clinic and Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The center also maintains quarantine facilities consistent with protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for zoonotic disease surveillance and cooperates with the Alaska Marine Mammal Center on shared exhibit and rescue practices.

Conservation and Research

The center engages in captive care programs designed to bolster local populations affected by habitat loss, vehicle collisions on corridors like the Seward Highway and Glenn Highway, and climate-driven shifts documented by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Projects have included telemetry studies in partnership with researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and genetic assessments aligning with methodologies from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Collaborative research with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Alaska SeaLife Center addresses disease ecology, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and post-release monitoring. The center contributes data to continental databases used by the Wildlife Conservation Society and participates in multi-institutional recovery planning with groups such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature specialist groups focusing on large mammals and avifauna.

Education and Outreach

Educational programs cater to school groups, visitors from cruise lines visiting Whittier, Alaska and Seward, Alaska, and professional audiences, drawing on curriculum models used by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service. Outreach includes guided interpretive talks, hands-on modules for students developed in collaboration with the Anchorage School District and field seminars co-hosted with the University of Alaska Anchorage. Seasonal workshops address topics promoted by the Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy such as habitat restoration and citizen science protocols used in projects like the Christmas Bird Count and regional monitoring coordinated with the Alaska Bird Observatory. The center also supports volunteer programs patterned after conservation volunteer schemes run by the Sierra Club and regional conservation corps.

Animal Care and Species List

Animal care follows veterinary and husbandry standards influenced by organizations like the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, with husbandry records and preventive medicine informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and university veterinary research at Ohio State University. Resident species historically and currently exhibited include large mammals and birds native to the region: Moose (Alces alces gigas), Black bear (Ursus americanus), Brown bear (Ursus arctos), Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), Dall sheep (Ovis dalli), Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus), Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Elk, Black-tailed deer, Red fox, Arctic fox, and raptors such as Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus). Marine and coastal species care has been coordinated with the Alaska SeaLife Center and the Monterey Bay Aquarium on shared rehabilitation protocols. The center also houses smaller carnivores and scavengers like Wolverines (Gulo gulo) and North American river otters (Lontra canadensis), and participates in regional translocation efforts with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and wildlife NGOs such as the Wildlife Conservation Network.

Visiting Information

Located along the Seward Highway near mileposts used by travelers between Anchorage and Seward, the center is accessible year-round with seasonal variations in exhibit access and program schedules coordinated around regional conditions studied by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. Visitor services include guided tram tours, accessible trails, gift shop offerings featuring local artisans associated with Alaska Native corporations and interpretive signage developed with the National Park Service standards. The center works with tour operators running from Whittier and Seward and receives visitors arriving via cruise lines calling on Southcentral Alaska ports. Ticketing, volunteer opportunities, and animal encounter programs follow policies influenced by best practices from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and liability frameworks similar to those used by major cultural institutions like the Smithsonian Institution.

Category:Wildlife sanctuaries in Alaska Category:Zoos established in 1993