Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

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Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

AWCC logo
Date opened	1993
Location	Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska
Land area	170 acres (69 ha)[1]
Website	www.alaskawildlife.org

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a conservation center dedicated to preserving Alaska's wildlife. The center is located on 170 acres (69 ha) at the southern edge of Turnagain Arm and the entrance to Portage Valley in the Municipality of Anchorage.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a refuge for orphaned or injured wildlife, as well as home or temporary home to captive born and translocated wildlife such as wood bison. The center has reintroduced moose, elk, and red fox back into Alaska, and is currently involved in a program for the reintroduction of the Wood Bison.

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is open daily March through December, and on weekends in January and February.^[2]

History

Founded by Mike Miller, The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center opened in 1993 as the for-profit "Sourdough Development Services, Inc. dba Big Game Alaska."^[1]

In 1999, the center became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, "Big Game Alaska, Inc. dba the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC)," with Miller serving as the center's executive director. The name was officially changed to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Inc. in 2007.^[1]

Animals

Animals at the center include arctic fox, coyote, brown bear, black bear, moose, elk, musk ox, sitka black tailed deer, caribou, lynx and raptors.

All of the animals are cared for in large natural habitats, including enclosures designed for the display of multiple (mixed) species. For instance, three brown bears live in an 18-acre (7.3 ha) habitat of rolling brushland and conifers, and two black bears are housed in a 14-acre (5.7 ha) enclosure with a stream.^[3]

Education

The center offers educational programs and tours in self-guided, drive-through or walk-through formats.^{[citation needed]}

Conservation

The AWWC has reintroduced moose, elk, and red fox back into Alaska.^{[citation needed]}

Starting in 2003, the center has taken part in a program to reintroduce the wood bison back into Alaska after a 100 year absence. The wood bison is the largest land mammal in North America, and is a keystone grazing herbivore from the region. The first release date is scheduled for 2011.^[4] This project is a joint effort with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and other conservation groups.^[5]

B.E.A.R.S.

In 2008, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center embarked on plans to develop an Alaskan bear conservation science and education facility and interpretive center.^[1][6]

The B.E.A.R.S. (Bear Education Awareness Research Sanctuary) exhibit, will be 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m²) "green" facility that will include habitat enhancements and a 30-acre (120,000 m²) expansion for the center's brown and black bear residents. In addition, an interpretive educational center and conservation research facility dedicated to advancing the public's awareness and appreciation for Alaska's bears (the polar bear, American black bear and grizzly or brown bear) is currently under development. The facility will permit visitors to explore interactive experiences featuring thematic displays of Alaska's bears while offering viewing of our own bears ambassadors on exhibit from inside the interpretive center or via webcam. Education and outreach programs will serve as the foundation for B.E.A.R.S. engagement programs. Conservation and science initiatives will serve to support the facility's outreach programs. The center has dedicated staff to develop B.E.A.R.S. as a resource hub for Alaskan Bear Conservation programs, inviting international colleagues and enthusiasts to visit and convey conservation message for Alaska's bears and the five other species around the world.^{[citation needed]}

The B.E.A.R.S. exhibit will introduce visitors to the AWCC's resident bear ambassadors and immerse patrons in a interactive experience through thematic displays featuring cultural and historical artifacts and information on bears as they have coexisted with early man to current day conflict with human-habituated bears to eco-tourism and bear viewing in Alaska.^{[citation needed]}

The building itself will provide some replicate Alaskan native architecture and contemporary displays to highlight sustainable and eco-conscious practices for sharing the world with the animal kingdom. B.E.A.R.S will speak to Alaska's bruins which live amidst the last strong-holds for these iconic species. In addition to interactive gallery exhibits, a 200 seat auditorium, dedicated rooms for lecture and conference, a gift shop, public, bathroom facilities, administrative offices, and outdoor platforms for bear viewing will be included in the exhibit. A special area will also be developed to observe the bears during hibernation.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2010, Dr. Jordan Schaul joined the AWCC staff as a conservation biologist for the center and the curator for B.E.A.R.S. Active in global bear conservation, he serves as an ex officio council member to the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA)^[7] and a member of the Coordinators' Committee of the Bear Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). ^[8]

Media

Several documentaries, features films, and other video media have been shot on location at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center including a documentary for National Geographic and "Into Alaska" featuring Jeff Corwin in 2007, and "Into the Wild," starring Emile Hirsch.^[9] Other special guests to the center include Jungle Jack Hanna who filmed a segment for his syndicated program, Harrison Ford and his family, the Secretary of the Interior and regular guests include former governor Sarah Palin's parents.^{[citation needed]}

Board Member and Interim Development Director, Steve Mendive, was featured on The Today Show after a humbling and dangerous encounter with the dominant wood bison bull "Bob #34," the only wood bison in the world to have his own Facebook page.^[10]

In July 2010 the center's resident porcupine, "Snickers," gained worldwide publicity from video footage in which the friendly rodent appeared to behave like a puppy. The video went 'viral' on the internet in a matter of days.^[11] Actress Sandra Dee Robinson is the spokesperson for the center.^{[citation needed]}

The future

The AWCC staff plans to develop programs aimed at teaching coastal and estuarine science to visitors after the completion of B.E.A.R.S.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• Official website
• IUCN Bison Specialist Group Web site