Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

An aerial view of the tundra in fall color and lakes in BELA.
An aerial view of some of the smaller lakes in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, nestled in the tundra that is in full fall color.
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve covers 2.8 million acres of tundra on the Seward Peninsula of northwestern Alaska and lies at the convergence of three major migratory bird flyways. It is an important place for nesting Yellow-billed Loons.The preserve has diverse landforms produced by volcanic eruptions, freezing and thawing of permafrost, and ocean wave action. The coastline within the preserve is characterized by a series of interconnected barrier island-lagoon complexes dominated by low saltmarsh habitat. The lagoons function as a nursery for many animals and they protect inner shores from harsh ocean waves and storm surges. Such areas provide critical habitat for unique plant communities, nesting birds, seal haul-outs, denning sites, freshwater and anadromous fish, and migratory stopover sites for marine mammals and birds. Inland, the preserve also has many small, shallow lakes shaped by local permafrost thaw or by erosion. Larger lakes—White Fish, Devil Mountain, and Killeak Lakes—are all maar lakes, the largest in the world.

What's Happening in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve

Showing results 1-10 of 15

  • Memory influences where Western Arctic Herd caribou spend the winter

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    • Offices: Arctic Inventory & Monitoring Network
    View from a caribou collar

    Read a summary and get the link to a published paper that describes how caribou decide where to spend the winter based on previous experience. Gurarie, E., C. Beaupré, O. Couriot, M. D. Cameron, W. F. Fagan, and K. Joly. 2024. Evidence for an adaptive, large-scale range shift in a long-distance terrestrial migrant. Global Change Biology 30 (11): e17589.

  • Perspectives of Indigenous harvesters and agency staff on subsistence management in Alaska national parks

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Noatak National Preserve
    Indigenous Alaskans meeting around a table.

    The subsistence harvest of animals and plants—that is, harvest for survival or continuation of cultural traditions—is critical to Alaska Native peoples for nutritional, cultural, social, and spiritual benefits. Interviews about subsistence resources statewide were conducted to understand the perspectives about: (1) the communication and relationships between these two groups; and (2) barriers to, and solutions for, improving subsistence management.

  • When are newly collared caribou representative of the herd?

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    A collared caribou bounds away.

    Read the abstract and get the link to a paper published in the Wildlife Bulletin about representativeness among collared animals in a population: Prichard, A. K., K. Joly, L. S. Parrett, M. D. Cameron, D. A. Hansen, and B. T. Person. 2022. Achieving a representative sample of marked animals: A spatial approach to evaluating post-capture randomization. Wildlife Society Bulletin e1398.

  • Predicting Seasonal Distributions and Migratory Routes of Western Arctic Herd Caribou

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    The western arctic caribou herd along the Kobuk River.

    Read the abstract and get the link for an article on caribou migration patterns published in Movement Ecology: Baltensperger, A. P., and K. Joly. 2019. Using seasonal landscape models to predict space use and migratory patterns of an arctic ungulate. Movement Ecology 7 (18). DOI: 10.1186/s40462-019-0162-8.

  • Mapping Arctic Alaska's Coastal Vegetation

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument
    A three-panel image showing mapping steps.

    Read the abstract and link to this published article about methods for mapping coastal vegetation in Alaska's Arctic parks: Hampton-Miller, C. J., P. N. Neitlich, and D. K. Swanson. 2022. A high-resolution map of coastal vegetation for two Arctic Alaskan parklands: An object-oriented approach with point training data. PLOS ONE 17(8): e0273893.

  • Arctic Summers are Getting Longer

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve
    A muskox naps in the tundra.

    Read a summary and get the link to an article that describes how the Arctic is getting greener: Swanson, D. K. 2021. Start of the green season and normalized difference vegetation index in Alaska's Arctic national parks. Remote Sensing 13(13): 2554.

  • Magnetic Detection of Archaeological Hearths in Alaska

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve,
    An archaeologist searches for hearths using a magetometer

    Read the abstract and link to a recent article on archaeological research using magnetic detection of hearths: Urban, Thomas M., Jeffrey T. Rasic, Claire Alix, Douglas D. Anderson, Linda Chisholm, Robert W. Jacob, Sturt W. Manning, Owen K.Mason, Andrew H. Tremayne, Dale Vinson (2019). Magnetic detection of archaeological hearths in Alaska: A tool for investigating the full span of human presence at the gateway to North America. Quaternary Science Reviews 211: 73-92.

  • Lost Arctic Lakes

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument
    A large lake nearly dry.

    Read the abstract and get the link to an article published in a peer-reviewed journal: Swanson, D. K. 2019. Thermokarst and precipitation drive changes in the area of lakes and ponds in the national parks of northwestern Alaska, 1984-2018. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 51(1): 265-279.

  • What a mammoth's tusk can tell us about its life

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve
    Two woolly mammoths walk across Beringia.

    Where did woolly mammoths roam when they lived in Beringia? What can learning about their movements tell us about their lives and their extinction? Read more here: Wooller, M. J., C. Bataille, P. Druckenmiller, G. M. Erickson, P. Groves, N. Haubenstock, T. Howe, J. Irrgeher, D. Mann, K. Moon, B. A. Potter, T. Prohaska, J. Rasic, J. Reuther, B. Shapiro, K. J. Spaleta, and A. D. Willis. 2021. Lifetime mobility of an Arctic woolly mammoth. Science 373(6556): 806-808.

  • Brown bear population size and harvest in Northwest Alaska

    • Type: Article
    • Locations: Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve, Noatak National Preserve
    Aerial view of brown bears crossing a snow field in the Brooks Range.

    Read a summary and get the link to a paper published in the Journal of Wildlife Management on brown bear population trends in northwest Alaska: Schmidt, J. H., H. L. Robison, L. S. Parrett, T. S. Gorn, and B. S. Shults. 2021. Brown bear density and estimated harvest rates in northwestern Alaska. The Journal of Wildlife Management 85(2): 202-214.

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Last updated: February 2, 2022

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