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The Koyuk River is a river on the Seward Peninsula of western Alaska, US. The river originates in the interior of the peninsula, at the Lost Jim Lava Flow of the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, where it flows southeast towards the mouth of Norton Bay on Norton Sound. The native village of Koyuk is located at its mouth. The two major tributaries are the Peace and Salmon Rivers.

Etymology

Its Inuit name was reported by Captain Tebenkov (1852, map 2), IRN, as Kvyguk or Kvieguk. The Western Union Telegraph Expedition spelled the name Koikpak ("big river"). The Seward map of 1867 gives Koipak, and later as Kayuk, Koyuk, and Kuyuk. The Kanguksuk is also known as the Left Fork of the Kviguk (Koyuk). The present spelling comes from Alfred Hulse Brooks', 1900 United States Geological Survey.

Geography

The Koyuk is more than 80 miles (130 km) in length. The main branch of the Koyuk is known as the West Fork. Its lower course is a broad estuary affected for many miles by the tide and having little current. The river valley is a region of rather low relief, the adjacent hills being nowhere comparable to those of the Tubutulik River or the head of Fish River. The flat mud- and sand-filled basins are relatively restricted in area. There are several rapids. For a few hundred feet, the gradient of the river bed is very high and the channel filled with big blocks. The river banks are rocky and made up of horizontally bedded lava flows, from which the boulders that filled the channel are broken. The mouths of two or three large tributaries come in from the south and several smaller ones from the north. The Koyuk enters Norton Bay at its northeastern extremity. Tributary creeks include Dime and Sweepstakes.

Wildlife

Under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) (P.L 96-487) the Koyuk River categorized as "Freshwater Aquatic Herbaceous" is one out of 25 nominated as the National Wild and Scenic Rivers. The River and the basin draining it is rich of wild life species, which consists of five fish species, 22 mammals species and 46 bird species.

The flora of the river watershed, in their descending order of distribution are: Closed Needleleaf Forest dominating the riparian zone ; Closed Tall Shrub Scrub also part of the riparian zone, and Open Air Low Shrub Scrub with willows and grasses as dominant vegetation. The Wet Graminoid Herbaceous habitat lies between the river riparian and higher ground. The Mesic Graminoid Herbaceous forms the Hilly Tussock Tundra.

The river is well known for its fishing resources. the fish species reported are Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma Walbaum), Rainbow Trout, northern Pike (Esox lucius), grayling (Thymallus thymallus), Dolly Varden trout (Salvelinus malma malma), northern pike rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Bank swallows, and Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus).

Some of the important faunal species reported in the river basin are Moose (North America) (Alces alces), grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), black bear (Ursus americanus), caribou (Rangifer tarandus), western carbou herd, wolves (Canis lupus) and wolf packs, lynx, red foxwaterfowl, Beaver, and Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus).

Some of the important bird species reported in the river watershed are: Baldeagels, glaoucous gulls, red squirrel, spruce grouse, northern flying squirrel, song birds, ravens, lesser golden-plover, whimbrel and Lapland logapur.

Tourism

The river is also popular for water sports such as kayaking and rafting.

References

• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: U.S. Government's Printing Office's "Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey" (1902)
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: U.S. Geological Survey's "Bulletin - United States Geological Survey" (1911)
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: U.S. Geological Survey's "Reconnaissances in the Cape Nome and Norton Bay regions, Alaska, in 1900" (1901)
• This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: S.S. Smith's "The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1916" (1917)

1. USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Koyuk River. Accessed Aug 20, 2007.
2. Bulletin of the United States Geological Survey (Public domain ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. 1902. pp. 251–. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
3. Geological Survey (U.S.) (1911). Bulletin - United States Geological Survey (Public domain ed.). The Survey. pp. 10–. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
4. ^ Brooks, Alfred Hulse; Collier, Arthur James; Mendenhall, Walter Curran (1901). Geological Survey (U.S.) (ed.). Reconnaissances in the Cape Nome and Norton Bay regions, Alaska, in 1900 (Public domain ed.). Government Printing Office. pp. 191, 198, 212–. Retrieved 23 March 2013. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
5. Smith, Sumner Stewart (1917). The mining industry in the territory of Alaska during the calendar year 1916 (Public domain ed.). Govt. Print. Off. pp. 56–. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
6. ^ "Wildlife of the Koyuk Watershed". Bureau of Land Management, Alaska. {{cite web}}: Text "accessdate26 March 2013" ignored (help)
7. ^ "Koyuk River Hunting and Fishing...Enjoy One Of The Many Scenic Rivers in Alaska!". Alaska Fishing and Hunting Guides Directory. Retrieved 26 March 2013.

See also

• List of Alaska rivers

• Landforms of Nome Census Area, Alaska
• Rivers of Alaska