Noatak National Preserve
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IUCN category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources)
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High alpine tundra, Noatak National Preserve
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| Location | Northwest Arctic Borough and North Slope Borough, Alaska, US |
| Nearest city | Kotzebue, Alaska |
| Coordinates | 68°00′N 159°30′W / 68.000°N 159.500°WCoordinates: 68°00′N 159°30′W / 68.000°N 159.500°W |
| Area | 6,569,904 acres (26,587.46 km2) |
| Established | December 1, 1978 |
| Visitors | 31,000 (in 2012) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Noatak National Preserve |
Noatak National Preserve is a United States National Preserve in northwestern Alaska that was established to protect the Noatak River Basin. The Noatak River system, located just north of the Arctic Circle, is thought to be the last remaining complete river system in the United States that has not been altered by human activities. The roadless basin was proclaimed a United States National Monument in 1978 and a National Preserve in 1980 through the passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Noatak National Preserve borders Kobuk Valley National Park on the south and borders Gates of the Arctic National Park on the east. Unlike the national parks that it borders, sport hunting is allowed in Noatak National Preserve.
The preserve includes the transition zone from boreal forest to tundra near the southern edge of the preserve. The Noatak Basin is a transition zone for plants and animals between Arctic and subarctic environments. The lower portion of the Noatak valley has areas of boreal forest, but most vegetation is low-growing tundra species. Alpine tundra occurs at high elevation, and moist tundra, the most common condition, supports cottongrass, willows, Labrador tea, mountain alder, dwarf birch and other tundra species at lower elevations. Boggy areas support cranberry, bog rosemary and salmonberry.
Wildlife of the Noatak tundra includes moose, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, Arctic foxes, lemmings, Dall's sheep, vast herds of caribou numbering more than 230,000 individuals, and a variety of birds. Larger birds include Canada geese, tundra swans, white-fronted geese and common, Arctic, yellow-billed and Pacific loons. Predatory birds include rough-legged hawks, gyrfalcons and golden eagles.
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