Chamisso Wilderness

Chamisso Wilderness is comprised of Chamisso and Puffin Island and is a subunit of the Chukchi Sea Unit, the northernmost of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge units. It has one large sand spit and a low beach zone surrounding a covering of tundra with a few marshy bogs. Although Chamisso Island is much larger, rising over 200 feet out of the sea, Puffin Island houses many more nesting birds — especially horned puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and thick-billed murres, who build their nests on the steep-walled cliffs that fall into Spafarief Bay. An unusual sight is horned puffins digging burrows in which to lay their eggs, much like tufted puffins do. Alaska Natives still cross from the mainland to gather eggs, primarily from kittiwakes and murres. No other animals live on the islands except birds and the occasional fox that wanders over on the frozen sea in winter, while walruses, seals, and whales may often be seen in Spafarief Bay. Boating is dangerous due to frequent storms that blow in during cool summers and frigid winters. Summer temperatures average in the low 50s and 60s Fahrenheit and in the low 20s and 30s in winter. Daylight never leaves in mid-June and appears briefly as twilight in mid-December. The Wilderness receives 73.5 inches of precipitation each year.