By Karen Garcia
Turnagain Times Correspondent
 |
Ken Smith/Turnagain Times Wood Bison can be seen at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The bison are part of a reintroduction program in Alaska. |
Located just south of Girdwood in Portage, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center offers a unique wildlife viewing experience by combining the convenience of a zoo with the rawness of the natural world.
Home to moose, elk, bear, muskox, and bison in addition to many other Alaska animals, the 140-acre center is completely out in the open. With fences only constructed to prevent onlookers from directly interacting with the wildlife, the animals have ample space to roam and graze.
Mike Miller, owner of the AWCC, does not want his facility to be thought of as a “roadside zoo,” though. Instead of merely exhibiting animals, the AWCC actively engages in programs and projects to help protect and conserve much of Alaska’s wildlife.
Perhaps the most important endeavor that the AWCC is currently participating in is the Wood Bison Reintroduction Project. Along with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and other groups, the AWCC is working on this recovery project to help reintroduce the once-extinct wood bison to the Alaskan wilderness.
Aside from the breeding herd at the AWCC, there are no wood bison in Alaska, either wild or captive. One benefit of having this herd in captivity is that they can be closely monitored so that only healthy members of the group are released.
Black Bear Mountain and its accompanying interpretive center are two other major projects that the AWCC is currently invested in.
“The most prominent subject in this state is bears. Yet somehow Alaska doesn’t have a bear center,” said Miller.
The $6 million dollar enterprise will include a large habitat area for the black bears as well as a 10,000-square-foot building that will be used to enhance bear education and awareness. Miller says the interpretive center will include information on Alaska’s three bear species: brown, black, and polar. It will also explain how to behave in bear country and the proper precautions that should be taken.
The building will also house a theater, which according to Miller, will serve different purposes during each season: in summer it will be used mainly for touristy wildlife films, in spring and fall for conferences, and in winter for school educational purposes.
“It’s hard to say when it will be done. I hope to break ground by this fall,” said Miller.
The AWCC became a non-profit facility in 2004, but that doesn’t mean it is lacking in funding. The center recently received a $1 million appropriation from Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for the black bear project, which Miller described as “a privilege.”
Many of the animals at the AWCC have a permanent home there due to certain circumstance such as an orphaned bear cub or moose calf. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game mandates that these animals are not qualified to be released back into the wild.
Other animals at the center may be returned to the wild but must first spend at least two years in the center to be tested for viruses and diseases so not infect other members of the population when released.
If you would like to visit the AWCC, it is located south of Girdwood at mile 97 on the Seward Highway. A large sign marks the entrance on the right side of the road.