Coronation Island (Alaska)
Encyclopedia
Coronation Island is located off the northwest coast of Prince of Wales Island
, south of Kuiu Island
, and north of Noyes Island
. The nearest full service community is Craig, Alaska
. The island is also home to the Coronation Island Wilderness
, which encompasses 19232 acres (78 km²).
to its south and southwest, Iphigenia Bay to its southeast, Sumner Strait
to its east and northeast, and Chatham Strait
to the west. To the North is Kuiu Island. To the west is Warren Island. Coronation Island has seven high peaks: Needle Peak, Aats Peak, Pin Peak, and four other peaks that are not named. Coronation Island five bays: Egg Harbor, Alikula Bay, Aats Bay, Gish Bay, and Windy Bay. The island is surrounded by rocky areas, a few sandy areas, and a handful of coral reefs. The island is made largely of limestone. Colander Cave was found in 2001.
Fish and shellfish that inhabit the water around the island include: king salmon, red salmon, silver salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, halibut, lingcod, Pacific cod, a variety of rock fish, greenling, rat fish, dog sharks, dungeness crab, tanner crab, king crab, shrimp, prawns, scallops, abalone, clams, and jellyfish. There have also been reported sightings and catchings of great white sharks that have traveled up on warm currents.
In a few areas some exceptions allowing the use of motorized equipment or mechanical transport are described in the special regulations in effect for a specific area. Contact the Forest Service
office for more specific information.
These general prohibitions have been implemented for all national forest wildernesses in order to implement the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Wilderness Act requires management of human-caused impacts and protection of the area's wilderness character to ensure that it is "unimpaired for the future use and enjoyment as wilderness." Use of the equipment listed as prohibited in wilderness is inconsistent with the provision in the Wilderness Act which mandates opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation and that wilderness is a place that is in contrast with areas where people and their works are dominant.
Prince of Wales Island, Alaska
Prince of Wales Island is one of the islands of the Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle. It is the fourth-largest island in the United States and the 97th-largest island in the world....
, south of Kuiu Island
Kuiu Island
Kuiu Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. It lies between Kupreanof Island, to its east, and Baranof Island, to its west. The island is long, and 10–23 km wide. It is nearly cut in two by Affleck Canal. It has of land area, making it the 15th largest...
, and north of Noyes Island
Noyes Island
Noyes Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska, United States. It lies just to the west of Prince of Wales Island. It was named in 1879 by William Healy Dall of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey after William M. Noyes, also of the USC&GS, who was stationed in Alaska...
. The nearest full service community is Craig, Alaska
Craig, Alaska
Craig is a first-class city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area in the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 1,397 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. The island is also home to the Coronation Island Wilderness
Coronation Island Wilderness
Coronation Island Wilderness is a wilderness area in the U.S. state of Alaska. It was designated by the United States Congress in 1980. The wilderness area encompasses the entirety of Coronation Island plus the Spanish Islands. It is part of Tongass National Forest, which is managed by the United...
, which encompasses 19232 acres (78 km²).
Island Access
The island is accessible by boat or float plane. People wanting to visit should be aware of winds and surf.Geography
Coronation Island is an island that has the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
to its south and southwest, Iphigenia Bay to its southeast, Sumner Strait
Sumner Strait
Sumner Strait is a strait in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is about long and wide, extending from the mouth of the Stikine River to Iphigenia Bay on the Gulf of Alaska, separating Mitkof Island, Kupreanof Island, and Kuiu Island on the north...
to its east and northeast, and Chatham Strait
Chatham Strait
Chatham Strait, or Shee ya xhaak in the Tlingit language, is a narrow passage of the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It separates Chichagof Island and Baranof Island to its west from Admiralty Island and Kuiu Island on its east.It is long and extends...
to the west. To the North is Kuiu Island. To the west is Warren Island. Coronation Island has seven high peaks: Needle Peak, Aats Peak, Pin Peak, and four other peaks that are not named. Coronation Island five bays: Egg Harbor, Alikula Bay, Aats Bay, Gish Bay, and Windy Bay. The island is surrounded by rocky areas, a few sandy areas, and a handful of coral reefs. The island is made largely of limestone. Colander Cave was found in 2001.
Wildlife
Common animals on Coronation Island would include black bears, black-tailed deer, bald eagles, wolves, sea otters, Steller's sea lions, harbor seals, and humpback whales.Fish and shellfish that inhabit the water around the island include: king salmon, red salmon, silver salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, halibut, lingcod, Pacific cod, a variety of rock fish, greenling, rat fish, dog sharks, dungeness crab, tanner crab, king crab, shrimp, prawns, scallops, abalone, clams, and jellyfish. There have also been reported sightings and catchings of great white sharks that have traveled up on warm currents.
Flora
The island has Sitka spruce and western hemlock. The rest of the island vegetation is lush and varied. The ocean around the island ranges from 51F to 55F and supports a handful of coral reef areas.Culture
The Henyakwan Tlingit traditionally used Coronation Island, and would often camp in Egg Harbor while awaiting fair weather to travel out to the Hazy Islands, where they would gather bird eggs. A lead mine operated on the west shore of Egg Harbor from the early 1900s until the late 1960s.General Wilderness Prohibitions
Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited on all federal lands designated as wilderness. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters, unless provided for in specific legislation.In a few areas some exceptions allowing the use of motorized equipment or mechanical transport are described in the special regulations in effect for a specific area. Contact the Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
office for more specific information.
These general prohibitions have been implemented for all national forest wildernesses in order to implement the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Wilderness Act requires management of human-caused impacts and protection of the area's wilderness character to ensure that it is "unimpaired for the future use and enjoyment as wilderness." Use of the equipment listed as prohibited in wilderness is inconsistent with the provision in the Wilderness Act which mandates opportunities for solitude or primitive recreation and that wilderness is a place that is in contrast with areas where people and their works are dominant.