1985 Map of Shungnak C-6

About this map

The Selawik National Wildlife Refuge dominates this subarctic landscape, characterized by a complex network of wetlands and meandering waterways. Surveyed via aerial photography in the early 1970s and edited in the mid-1980s, the map reveals a remote terrain defined by the slow movements of the Kateel River and its various tributaries. The hydrology here is dense and intricate, with the Kugarak River and Kuchuk Creek cutting through a mosaic of lakes and marshy ground typical of the region's permafrost-influenced geography. Further south, the Kawichiark River flows through the refuge, which was established by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act shortly before this map's publication. This survey serves as a record of the area's natural state before more recent climatic shifts impacted the Arctic tundra and its drainage patterns.