The following is the third in a series of articles, focusing on a specific area within the National Petroleum Reserve and on the wildlife, and natural values, which make that region unique and valuable.

Covering most of the southwestern corner of the National Petroleum Reserve, the Utukok Uplands is one of wildest and most remote areas in the United States. This vast region of foothills, gorges and canyons encompasses the headwaters of the Colville and Utukok Rivers as well as a large portion of the upper Kokolik River watershed.

The Utukok Uplands are the critical calving grounds for the largest caribou herd in North America, the 450,000 member Western Arctic caribou herd. Unlike the Teshekpuk herd that resides year-round on the coastal plain near Teshekpuk Lake, the Western Arctic herd migrates across the Brooks Range from their wintering grounds in the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge and Nulato Hills to their calving grounds in the foothills. These foothills, which range in elevation from 500 – 2000 feet, provide a much warmer and drier early spring climate than either the mountains or coastal plain. The east-west ranging ridges of the lower foothills are covered with nutritious tussock cottongrass, heaths and small flowering plants that are vital to the survival of the new born young while the breezy exposed sites provide necessary relief from insects.

The Utukok Uplands also support the highest concentration of grizzly bears in the arctic. This concentration is due primarily to the high number caribou calves born in the foothills each spring as well as the lack of any significant hunting within the area. In addition, the uplands support relatively high concentrations of wolves and wolverines that also rely upon the abundance of caribou for survival.

The Utukok foothills contain a handful of large lakes that are considerably deeper than their counterparts on the coastal plain. These lakes provide vital overwintering ground for fish such as grayling, lake trout, whitefish and arctic char. Each spring, when the ice begins to thaw, these fish return to the major rivers and tributaries where they are an important subsistence source for the Inupiat Eskimos, the natives who inhabit the Reserve.

The headwaters and upper watershed of the Colville River cut steep canyons into the upper foothills of the Utukok Uplands. Further downriver the cliffs become fewer and the corridor is less distinct from the surrounding landscape. Vegetation along the streams and rivers of the uplands are bordered by tall willows and dwarf shrubs. This combination of cliffs and riparian vegetation provides excellent habitat for a wide variety of migratory song and shorebirds. In addition, at least seven species of raptor nest within the Utukok area. The two most abundant species, the gyrfalcon and the golden eagle, prefer to nest along the sheer cliffs of the rivers and streams and in the upper foothills and mountains, respectively. Other bird species that favor foothill habitats include sandhill cranes, lesser Canada geese, golden plovers, whimbrels and bar-tailed godwits.

The upper Utukok-Kokolik area in the far southwest corner of the reserve includes a somewhat gentler and lower version of the southwestern US's topography, with round-shaped scalloped uplands, narrow deep gorges, and a few sites of red rock exposures. Only the eastern part of this "little canyonlands" extends into the Reserve. While this area is extremely remote and little known, it is an excellent destination for hikers or rafters wishing to experience the beauty of wild Alaska.

The western foothills and mountains of the National Petroleum Reserve have the potential to harbor vast quantities of coal and mineral resources. The largest coal resource in the United States lies within the Reserve with the most valuable stretch crossing from the Chukchi Sea coast east through mountains and southern foothills of the Utukok Uplands. In addition, the world’s largest lead and second largest zinc deposit in the world, the Red Dog Mine, lies only 40 miles southwest of the National Petroleum Reserve. Mineral surveys have indicated that the mountains bordering the Utukok Uplands may hold even higher levels of zinc and lead than are present at Red Dog. While the Reserve is currently withdrawn from all mineral leasing, recent attempts by the owners of Red Dog to develop a seaport are likely to increase Congressional pressure to allow mineral leasing within the boundaries of the Reserve.

The 4.3 million acres Utukok Uplands Special Area was one of three Special Areas within the Reserve that were identified in 1977 by the Interior Department to contain significant natural values deserving of maximum protection. The Utukok Uplands were given this distinction in consideration of the wildlife values of the Western Arctic caribou herd.