Printed October, 2001

Contaminated military sites on Refuges of southwestern Alaska

Jordan H. Stout, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Environmental Contaminants Program, Anchorage Field Office, 605 West 4th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99501

Of the 16 NWRs in Alaska, seven of them occur in southwestern Alaska, including the Yukon Delta, Togiak, Alaska Penninsula, 

Becharof, Izembek, Alaska Maritime and Kodiak NWRs.

Yukon Delta NWR: Originally established in 1929 by President Herbert Hoover (E.O. 5095), the Nunivak Island NWR 

served as a "preserve and breeding ground for native birds and wildgame and fur-bearing animals" and was later combined with the 

Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range and the Hazen Bay NWR to become the Yukon Delta NWR under the Alaska National 

Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA; P.L.O. 96-487) in 1980. It is comprised of 13.4 million acres, encompasses 42 Yupik 

Eskimo villages and contains 5 military cleanup sites within or near its boundaries.

Togiak NWR: Originally established in 1909 (P.L.O. 4583), the Cape Newenham Refuge "to protect and preserve [its] 

outstanding wildlife resources". It was later expanded to become the Togiak NWR under ANILCA and is comprised of 4.7 million 

acres, includes 1,500 miles of anadromous rivers and streams and contains 2 military cleanup sites within or near its boundaries.

Alaska Penninsula/Becharof NWR Complex: Originally established in 1980 under ANILCA, the Alaska 

Penninsula/Becharof NWR Complex is comprised of 5.5 million acres, of which 477,000 acres support the largest concentrations of 

brown bear in Alaska. It also contains 9 military cleanup sites within or near its boundaries.

Izembek NWR: Originally established in 1960 (P.L.O. 2216) as the Izembek National Wildlife Range as a "breeding ground 

and management area for all wildlife", it was later expanded and renamed the Izembek NWR under ANILCA. It is comprised of 

315,00 acres, of which 300,000 are wilderness. It also contains 3 military cleanup sites within or near its boundaries.

Alaska Maritime NWR: Originally established in 1913, the Aleutian Islands Reservation was established by President William Taft (E.O. 1733), "as a preserve and breeding ground for native birds, for the propagation of 

reindeer and furbearing animals, and for the encouragement and development of fisheries." It later became part of the Alaska Maritime NWR under ANILCA. It is comprised of 4.5 million acres, of which 2.6 million are wilderness, 

and supports15-30 million birds from 55 species and 75% of Alaska's seabirds. It also contains 34 military cleanup sites within or near its boundaries. Both Amchitka and Adak islands (see examples) occur on this Refuge.

Kodiak NWR: Originally established in 1941 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (E.O. 8857) to protect the habitat of the brown bear and other wildlife, the Kodiak NWR was later expanded under ANILCA. It is now 

comprised of nearly 2 million acres and supports some of the world's highest brown bear population densities as well as up to two million seabirds. It also contains 7 known military cleanup sites within or near its boundaries.

Background: Adak (150,000 acres) was 

occupied by US armed forces followed the 

bombing of Dutch Harbor and the Japanese 

invasion of Kiska and Attu Islands. At its peak, 

the military population on Adak was nearly 90,000 

but was reduced to approximately 6,000 during the postwar years. In 1950, Adak was commissioned as a naval station 

and in 1994 was placed on the National Priorities (Superfund) List. The facility was operationally closed in 1997 under the 

Base Re-alignment and Closure (BRAC) Act of 1990 and will probably be transferred to a developing civilian community. 

However, contaminant cleanup will continue for several more years. 

Contaminant issues: Some of the cleanup issues on Adak include chemicals, ordnance and a new civilian 

community. Chemicals in groundwater and soil include petroleum products, toxic metals and solid and hazardous wastes. Also, PCBs and DDT-related 

compounds have been found in green-winged teal, bald eagles, sea otters and mussels from Adak though the source for these compounds is not clear. 193 

potential ordnance sites including practice ranges, defensive positions, minefields and storage & disposal areas were identified on Adak. Meanwhile, a new 

civilian community is trying to get established on the island, though the obvious concerns over chemical contamination and the unexploded ordnance have 

hindered the process.

Cleanup actions: Although much of the chemical contamination on Adak has been remediated, petroleum and ordnance contamination remain ongoing issues. The Navy is remediating the remaining 7 petroleum sites. In addition, they have spent much time and money ($36 million and counting) trying to 

understand the extent of ordnance contamination on Adak using historic records, personal 

interviews, aerial photographs and on-the-ground geophysical surveys. Of 193 initial 

sites, at least 73 sites still require 

investigation or remediation. 

Ordnance items found to date 

include: napalm, mortars, artillery, 

grenades, practice mines and 

small munitions. The Navy 

continues to work closely with the 

State of Alaska, the EPA, the 

USFWS and Native groups to find 

the best methods for ordnance 

assessment and cleanup. 

Example: Adak Island

Alaska Maritime NWR

Background: Amchitka Island 

(75,000 acres) became a forward 

fighter and bomber base in 1943 for 

the purpose of retaking the Japanese-held islands of Attu and Kiska. The facilities included living quarters, roads, runways and infrastructure to 

support the dozens of fighterplanes, bombers and 15,000 troops stationed there. Cold War Era activities on Amchitka included a White Alice 

Communications Site (1959-91) and underground nuclear testing including the Longshot (1965), Milrow (1969) and Cannikin Projects (1971). At 

nearly five megatons, the Cannikin blast was the largest underground nuclear test ever performed by the United States. In addition, a Relocatable 

Over The Horizon Radar (ROTHR) surveillance facility was operated on Amchitka from 1987 to 1993. The island has remained deserted since 

1993 and no development (military or otherwise) is anticipated.

Contaminant issues: There are nearly 75 contaminated sites on Amchitka and three responsible parties (Corps, Navy and DOE) conducting 

assessment and cleanup work. Some of the cleanup issues include chemicals, ordnance, contaminated drilling muds and radionuclides. Chemicals in 

groundwater and soil include petroleum products as well as solid and hazardous wastes. Sewage sludges in the sewage lagoon contain polychlorinated 

biphenyls (PCBs) at levels up to 463 ppm. Also, DDT-related compounds have been found in peregrine falcons, bald eagles and sea otters from 

Amchitka though the source for these compounds is not clear. Thirty-nine potential ordnance sites including practice ranges, defensive positions and storage and disposal areas have 

also been found on Amchitka. The underground nuclear testing program on Amchitka produced well over 100,000 cubic yards (cy) of drilling muds contaminated with chromium, diesel 

fuel and PCBs. About 40,000 cy of these drilling muds were contained within open reserve pits, many of which attracted waterfowl and had been known to fail, spilling contaminated 

drilling muds into adjacent wetlands and stream reaches. The nuclear testing program also produced radionuclides, some of which (tritium) were released during the Longshot blast and 

some of which may be released to the biosphere in the coming millennia. The timing, location and extent of future releases of other, more persistent radionuclides are currently 

unknown.

Cleanup actions: Up to 200 people were on the island from April to September, 2001 performing cleanup activities at a cost of >$20 million. The Navy demolished 60 

abandoned structures and facilities; removed 47 fuel storage tanks; treated 2,500 cy of petroleum-contaminated soils; and remediated the sewage lagoon by shipping 2,000 cy of 

PCB-contaminated sludges off-island for incineration. The Corps used historic records, computer-aided aerial photographic interpretation techniques and on-the-ground geophysical 

surveys to understand the nature and extent of the ordnance contamination on Amchitka. To date, ordnance items found include: napalm; 60 and 81 mm mortars; grenades; antipersonnel mines; 4, 20, 100, 250 and 500 pound bombs or casings; incendiary bomblets; 20, 37, 90 and 155 mm projectiles; and various smaller items. The DOE closed 12 drilling 

mud pits, an underground storage 

tank and is currently 

developing a 

groundwater model 

and long-term marine 

monitoring program 

for Amchitka to 

address potential 

radionuclide-related 

contamination issues.

Example: Amchitka Island

Alaska Maritime NWR

Threatened & Endangered 

species

 - Steller's eider

 - Spectacled eider

 - Short-tailed Albatross

Cultural resources

 - Archeological sites

 - WWII sites

 - Cold War Era sites

Refuge lands

 - Soils

 - Sediments

 - Ground & surface waters

Mammals

 - Sea otters (a candidate

 species)

 - Pacific walrus

 - Bear

 - Moose

 - Caribou

Birds

 - Migratory birds

 - Seabirds

 - Bald eagles

Fish

 - Five salmon species

 - Other freshwater and anadromous species

Some Trust Resources at Risk

Refuges of Southwestern Alaska

Alaska is not the pristine place that many 

people think it is. Although it is a young state 

(1959), it has had a surprisingly long history of 

activities resulting in contamination of its 

remotest areas. Military, mining, logging, fish 

processing, and oil/gas exploration and 

development represent the bulk of activities 

that have left debris and contamination of 

varying sorts. Of these, military activities 

represent one of the longest-term and 

geographically widespread contaminantsrelated issues in the state.

Military activities in Alaska started in earnest 

during WWII. The bombing of Dutch Harbor 

(June 1942) and the Japanese occupation of 

American soil at Attu and Kiska Islands (May 

1943) sparked a massive buildup of military 

personnel, equipment and infrastructure 

throughout the state. As a result, remote areas 

like the Aleutian Islands, which had once supported only small native Aleut villages, were 

overrun with nearly 150,000 American troops. The military remained active in Alaska during 

the Cold War and continues to maintain a significant presence even today.

Seventy-seven million acres of land in Alaska are managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service 

(USFWS) as National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs). When contaminated sites occur on NWR 

lands, assessments and cleanups are performed by the responsible party (RP). To do this 

properly, the RPs must coordinate with the USFWS to ensure that the resultant site conditions 

will be compatible with Refuge purposes, requirements and priorities and that land/resource 

management goals are met. As a land management agency responsible for such a large 

expanse of publicly-owned land in Alaska, the USFWS oversees a wide range of the RPs and 

types of active and abandoned contaminated sites. 

Although today’s military activities are concentrated near Anchorage and Fairbanks, dozens of 

active facilities are located in remote areas within or adjacent to NWR lands. In addition, there 

are abandoned WWII era sites across the state and a handful of sites slated for transfer to the 

Refuge system. Of the nearly 600 WWII sites, about 210 are planned for contaminant 

cleanups and nearly a third of those occur on NWR lands (see map). Many of these 

contaminated military sites pose significant challenges to USFWS staff when managing the 

resources with which they are entrusted. The examples presented here, Amchitka Island and 

Adak Island, are just two of them.

Introduction

Amchitka and Adak islands are just 

two examples of the many 

contaminated military sites that 

occur on Alaska NWRs. There are 

many more contaminated sites 

(military and otherwise) on or near 

Refuge lands and the list seems to 

grow every year. For instance, the 

Army Corps is continually finding 

and evaluating old military sites all over Alaska. Furthermore, the US Coast Guard and the FAA plan to 

excess many properties to the USFWS in the near future. Comprehensive inventories of contaminated 

sites affecting each of Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuges are now being assembled. Once completed, a 

systematic approach can be used to deal with these sites in a prioritized fashion .

Although the task to deal with contaminants on these and future sites seems daunting, many 

partnerships between responsible parties, regulatory agencies, Native organizations and other USFWS 

divisions have developed along the way and have worked well. The USFWS has learned to require site 

cleanups before accepting transferred properties. This proactive approach still requires significant 

oversight by USFWS personnel prior to transfer; however, the resources with which they are entrusted 

benefit greatly.

Alaska is an astoundingly beautiful place and seems untouched in many ways. However, in reality, 

Alaska is not the unspoiled wilderness that most people envision. Helping to return contaminated sites 

on Refuges to a more natural and healthy state is a major goal of the USFWS. With diligence and 

dedication, this goal is attainable.

Conclusion

World War II MK2 fragmentation grenade in 

Amchitka’s intertidal zone. USFWS photo by Jordan 

Stout.

Cow carcass at an abandoned US Coast Guard Loran Station on Sitkinak Island, near Kodiak NWR. USFWS photo by Jordan Stout.

Housing development at the Naval Air Station, Adak. USFWS photo by 

Sonce deVries.

Palisades landfill amongst the coastal bluffs of Adak Island. USFWS 

photo by Sonce deVries.

Unexploded ordnance (.50 caliber projectiles) found on Adak Island. Drum dump on Adak Island. USFWS photo by Sonce deVries.

USFWS photo by Sonce deVries.

Five megaton Spartan nuclear warhead poised for lowering into the Cannikin shot 

cavity more than one mile below the surface ground zero, Amchitka. Department of 

Energy photo.

Rusted fuel drums near World War II encampment at Bird Cape, Amchitka Island. USFWS photo by Jordan Stout.

Excavation of napalm canisters from a disposal area. USFWS photo by Doris 

Alcorn.

Drilling mud disposal pits contaminated with diesel, metals and PCBs, Amchitka. USFWS photo by Jordan Stout.

Unexploded ordnance found at sample 

point near World War II encampment at 

Bird Cape, Amchitka. Items include 

fuzed 81 mm, 37 mm and .50 caliber 

projectiles. USFWS photo by Jordan 

Stout.

PCB-contaminated stream on Adak. USFWS photo by Sonce deVries.

Abandoned US Coast Guard LORAN station on Sitkinak Island, near Kodiak NWR. USFWS photo by Jordan Stout.

Danger sign posted at the Palisades Landfill on 

Adak Island, Alaska Maritime NWR. USFWS photo 

by John Martin.

Prehistoric dig site on Buldir Island, Alaska Maritime 

NWR. USFWS photo by Carol Fritz.

Male and female spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the wing, Yukon Delta NWR. USGS photo by Paul Flint.

World War II era sign post on Amchitka Island, Alaska Maritime NWR. 

USFWS photo by Jordan Stout.

Unexploded ordnance (37 mm projectile cartridge 

casings) found on Adak Island. USFWS photo by Sonce 

deVries.

Heavy equipment mixing contaminated drilling muds near the Longshot surface ground zero 

site, Amchitka. USFWS photo by Jordan Stout.

Alaskan bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Cordova, AK. 

USFWS photo by Tim Bowman.

Alaskan sea otter (Enhydra lutris). USFWS photo.

Military cleanup sites currently planned in southwestern Alaska. Site information supplied by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District.