| Alaskans take pride in their state's natural | | | | would be deer, mountain goats, black bears and |
| resources. Three of them-- gold, fish and fur-- are | | | | moose, all commonly found in southeastern |
| well known. These three resources have been | | | | Alaska. Go up further north and grizzly bears |
| worth many times the sum that the United | | | | start to appear. As you go into the interior lands, |
| States paid Russia for this piece of land. However, | | | | caribou begin to replace deer in numbers. It is not |
| for the future, Alaska is beginning to look to other | | | | uncommon to see caribou travel in herds of |
| resources, especially oil and petroleum.Alaska is | | | | thousands. Polar bears are found in the far north |
| rich in vegetation resources. There are two kinds | | | | and spend most of their time out on the ice |
| of forests in the state: the interior forest and the | | | | packs hunting food. Exotic animals that have been |
| coastal forest. The interior forests are found | | | | introduced to Alaska include the reindeer found in |
| around the river valleys of the interior area and | | | | the Arctic areas, elk on some islands, musk oxen |
| as far north as the central and eastern parts of | | | | and bison. To conserve animal life on the |
| the Brooks Range. Most of the timber harvested | | | | peninsula, these animals are protected in wildlife |
| is mainly willow and aspen but much of the forest | | | | ranges under the federal government. Wolves and |
| growth is stunted because of the short growing | | | | foxes are also found in many parts of the state. |
| season and permafrost. The coastal forests on | | | | Animals hunted for fur include the mink and |
| the other hand, begin in the Panhandle and spread | | | | beaver. A number of bird species also make |
| throughout the coast of the Gulf of Alaska well | | | | Alaska their summer home or remain all year. |
| into Kodiak Island. These forests are usually dense | | | | Some of these include ducks, geese and grouse. |
| and made up of hemlock, cedar and spruce trees. | | | | The common game fishes are Grayling and |
| Tundra vegetation is also common to much of | | | | rainbow trout. Commercial fish harvests depend |
| Alaska. Most of it is made up of lichens, grasses, | | | | mainly on cod, halibut and salmon. In fact, the king |
| various mosses, cranberry vines and crowberries. | | | | salmon is the state fish. Shellfish is also plentiful |
| When these plants die, they decay at a very slow | | | | and a large industry is built on harvesting shrimp, |
| rate mainly because of the dampness and low | | | | crabs and clams.Deposits of gold and silver are |
| temperature of the area. Year after year, old | | | | known to exist in almost every region of Alaska. |
| plants pile up and new plants struggle to grow | | | | So much has been said about the gold that people |
| through them. The tundra vegetation in other | | | | are sometimes surprised to learn that Alaska has |
| parts of Alaska may also include dwarf species of | | | | also other mineral riches, like natural gas and |
| trees and a number of bushes. The only | | | | petroleum. Geologists are still surveying the area |
| extensive lands for grazing are found on the | | | | for other petroleum sites. The Panhandle is known |
| Aleutian Islands. If you're looking for true arctic | | | | to contain important minerals such as nickel, zinc |
| tundra with absolutely no trees or shrubs, then | | | | and lead. Mineral deposits of the Gulf of Alaska |
| you can check out the Arctic slope and Seward | | | | include mercury, platinum and copper. Alaska, with |
| Peninsula.There is also a wide variety of animal life | | | | its many bodies of water, also generates power |
| in an area the size of Alaska. The usual animals | | | | through the production of hydroelectricity. |