2 MISC. PUBLICATION 19 5, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



which function under the Department of Agriculture. The Com- 

 mission is the agency established in Alaska by the Federal Govern- 

 ment for the administration of the game and fur laws enacted by 

 Congress and of regulations thereunder promulgated by the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture. The Forest Service has full responsibility for 

 the administration of the resources of the national-forest lands, 

 except the game and fur thereon, but cooperates with the Commis- 

 sion in the protection of those game and fur resources. The 

 Territorial Government is not authorized to deal with game and 

 fur matters. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND 



Admiralty Island (fig. 1) is located in the northerly half of south- 

 eastern Alaska, that section of the Territory consisting of a narrow 

 strip of mainland and a paralleling group of hundreds of islands 

 that extend for 400 miles southerly from the main body of Alaska 

 along the west side of British Columbia. The area of this section is 

 about 35,500 square miles. Admiralty Island lies southwest of 

 Juneau, the capital of the Territory, and the nearest point is within 

 12 miles of the capital. Its length is 100 miles, average width 20 

 miles, and the area is 1,664 square miles, or about 1,065,000 acres — 

 21 percent greater than the total land surface of Long Island, in 

 New York State. The narrow and almost detached Glass Peninsula 

 parallels the east side of the main body of the island for 43 miles, 

 and is separated from it by Seymour Canal, a natural waterway. 

 The shore line, with the exception of a 38-mile section on the west 

 coast, is deeply indented with numerous bays that provide good an- 

 chorage for vessels of all classes. Motor launches and motor cruisers 

 from Juneau are usually employed in reaching the island, and the 

 longest run to any point is 118 miles. Airplanes, equipped to land 

 on water, now' leave Juneau frequently for the coastal harbors and 

 inland lakes. 



The main steamer route through southeastern Alaska parallels 

 the east side of the island for 45 miles and the north end for the 

 same distance. The steamer channel lies for the most part 2 miles 

 or more offshore. 



Admiralty is the third largest island in southeastern Alaska, being 

 exceeded in size by Prince of Wales and Chichagof Islands only. It 

 is one of three large islands in this section of the Territory on which 

 Alaska brown bears are found, the others being Chichagof and 

 Baranof. 



TOPOGRAPHY 



The topography of Admiralty Island is extremely rough. The 

 axis of a mountain range extends from south to north through the 

 middle of the island, and for most of its length steep rugged slopes 

 rise from the shore line to elevations between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. 

 Many ridges and peaks reach heights between 3,500 and 4,500 feet. 

 The Glass Peninsula is a steep ridge parallel to the main range. 



About midway of the length of the island a break occurs in the 

 mountain range, and a strip of rolling land with an average elevation 

 of about 250 feet extends from the east to the west coast. Well inland 

 on this strip are a group of four large lakes and a number of smaller 

 ones. The western part of this rolling strip forms extensive lowlands 



