Prince William Sound

© Jeff Schultz/AlaskaStock.com

Alaska has more shoreline than the entire lower 48 and some of the most spectacular is in the Prince William Sound in Southcentral Alaska. At Alaska Stock Images, you will find a wide variety of Alaska photos including Prince William Sound Photos. To find more pictures of Alaska or photos of Prince William Sound, visit our search page.

Prince William Sound is a uniquely beautiful area of Alaska's coastline. Surrounded by glacially-carved fjords on the north Gulf of Alaska, Prince William Sound covers roughly 3,000 miles of shoreline and supports large numbers of sea birds, marine mammals and some of the world's richest herring and salmon fisheries. Five major salmon hatcheries operate in the Sound. Other important resources include dungeness crab, shrimp, halibut and other groundfish. The Sound is home water to one of the world's densest populations of sea otters and killer whales. Seals, sea lions are also residents and, when combined with the otters and orcas, represent one of the most profuse population worldwide of marine mammals.

Historically, the sound was also a meeting place of diverse cultures, including the resident Chugach Eskimos and Eyak Indians, and Asian and European explorers and pioneers. Its location, where north temperate and sub-arctic conditions overlap, results in a wealth of natural resources, safe harbors, and natural beauty.

Prince William Sound is the northern boundary of the world's farthest north temperate rainforest. This coastal forest strip, primarily comprised of slow growth Sitka spruce, mountain hemlock and western hemlock, is critical habitat to Sitka black-tailed deer, mountain goats and is home to a wide variety of other animals. Two hundred and forty species of birds - notably about 3,000 bald eagles and a dozen major seabird colonies - are found in the Sound and the adjacent Copper River Delta region. During May, Cordova hosts the annual Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival. As many as 5 million shorebirds rest and feed here during spring migration.

Cordova, a community of 3,000 year-round residents on the eastern shore of Orca Inlet, is one of the major communities located on the Sound and yet it has no access by road. A bridge was built in 1908 and cost 1.5 million dollars. It served the purpose of transporting copper ore from the Kennecott Copper Mine across the Copper River and all the way to Cordova using railroad cars. It was used for thirty years until the Kennecott Copper Mine closed. In 1958 it was changed from a railway bridge to a vehicle bridge, but it received major damaged in the 1964 earthquake and today is impassable by vehicles. Known as the "Million Dollar Bridge" it is a major tourist attraction in the area. Cordova does, however, offer good access to both Prince William Sound and the adjacent Copper River Delta, the largest contiguous wetlands in the Western United States. Once a railroad gateway to Alaska's interior, Cordova today is a hub of commercial fishing activity with a growing tourism industry. Its facilities include a modern airport with daily service to Anchorage and Seattle, a new hospital and regular ferry service to Valdez, Whittier and Seward.

The largest community on the Sound is Valdez. The nearby Keystone Canyon, Thompson Pass, Worthington Glacier, and Lowe River, have served to keep Valdez as a major tourist destination since the mid 1900's. Valdez is also the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. However, the oil industry in the Sound has had a mixed history. Although Alaska's largest income source is through the oil industry, the Prince William Sound has paid a high price. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground and lost over 11 million gallons of crude into the Sound near Bligh Reef., the grounding of the Exxon Valdez prompted both the state and federal governments to significantly alter the laws, regulations and strategies relating to oil pollution. Ten years after the oil spill, a study concluded that although it is clear that many fish and wildlife species injured by the spill have not fully recovered, commitment has been made "to maintain cooperation at all levels so that the resources, people and communities impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill are restored and that future spills are prevented." (Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Final Report)

Alaska Stock Brag Board

We are excited to share some of the recent places where Alaska Stock images have been seen.


Celebrity Cruises | Photo by Kevin Smith/Alaska Stock


Coast Magazine | Photo by Jo Overholt/AlaskaStock.com


The Milepost | Photo by Patrick Endres/AlaskaStock.com


Jeep | Photo by Kevin Smith/Alaska Stock

Dall Sheep in Alaska

© Michael Jones / Alaska Stock

Alaska is home to some of the most prized big game wildlife - Grizzly, Caribou, Moose are among the most well known. However, the Dall Sheep is probably one of the most predictably visible animals. At Alaska Stock Images, you will find a wide variety of Alaska photos including Dall Sheep photos. To find more pictures of Alaska or photos of Dall Sheep, visit our search page.

Dall Sheep are found throughout a large portion of Alaska's mountain ranges. Perhaps the most obvious area is along the Turnagain Arm near Anchorage. With green meadows for resting, and ridges and rocky bluffs for "protection," a group of Dall Sheep spend their summer season near the Seward Highway. Tourists and locals alike often enjoy watching (viewing tips) the sheep as they assuredly make their way around the bluffs.

Both the male "rams" and female "ewes" have curling horns. However, at about the age of three, the male's horns begin to take on more of the classic curl and build mass and length while the female horns remain relatively small. The sheep's horns grow significantly in the summer and then cease during the winter months. This start and stop trait causes "annuli" which is the ridges or rings that appear on a sheep's horn. Somewhat like a tree, you count the annuli and determine the age of a sheep. At a glance you can approximate a ram's age by observing the progress of the horn's "curl." At about three years, they have a half a circle, by five they generally have three-quarters of a circle, and by eight years, they have a full circle or a full "curl." Dall sheep have been known to live to 16 years of age, but more typically, 12 years is considered old. Females have a slightly longer lifespan.

Ewes give birth to lambs in May or early June. The ewes then seek the protection of the rockiest cliffs and bluffs for protection against predators. Ewes only produce a single lamb but do so annually. The days following birth, the ewe will remain with the lamb on the cliffs until it is strong enough to travel. The ewe and lamb remain together until about October when the lambs are weaned. Rams form their own clique or "band" during most of the year and only are found with the ewes in November and December during mating season. Rams are famous for their horn clashing battles.

Seen through media as the ultimate in the contest of will, the rams compete for the "pecking order" within the band of males. Surprisingly, the battle can also occur between females. Although these battles can happen at any time throughout the year, they occur more frequently as the rut approaches- not because they compete for the females, but because the rams are on the move and will run into other bands of sheep and compete to establish the order of dominance.

As the Dall Sheep move from range to range and the season change, their diet fluctuates. During summer months and food s abundant, the sheep consume a wide variety of grass and plants. However, as summer fades and winter takes over, the sheep begin feeding on frozen grasses and sedge stems. Lichen and moss are also known consumed during the leanest months. Mineral licks are popular grounds for all sheep and rams, ewes, and different bands will all congregate in these areas to partake of the minerals found in the soil.

The population of Dall Sheep in Alaska is considered abundant and healthy. In fact, the Dall Sheep is one of the more successful animals in Alaska largely due to the habitat of living in the remote cliffs and bluffs of mountain ranges that are generally unsuitable for humans. However as population increases and more people do find their way into the back country alpine areas, conflict is sure arise. As with most wildlife, it will only be with careful education and stewardship that will allow the Dall Sheep to continue to thrive.

What Does The Fox Say?

The fox has a reputation as a smart and wiley creature. Its skills are so sharp that the fox has become a part of the English language with such phrases "sly as a fox," "outfoxed," and "crazy as a fox." However, it is believed that the fox is not necessarily so much smarter than other animals but its senses of sight, hearing, and smell are highly developed and contribute greatly to the fox's success.

The Red Fox is native to Alaska and found throughout much of the state with a few exceptions. Some islands in the Southeast and Alaska have foxes that were "introduced" during the early 1900's when fox farming was a popular means of income. During the 1920's, a fox pelt would sell for as high as $500. The fox prefers broken country, extensive lowland marshes, and crisscrossed hills and draws. The fox population is mostly south of the arctic tundra. The Red Fox will share territory with the Arctic Fox, but the Red Fox is dominant and can be territorial. In areas where the two overlap and conflict, Red Foxes have been observed digging Arctic Foxes from their dens and killing them.

The Red Fox is part of the dog family and measures between 22 and 32 inches (body length) with an additional 14-16 inch tail. Males are referred to as "dogs" and females as "vixens." Foxes breed in early spring, generally February or March. Their den is often a burrow that is left behind by small animals such as a marmot. When the fox moves in, it generally expands the size to approximate 15-22 feet and adds additional exits. The female fox lines its den with grass and after a gestation period of 53 days, gives birth to a litter of four to ten "kits" which are born blind. After about a month, the kits are old enough to leave the den and by three months they are learning to hunt. Both the male and female care for the kits for the length of the summer, but by autumn the parents and kits go their own separate way.

The fox is omnivorous which includes everything from plants and berries, to hares, squirrels, birds, eggs, and voles (their favorite). Fox will cache their excess food when hunting is good and return to the cache to either consume it or simply dig it up to make sure it is still where the fox left it.

In places where the fox is not often around humans, they show a cautious curiosity. However, where interaction is common, the fox shows little fear and can easily live in close proximity with humans. Foxes are quite vocal and have a large variety of howls, barks, and whines. The red fox has several natural enemies: man (principally as trappers), wolves, coyotes, lynx, wolverines, and perhaps bears. Eagles are the major predators of young foxes in some areas.

View more Red Fox photos at Alaska Stock.