Alpine Lakes Wilderness - Ecology

Ecology

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is considered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be in the North Cascades ecoregion, dominated by forests, subalpine, and alpine ecozones. Indicator tree species of individual zones include the Western Hemlock, Silver Fir, Subalpine Mountain Hemlock, Subalpine Fir, and Grand Fir/Douglas Fir.

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness offers an abundance of diversity in both plant and animal species. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness and its old growth forests offer critical habitat for many species on the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife’s “Species of Concern” list which includes the Western spotted frog (Rana pretiosa), Common Loon (Gavia immer), Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis), Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), Merlin (Falco columbarius), Flammulated owl (Otus flammeolus), Spotted owl (Strix occidentalis), Vaux’s swift (Chaetura vauxi), PIleated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), Lewis’ woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis), White-headed woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus), Black-backed Three-toed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), Horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), Sage thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus), Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), Vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), Sage sparrow (Amphispiza belli), Townsend’s Big-eared bat (Plecotus townsendi), Fisher (Martes pennanti), Wolverine (Gulo gulo) and the Lynx (Lynx canadensis).

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness offers many ecological benefits. The wilderness offers exceptional water quality and holds portions, or all of, the headwaters for the Skykomish, Snoqualmie, Wenatchee, and Yakima Rivers. The Skykomish and Snoqualmie Rivers flow to the west into the Snohomish River and the Wenatchee and Yakima Rivers flow eastward into the Columbia River. In addition to over 700 lakes this area offers over 300 miles (480 km) of Forest Service class one and two streams. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness plays a significant role in both domestic water use and irrigation in its surrounding region. This is critical with the increasing challenge to provide an adequate supply of clean water with the growing population and increase in agricultural demands. Expansion of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness into the Pratt River area would allow for further protection of the lower elevation forests of this region and the lower water shed. In addition, those forests serve to reduce flooding.