A relatively small park with 51% of its land under a giant ice sheet, Kenai Fjords is characterized by its 545 miles of coastline. That's a land mass smaller than Rhode Island with a tidal coastline length equivalent to the distance covered by a flight from New York to Charlotte, North Carolina! This disproportionately long coastline is a feature of the numerous fjords, long narrow inlets carved by glaciers, within the park's boundaries. Fjords form natural barriers that result in bays, streams, and cliffs, fostering thriving ecosystems. The park's nearly 40 glaciers continue to steadily carve and lengthen this coastline as they flow and recede. That is why I have nominated to represent this Pacific coastal park, King and Queen of its rocky beaches, the Black Oystercatcher.
Black Oystercatcher sitting on a nest in Kenai Fjords National Park
Common along the length of the West Coast, the Black Oystercatcher has a special significance in Kenai Fjords, where they have been performing long-term studies of the park's population since 2007. They are considered a keystone species because, in the intertidal zone, they are near the top of the food chain and impact the populations and types of species found. In turn, the health of those populations is critical to the survival of the Oystercatcher, making their presence an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
No one in Kenai Fjords knows a stretch of shoreline better than the local Black Oystercatchers. These birds live (eat, breed, nest) entirely within the ever-expanding and contracting width of the coast. Imagine if your world were only measured side-to-side in meters but was nearly infinite in length. Twice a day, it doubles to reveal a buffet of food. One long, rocky corridor interrupted here and there by tidewater glaciers.
I've also selected the Black Oystercatcher for their great character and bravery, good traits for a good ambassador. They are frequently seen in nesting season squawking, dive-bombing, and running around to deter predators from their nests, which are a couple of cryptically-colored eggs invisibly sitting amongst the black rocks of Kenai Fjord's shores. While you will not see them eating oysters, which are not actually part of their diet, they do hunt in the intertidal zone for mussels, snails, worms, and many other creatures. With their brightly colored beaks and feet, these handsome birds are not hard to spot, and with their bold and slightly neurotic dispositions, they are even harder to miss.
For more information about the Black Oystercatchers in Kenai Fjords NP see this great blog post by Sam Stark https://home.nps.gov/kefj/blogs/black-oystercatchers-defenders-of-the-intertidal.htm
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