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While most of Canada lay under
vast glaciers some 30 000 years ago, the Vuntut
area, because of its arid climate, remained
ice free, a refuge for Pleistocene species,
such as the American mastodon, the woolly mammoth,
the monstrous ground sloth and the giant horse,
all now extinct. Also present were the largest
predators: the giant short-faced bear, the American
lion and the scimitar cat. Discoveries of more
than 20 000 fossils, cultural artifacts, and
even ämummifiedÐ carcasses of ice age animals
in over 56 sites in the permafrost and along
the eroding banks of the Old Crow and Porcupine
rivers, within the boundaries of the park, are
helping to piece together the story of a time
when the flats were part of the Beringia Region.
Across the vast landscape of grassy steppe tundra,
North America’s earliest inhabitants pursued
the giant western camel, long-haired bison and
giant beaver as well as many species that continue
to find their home in the park today - the barren
ground caribou, moose, muskrat, fox, wolf and
wolverine.
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The Dezadeash / Sakwak valley
and the Alsek Pass owe their U-shape to vast
glaciers that flowed outward from the Kluane
Icefield during the recurrent ice ages of the
last 3 million years. Valley-bound in the Alsek
River gorge, the massive Lowell Glacier, 65
kilometres in length has, over centuries, moved
up and down the river basin causing flood conditions
that have had far-reaching effects on vegetation,
animal populations, terrain and lifestyle of
the native people. In the past, surges of the
Lowell have actually dammed the Alsek River
to create lakes. In 1850, Recent Alsek Lake
drained in two days when the ice dam broke,
sending 40 cubic kilometres of water in a raging
torrent to the sea. Should Lowell surge again,
it could pose a potential flood risk to the
Alaska Highway.
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