Saint Lazaria Island

Saint Lazaria Island, known as Kanasx'ée in Tlingit, is a small volcanic remnant in Sitka Sound west of Sitka, Alaska, and south of Kruzof Island. Part of the Gulf of Alaska unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and protected as the Saint Lazaria Wilderness, it is marked by low broken ground, steep sea cliffs, and wave-cut caves. Its greatest importance is as a major seabird colony, with about 250,000 breeding pairs of storm-petrels, thousands of murres, and many puffins and auklets. Protected first in 1909 and later given wilderness status and refuge inclusion, it is largely closed to foot traffic because of fragile nesting burrows.

Sitka, Alaska · United States