![\"Tucked](\"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/cub.jpg\")
<\/a>Tucked into the Super Cub<\/p><\/div>\n
Our stratifications took us up and down the Wild River, the North Fork of the Koyukuk River, the Alatna River and the Kobuk river; over the Alatna Hills near Bettles; and most spectacularly, in and out of the breathtaking Arrigetch Peaks.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Arrigetch being beautiful<\/p><\/div>\n
From the air we kept our eyes peeled for moose tracks and moose themselves.\u00a0 These number of these signs spotted in each sample unit allowed us to assign it a \u2018high\u2019 or \u2018low\u2019 designation.<\/p>\n
Of course, we saw many other animal tracks as well\u2014each with its own character as seen from the sky.\u00a0 These animal tracks dissect the plains of snow into geometric shapes.\u00a0 The trails created tell the stories of each critter\u2019s life like lines from an autobiography.\u00a0 Moose plunge through the snow dragging their feet and creating two distinct lines as seen from an airplane.\u00a0 Caribou pick through the snow more delicately than moose\u2014their tracks appear as single lines with frequent craters where the ungulates have stopped to paw the ground in search of tasty lichen morsels. Ptarmagin trace chaotic scribbles through space as they dash from bush to bush.\u00a0 Wolverines shuffle low to the ground, dragging their bellies and creating small valleys in which their paw prints fall.\u00a0 Wolves leave alarmingly large circular tracks as they prowl in search of a meal.<\/p>\n
On one of the most exciting passes of the trip we experienced first-hand the efficacy of wolf hunting methods.\u00a0 As we flew over a river corridor several lines of wolf tracks converged on a single point.\u00a0 At that point lie a moose carcass, an awful lot of blood, and the hunters themselves enjoying a filling meal.\u00a0 We circled a few times to observe the spectacle and the wolves, hearing the drone of our engine, attempted to flee the scene, encumbered by distended stomachs dragging in fresh snow.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Wolf kill of moose on the frozen river<\/p><\/div>\n
All in all, the weather was gorgeous and the surveys were completed in no time at all.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Bonus Aurora! (Bettles)<\/p><\/div>\n
The information we gathered will be used by NPS to make important management decisions.\u00a0 One of the main aspects of this management is subsistence hunting.\u00a0 Native Alaskans of three main cultures (Koyukon Athapaskan Indians, Kuuvanmiit Eskimos, and Nunamiut Eskimos) have inhabited Gates of the Arctic for nearly 13,000 years, subsisting on caribou, moose and other game animals.<\/p>\n
Across the years other non-native rural Alaskans have established homesteads in the park and also depend on caribou and moose for food.\u00a0 In Alaska, these types of situation are unique in that there are often no other food options for people living this far out in the wilderness\u2014the nearest grocery store is many, many miles away.\u00a0 With this in mind the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) was passed in 1980 to preserve wilderness, protect subsistence hunting, and honor the intimate man-land relationship formed by years of peaceful coexistence. It set aside many acres of national parks and preserves for these purposes. Now, NPS biologists collect data in the hopes of making informed wildlife management decisions that balance these subsistence uses with myriad other considerations.<\/p>\n
The other field outing I have participated in recently was snow surveys along the Dalton Highway.\u00a0 <\/b>The Dalton runs straight north, linking Fairbanks to Deadhorse, a small town (with a lot of oil) perched right on the Arctic Ocean.\u00a0 Snow surveys entailed us snow shoeing to our sites, measuring depth of snow, taking snow cores with a metal tube, measuring height of settled snow cores, weighing snow cores, and using formulas to determine water content of snow.\u00a0 Our hydrologists keep track of this snow data which allows them to predict how much snow melt will feed nearby rivers.\u00a0 We measured snow in the Yukon River and Koyukuk River drainages.<\/p>\n Measuring snow depth<\/p><\/div>\n Trips up the Dalton are never a dull moment\u2014in addition to the scheduled field work we investigated two oil tanker turn-over sights (yikes!), one Bettles \u201cice\u201d road in poor shape, a frozen debris lobe (slow moving landslides that occur in permafrost and carry rocks, sediment, trees and ice downslope) threatening to wipe out a section of the highway, and masses of truckers stuck in Coldfoot due to road closure further north.<\/p>\n Tanker roll-over scar<\/p><\/div>\n Through Atigun Pass, Dalton Highway<\/p><\/div>\n Sukakpak Mountain, Dalton Highway<\/p><\/div>\n Fox visitor, Dalton Highway<\/p><\/div>\n Back in the office, I have been continuing to work on our little brown bat monitoring project and I am creating a first draft of an invasive species management strategic plan for our field office.<\/p>\n Happy spring everyone!<\/p>\n Katie<\/p>\n Fairbanks, AK<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greetings from Fairbanks, AK!\u00a0 The weather has turned on a dime and most of our snow blanket has melted away.\u00a0 The willows are starting to bud and newly bare lawns reveal surprises for homeowners\u2014many household items lost long ago under … Continue reading <\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>