Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
July 2011

Skunk Cabbage and Deer
New Trail Camera Gallery Feature

By Riley Woodford

Sitka black-tailed deer are big fans of Southeast Alaska's ubiquitous skunk cabbage, especially in early spring. A new series of pictures in the ADF&G trail camera gallery shows a patch of skunk cabbage throughout the entire summer and the deer that visit day and night.

Joseph Piston contributed the images, all taken from a single location on Rivellagigedo Island in southern Southeast Alaska between June 20, 2010 and Sept. 18, 2010, nicely bracketing the summer season. Young spike bucks ...   Skunk Cabbage & Deer ArticleContinued

New Sport Fish Hatcheries
Gearing up For Production

By Jeff Milton

Just over a year ago I submitted an article entitled “Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery Open for Business.” While the facility has been open for business it has not been the business of rearing fish. The staff has been busy improving water quality. Well water available at the facility contains high levels of dissolved iron and manganese. Removal of these elements is critical to providing safe water for rearing fish. ADF&G is working with CH2M Hill (the system designers) to improve removal efficiency. ...   New Hatcheries ArticleContinued

Southeast BioBlitz
Surveys 861 Species

By Riley Woodford

Most of the scientists preparing for the Southeast Alaska Bioblitz 2011 wore binoculars or hand lenses around their necks, indicating their preferences for making small things large or far things close. Kitty LaBounty had both, but still felt a little underequipped.

“I usually have two hand lenses, a 10-power and a 20-power,” she said. A botanist from Sitka, LaBounty helped survey plants, fungi and lichens. She was among more than two dozen visiting scientists that flew to Juneau from ...   Southeast BioBlitz ArticleContinued

Sheep ID booklet

By Elizabeth Manning

Attention sheep hunters and photographers! Do you have Dall sheep photos you are willing to share?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is asking sheep hunters and photographers to donate a variety of Dall sheep photos taken in Alaska for an upcoming publication about how best to determine a legal sheep.

The publication will be similar in format to ADF&G's Mountain Goat Identification Quiz, which is published as a booklet and also online at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=quiz.overview&quiz_id=3. ...   Sheep ID booklet ArticleContinued