Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
May 2014

The Disappearance of the Rusty Blackbird

Rusty blackbirds are mysteriously disappearing from North America. These songbirds – cousins to meadowlarks and orioles – were described as “traveling in great noisy flocks” and “enormous numbers” just a few decades ago. Today their decline is now estimated at between 90 and 99 percent, the steepest decline of any songbird in North America. Biologists in Alaska and elsewhere are working to learn more about these birds, the reasons for the decline and possible ...   Rusty Blackbird Article Continued

Lake Turnover
How Sinking Water Rejuvenates Alaska Lakes

One of the most interesting properties of water is that it is less dense as a solid (ice) than it is as a liquid. This is the property that causes ice to float rather than sink. If water did not have this property, life, as we know it, would not be able to exist. If water acted like most other liquids, during winter, lakes would continuously form ice on the surface. The ice would sink to the bottom and more ice would form and sink until lakes were solid ice blocks. However, because ice floats, ...   Lake Turnover Article Continued

Videos on Bears and Bear Safety

Bears are coming out of hibernation across Alaska, and they’re looking for food. Alaskans live and recreate in bear country, and it’s important to know how to be safe around bears. That includes how to keep bears safe from people, especially keeping bears out of garbage and human-provided food sources. It’s also important to know what to do in the rare instance that a bear behaves in a threatening manner.

A new 60-second video that demonstrates the proper use of bear spray ...   Videos on bears Article Continued