Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
March 2018

Round Island: Wildlife Viewing At Its Best

Situated precariously on a steep rise above sea cliffs, I paused to take in the grandeur that lay before me. My hiking boots faced out toward the ocean, spread wide on the narrow trail, as a persistent wind swirled loose bits of my hair around in tiny whirlwinds. I wiped the water from my eyes to take in the panorama as a kind of visual keepsake. To the east, the slate blue ocean expanded to meet with a lighter hue of blue sky; and to the west, another couple of humble islands stood like friends ...   Round Island Article Continued

Snowshoe Hunting for Ptarmigan
More Calories Burned than Replenished

In the pre-dawn light of a cool, Alaskan winter morning I found myself huffing and puffing up what was proving to be a formidably steep slope in the Chugach Mountains. However, my dog Norm seemed to be doing just fine, bounding between wind-swept patches of crowberry while looking back at me seeming to say “what’s taking you so long old man?” Norm, is my family’s 4-year-old black lab that we got from a friend as an 8-week old bundle of cuteness more for waterfowl hunting ...   Hunting Ptarmigan Article Continued

Fisher are Carving out a New Niche Near Juneau
ADF&G Launches New Study on this Elusive Carnivor

Fisher are a new species in northern Southeast Alaska. And, they are here to stay.

That’s why biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game launched a new study that began Jan. 15, 2018, to learn roughly how many fisher are now calling the Juneau area home. That study has already proved successful.

The project is still in its early phase, but Caitlin Kupferman, a master’s student from the University of Idaho who is heading up the project, has already captured ...   New Study on Fisher Article Continued