Many herds winter in the boreal forest, but during the remainder of the year caribou prefer treeless tundra and mountains where they can get relief from biting insects. Population numbers of caribou are somewhat cyclical, but the timing of declines and increases, and the size to which herds grow, is not very predictable.
On average, people harvest about 22, caribou in Alaska each year. Alone among the deer family, caribou of both sexes grow antlers. Antlers of adult bulls are large and massive; those of adult cows are much smaller and more spindly. In late fall, caribou are clove brown-colored with a white neck, rump, and feet, and they often have a whitish flank stripe. The Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project , if brought to reality, would allow deposits of copper and other minerals to be commercialized.
Without a road, the minerals deposits are considered stranded from markets. The BLM in August issued a draft environmental impact statement on the mining road project. A final environmental impact statement and a decision on the road plan are expected in , possibly early in the year. The main company involved in Ambler district exploration — and the main potential beneficiary of the Ambler road — is Canada-based Trilogy Metals Inc.
Over the years, working group members have expressed opposition to the Ambler road, and some are also worried about the effects of mining itself. Arctic Business Journal Subscribe Donate. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.
Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. They switch to lichens reindeer moss , dried sedges grasslike plants , and small shrubs like blueberry in September.
In Alaska, caribou prefer treeless tundra and mountains during all seasons, but many herds winter in the boreal forest taiga. Calving areas are usually located in mountains or on open, coastal tundra. Caribou tend to calve in the same general areas year after year, but migration routes used for many years may suddenly be abandoned in favor of movements to new areas with more food.
Changing movements can create problems for the Native people in Alaska and Canada who depend upon caribou for food. Caribou movements are probably triggered by changing weather conditions, such as the onset of cold weather or snowstorms. Once they decide to migrate, caribou can travel up to 50 miles a day. Caribou apparently have a built in compass, like migratory birds, and can travel through areas that are unfamiliar to them to reach their calving grounds.
Alaskan hunters shoot about 22, caribou each year for food. A few thousand other hunters, primarily from the lower 48 states, Europe, and Mexico, travel to Alaska to experience caribou hunting each fall. These hunters contribute significantly to the economy of the state, particularly in rural areas.
Meat from caribou taken by these nonresident hunters is also required to be used for food. Caribou are somewhat cyclic in number, but the timing of declines and increases, and the size to which herds grow is not very predictable. Although overhunting caused some herds to remain low in the past, today, varying weather patterns climate , overpopulation, predation by wolves and grizzly bears, and disease outbreaks determine whether most herds increase or decrease.
In the s people were concerned about the effect of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, expanding oil development, and increased disturbance from use of aircraft and snowmobiles on caribou.
Although there was some displacement of caribou calving in the Prudhoe Bay oilfield, in general, caribou have not been adversely affected by human activities in Alaska. Pipelines and most other developments are built to allow for caribou movements, and caribou have shown us that they can adapt to the presence of people and machines.
As human activities expand in Alaska, the great challenge for caribou management is for man to consider the needs of our caribou herds and ensure that they remain a visible, healthy part of our landscape. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. The effects of climate change on caribou are proving especially difficult to tease out. Some smaller herds have been less fortunate in recent years.
The Central Arctic herd, which reached a peak of about 77, individuals in , had shrunk to just 22, by , the Associated Press reported. Perhaps unsurprisingly, scientists have been at a loss to explain why.
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