Mary Timm, a talented environmental educator from Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge in Tok, received the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service?s fifth annual national ?Sense of Wonder? award on November 13, 2003 in Sparks, Nevada at the National Association for Interpretation conference. Since 1992, Mary Timm has worked at Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, in Tok, Alaska, as the Environmental Education Coordinator. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which ...

Twenty-three privately-owned, free-range cattle that were safely transported by private barge from Chirikof Island to Kodiak Island, are currently in holding pens, located on private land at Middle Bay, Kodiak Island, under the care of their owners and a local vet. The privately-owned cattle are being removed from Chirikof Island, part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, to facilitate recovery of the islandïs biological diversity and ecosystem health. On November 24, 2003 the ...

David B. Allen, Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceĦs Pacific Region, has received a Meritorious Service Award for outstanding contributions and leadership. Under Regional Director AllenĦs leadership, the Service acquired more than 350,000 acres of in-holdings in AlaskaĦs national wildlife refuges. Regional Director Allen is a 32-year veteran of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service publication reports that 46 million birdwatchers across America spent $32 billion in 2001 pursuing one of the NationĦs most popular outdoor activities. The report, Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis, is based on data collected during the 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. General information about birding events in Alaska can be found on the American Bird CenterĦs "Bird Watching ...

Free Refuge permits will be required for recreational activities on Koniag Easement Lands within one-half mile of Karluk River and Karluk Lake in 2004. Depending on when and where you plan to visit, you must obtain either a Limited Entry Permit or a Registration Permit. For information on guided access to Koniag Easement Lands during both the Limited Entry and Registration Permit time periods, contact Peter Olsen, Koniag, Inc. Land Manager, at (907) 486-2530.

Come celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art on Wednesday, October 15 from 7:00 - 9:30 pm. In addition to its natural history films, Odyssey has produced cultural history films for Oregon Public Broadcasting, Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Discovery Channel, and many others. The Service manages the more than 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 542 national wildlife refuges,...

The Juneau Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working in partnership with the Alaska Natural Heritage Program and a wide range of private individuals, state and federal agencies, and museums, has produced an electronic field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Alaska. Authored by S.O. MacDonald, the electronic volume is titled Amphibians and Reptiles of Alaska: A Field Handbook. In addition, the ServiceĦs Southeast Alaska Coastal Program is working with the Juneau ...

Thanks to a ground-breaking March 3, 2003 Memorandum of Understanding(MOU), biologists representing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., BP Exploration, the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences and the Wildlife Conservation Society are pooling their skills and resources to better understand the impacts of human activity on arctic coastal shorebirds and their predators. "This MOU represents the best sort of cooperation in conservation research," said Rowan ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council (AMBCC) announced today that new regulations to open the 2003 migratory bird subsistence hunt will be published in the Federal Register on July 21, 2003. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-...

"Power lines are among the biggest threats to eagles lured into settled areas," says U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Jill Birchell, who has been investigating eagle deaths in Alaska for the past 7 years. If you find an injured eagle (or any other bird), contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or city police. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, ...

Forging dozens of new partnerships with public and private organizations at every level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will spend $2.3 million this year to help reopen 837 miles of fish habitat and spawning grounds in 29 states. "This is a program with home runs all around," said Steve Williams, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceĦs Fish Passage program, go to http://fisheries.fws.gov/FWSMA/FishPassage/FPPDF/...

Under the new Private Stewardship Grant program the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced 113 grants totaling more than $9.4 million in grants to individuals and groups to undertake conservation projects on private lands in 43 states for endangered, threatened and other at-risk species. The Private Stewardship Grants Program provides federal grants on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands for the benefit of federally...

Students and teachers across Alaska have a new tool to use when studying the effects of wild fire on boreal forests and tundra. The first major revision of the "Role of Fire in Alaska" curriculum, originally made available to educators in 1992, can now be accessed online. Students will learn how fires interact with boreal forest and tundra wildlife and vegetation.

This yearĦs International Migratory Bird Day event offers many reasons to celebrate. First of all, it will be held in partnership with the Alaska Zoo, Bird Treatment and Learning Center, Audubon Alaska, Anchorage Audubon and KTUU-TV. Given that this yearĦs International Migratory Bird Day celebration takes place during the Centennial of the National Wildlife Refuge System, itĦs only appropriate that AlaskaĦs refuges share the stage.

The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is the largest wildlife festival in Alaska. The Kachemak Bay Wooden Boat Festival, held in conjunction with the Shorebird Festival, adds to the flair of this traditional spring celebration in the oceanfront town of Homer. The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival is sponsored by the Homer Chamber of Commerce and the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final recovery plan for the threatened Alaska-breeding population of the StellerĦs eider (Polysticta stelleri). Once locally common in portions of western and northern Alaska, the Alaska-breeding population of StellerĦs eiders has nearly disappeared from western Alaska, while estimates of the northern Alaska population range from the hundreds to the low thousands. The Service developed the recovery plan in cooperation with the StellerĦs ...

Aurora Firth, a home-schooled 16 year-old student from Anchor Point, won Best of Show in this yearĦs Alaska Federal Junior Duck Stamp Competition. The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design program integrates art and science to teach environmental science and habitat conservation. The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest began in 1990 as a pilot program at FloridaĦs Sanibel Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-management Council (AMBCC) announced today that new regulations to open the 2003 migratory bird subsistence hunt will be published later this Spring. Until then, Service and Council representatives remind subsistence users that the Serviceïs "Closed Season Policy" remains in effect. The Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council, that includes representatives from the Alaska Native community, the Alaska ...

Michael B. Rearden, manager of the 20-million acre Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, is this yearĦs recipient of the prestigious Paul Kroegel "Refuge Manager of the Year" Award. The award, given annually by the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is named in honor of the first manager of the first national wildlife refuge. Rearden has been manager of Yukon Delta Refuge since 1995.

March 13, 2003       In This Centennial Year, AlaskaĦs National Wildlife Refuges Have Somewhere for Everyone! This year the National Wildlife Refuge System is celebrating a Century of Conservation on the only network of federal lands where wildlife comes first. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.

In 2003, eighteen Alaskan wildlife and watershed conservation projects will receive funding under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceĦs Coastal Conservation Grants program. Coastal Conservation grants are awarded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceĦs Alaska Region Coastal Program. The ServiceĦs national Coastal Program focuses its efforts on bays, estuaries and coastline watersheds in order to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitats by supporting healthy coastal ecosystems.

Iditarod racer Aliy Zirkle will leave for Nome on March 1 with a special message about the National Wildlife Refuge SystemĦs Centennial. A century later, that seed has grown into a national network of wildlife habitats, including almost 100 million acres on 540 national wildlife refuges. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.

On March 14, 2003, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the only system of federal lands in America dedicated specifically to wildlife conservation, will celebrate its 100th birthday. In fact, Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and the adjacent Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge together produce more than 30 million fish every year! March 3, 11 days to the Centennial: The remote waters of Innoko National Wildlife Refuge are home to some mighty fish.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceïs Juneau Field Office is soliciting proposals for scientific studies and projects related to the Serviceïs Tongass Monitoring Program. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national...

A memorial service for Katmai National Park ranger-pilot Tom O'Hara, who died Thursday in an airplane crash south of King Salmon, has been scheduled in Naknek. His passenger, Corey Adler, a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, survived the crash. Added Dave Allen, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tom's family, friends and colleagues.

Marshall Jones, deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has been selected by President Bush as a recipient of a Presidential Rank Award, a prize awarded annually to a select number of career senior executives to recognize exceptional long-term accomplishments. After Administrations changed in January 2001, Jones led the 8,000-employee Fish and Wildlife Service for more than a year while Steve Williams of Kansas was awaiting confirmation as the agency's new director. The U.S. ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is again soliciting proposals for funding under the Alaska Coastal Conservation Grant Program. Established in 2000, the Serviceïs Alaska Region Coastal Program provides technical expertise and funds for voluntary partnerships that identify, restore, and protect coastal ecosystems in south coastal Alaska for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people. Nationally, the Serviceïs Coastal Program focuses its efforts in bays, estuaries and coastline watersheds in ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories that are interested in acquiring land, or conducting conservation planning, for endangered species. The Service administers three separate grant programs to fund planning activities and land acquisition for federally protected species, and grants are expected to be awarded in spring of 2003. Recovery Land Acquisition Grants- These grants provide funds to states and territories for acquisition ...

The land, owned by Koniag, Inc. as part of its entitlement under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), is in the Karluk River and Sturgeon River areas of Kodiak Island. Throughout the duration of the easement, the land and its use will be managed cooperatively by Koniag, Inc. and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Until Jan. 1, 2003, permits for unguided activities will be available at the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters (1390 Buskin River Road, Kodiak) or from ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pleased to announce todayïs ceremonial signing of the Yukon River Salmon Agreement by representatives of the governments of Canada and the United States. This Agreement is the product of 16 years of negotiations, and is intended to benefit salmon, and salmon users, along the 1900 miles of the Yukon River. In addition, it establishes a Yukon River Salmon Restoration and Enhancement Fund, which will be used to support efforts to restore the health of ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a new deadline of January 15, 2003, for the submission of proposals for funding under the new Private Stewardship Grants Program. On October 1, 2002, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued a request for proposals and announced final implementation guidelines for the fiscal year 2002 Private Stewardship Grants Program. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Branch of Recovery and State Grants, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will award $2.6 million to two State of Alaska agencies for projects to protect coastal wetlands in Juneau, Palmer, and Gustavus and on Afognak Island. The grants, awarded under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program, will benefit more than 6,000 acres of wildlife habitat within or adjacent to State Game Refuges, State Parks and municipal parks. National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants are awarded to the states through a competitive ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Region, is soliciting proposals for funding under the Private Stewardship Grants Program. The Private Stewardship Grants Program is an innovative new program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist voluntary conservation efforts on private lands. "We look forward to using these funds to help our partners conserve at-risk species on private lands," said Dave Allen, Alaska Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

Celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week in Alaska this October by attending one of the many events held throughout the state. With 16 refuges and over 82% of the nationĦs refuge lands in Alaska, the National Wildlife Refuge System offers something for everyone. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation recently donated 33,805 acres to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in western Alaska¤the largest gift ever for conservation in the State. The donated lands and waters became part of the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, one of 16 national wildlife refuges in Alaska. The Richard King Mellon Foundation has made 60 gifts totaling more than 530,000 acres to 17 national wildlife refuges.

Interior Secretary Gail Norton presented the award to three U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees and three partners-in-mission for exceptional support of the DepartmentĦs mission. He received two Superior Performance Awards for his work in helping identify and delineate what today is 76 million acres of National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska and received the Meritorious Service Award for his many contributions to wildlife conservation. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that three Alaska conservation organizations have received 2002 National Wetlands Conservation Awards for outstanding efforts in restoring, protecting and enhancing AlaskaĦs wetlands. Service Director Steve Williams presented the award for "National Winner in the Group Category" to The Conservation Fund for its landscape wetlands conservation efforts in Southwest Alaska National Wildlife Refuges, spearheaded by Eagle River resident Brad ...

Thanks to a joint effort by the Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a new publication called "A Customs Guide to Alaska Native Arts" makes it easy to find the export information that international visitors need when buying artwork. "Returning home with traditional Alaska Native art is an important part of an Alaska visit for many people," said DCED Commissioner Debby Sedwick. To receive a copy, contact Alaska Department of ...

In a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on May 29, 2002 at AnchorageĦs International Airport, Senator Ted Stevens and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Regional Director Dave Allen formally announced AnchorageĦs recent recognition as a "designated port" for the import and export of wildlife and wildlife parts and products. Certain select U.S. Customs ports around the country are identified and staffed with wildlife inspectors from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to regulate the importation ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on the draft recovery plan for the Alaska-breeding population of the StellerĦs eider. Development of a recovery plan that incorporates public comments is a major milestone along the path to recovering the Steller's eider. The Alaska-breeding population of the StellerĦs eider was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997.

Jay-Brant General Contractors of Homer signed a contract with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friday to begin the one and one half year construction project. The 37,000 square foot building will house a visitor center, auditorium, classrooms, research facilities and offices for the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, dedicated in 1998, is Alaska's only unit in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, ...

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design program integrates art and science in order to teach environmental science and habitat conservation. The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest began in 1990 as a pilot program at FloridaĦs Sanibel Island National Wildlife Refuge. The competition expanded into a national conservation education program with the passage of the 1994 Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act.

Sometimes, however, feeding wild birds can do more harm than good. And in many parts of Alaska, if bird feeders are left out after spring breakup (when wild birds no longer need them), they may attract bears. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement agent Jill Birchell says that as many as 100 eagles are electrocuted in Alaska every year!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has prepared revised marine mammal stock assessment reports for sea otter, polar bear and Pacific walrus in Alaska. "Of the six Alaska marine mammal stocks that fall under the jurisdiction of the Fish and Wildlife Service, only the southwest Alaska stock of sea otters is cause for concern," said Wildlife Biologist Douglas Burn, with the Serviceïs Marine Mammals Management program. On November 9, 2000, the Fish and Wildlife Service published a notice in the ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association, working in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and contractor Sandstrom and Sons, Inc. of Anchorage, has removed an inoperable dam on the Chatanika River. ?The Chatanika Dam project is the most ambitious fish passage restoration project yet undertaken in Alaska,? said Fish and Wildlife Service Regional ...

In 2001 fifteen South-central and Southeast Alaska wildlife and watershed conservation projects will receive funding under the ServiceĦs Coastal Conservation Grants program. Coastal Conservation grants are a component of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceĦs Alaska Region Coastal Program. The Coastal Program focuses the Service's efforts in bays, estuaries and coastline watersheds in order to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitats to support healthy coastal ecosystems.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton today awarded more than $17 million in grants to 23 states to promote the conservation of threatened and endangered species. The grants will benefit such species in every region of the country, helping local partnerships acquire and protect crucial habitat and supporting the development of Habitat Conservation Plans that allow private landowners to use and develop their land while conserving listed species. "The plan is a major step toward eider habitat ...

On August 15, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the completion of a land exchange with the Calista Corporation. These lands and interests in lands were conveyed to various village corporations and Calista under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. Additionally, the Service received 161,748 acres of subsurface estate under lands retained by Native Village Corporations.

A shoreline replanting/restoration project along Westchester LagoonĦs "Duck Walk" will make this popular wildlife-watching and recreation spot a better place for birds, fish and the people who enjoy them. "If this information can help more people understand why feeding waterfowl is harmful, and explain the benefits of habitat restoration and diversity," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist Marcia Heer, " all of the creatures that use Westchester lagoon, from kayakers to kingfishers,...

New vegetation maps, being created by Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge and U.S. Geological Survey, will help resource managers better anticipate, understand and deal with challenges of the future. Kodiak Archipelago supports globally significant populations of Kodiak brown bears, bald eagles, and salmon. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, has embarked on a mission to map archipelago vegetation types over the next two years.

Finally, this event will provide an excellent opportunity for the community to meet and welcome new Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Manager Leslie Kerr. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named Anne Morkill as the new Deputy Refuge Manager for Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. "After several years of working on natural resource issues in northern Alaska," Morkill said, "IĦm looking forward to getting involved in management of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named Claire Caldes as the new Refuge Operations Specialist for Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. In her most recent position as Refuge Operations Specialist for Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge in Homer, Ms. Caldes was in charge of reviewing and issuing special use permits for commercial activities on refuge lands. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named Leslie Kerr, former Selawik National Wildlife Refuge Manager, as the new manager of Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. As manager of the 2.2 million acre Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, which straddles the Arctic Circle in northwest Alaska, Kerr expanded the refuge's biological program and visitor services and increased support for refuge activities among the people of the region. As a planning team leader in the 1980s, she produced award-winning...

Ten Southcentral Alaska wildlife and watershed conservation projects will receive funding in 2001 under the U. S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceĦs Cook Inlet Area Conservation Grants program. Cook Inlet grants are a component of the ServiceĦs Alaska Region Coastal Program. The purpose of the Coastal Program is to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitats in order to support healthy coastal ecosystems.

Brought to you by the Audubon Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, this yearĦs International Migratory Bird Day Festival celebrates these totemic birds. So mark your calendars and join the Audubon Society and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 19 at AnchorageĦs 9th International Migratory Bird Day Festival. Additional information about AnchorageĦs loons, and the International Migratory Bird Day Festival, can be had by going to the ...

"Much of the habitat for threatened and endangered species occurs on private land," says Marshall Jones, Acting Director of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Barrow Eider Conservation Plan, $82,000: The Service will provide $82,000 to the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management to develop a Barrow Eider Conservation Plan and to conduct public outreach activities to help conserve StellerĦs and spectacled eiders in the vicinity of Barrow. A comprehensive eider conservation ...

The agencies of the Anchorage Waterfowl Working Group plan to begin their annual organized goose-egg collection program in early May. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reminds everyone that taking eggs outside of the organized program is against the law. "WeĦll collect eggs on only one or two occasions to avoid disturbing other nesting birds," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Karen Laing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking hunters, anglers and other wildlife enthusiasts for their participation, beginning in April, in the Congressionally-approved 10th National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The survey is undertaken every five years and is paid for with funds from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration (Pittman-Robertson) and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration (Dingell-Johnson/Wallop-Breaux) programs. It provides the only ...

On March 14, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council selected 2 Alaskan conservation projects for funding under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Small Grant program. The Council, representing the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican governments, state wildlife agencies and non-governmental organizations, awarded Great Land Trust, a regional land trust based in Anchorage, $50,000 toward acquisition of wetlands on Furrow Creek. The North American Wetlands Conservation Act,...

The Aleutian Canada goose, identifiable by a distinctive white neckband, nests on islands within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Scientists recorded no sightings of Aleutian Canada geese from 1938 until 1959, when Service biologists sighted several birds on rugged, remote Buldir Island in the western Aleutians. The Aleutian Canada goose was among the first species or subspecies to be protected under the Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973.

"Designating critical habitat in the areas we now know are essential to spectacled eiders will help us highlight their importance in the recovery of the species." These organizations challenged the ServiceĦs 1993 decision to not designate critical habitat for spectacled eiders. After thorough evaluation of this information, the Service designated critical habitat on about 39,000 square miles of eider habitat.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated approximately 2830 square miles as critical habitat for the StellerĦs eider in Alaska in five units: the Kuskokwim Shoals in northern Kuskokwim Bay, the Seal Islands, Nelson Lagoon (including portions of Port Moller and Herendeen Bay), and Izembek Lagoon on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula; and intertidal zone lands between the Askinuk Mountains and Nelson Island in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. In March 2000, the Service proposed to ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska selected 31 projects and committed about $419,000 this year for participation in a cost-share program that helps educate Alaskans of all ages and benefits Alaska's fish and wildlife. Each year the Service builds partnerships and provides funding support for a wide range of projects through the Challenge Cost Share Program. Between 1996 and 2000, the Challenge Cost Share Program has leveraged more than 2.2 million dollars in Service funds into more...

Greg Siekaniec, a former manager of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge near Cold Bay, has been selected as manager of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service=s Alaska Regional Director, David B. Allen, Awe are lucky to have Greg back in Alaska. In 1998, Siekaniec became Chief of Wildlife Resources in the Refuges Division in Washington, D.C., where he worked on refuge policy issues, establishment of new refuges, and national legislation and...

RIM Architects of Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded a contract by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to design a new marine education and research center planned for Homer. The 30,000+ square foot building will house a visitor center, an auditorium, an environmental education lab, research facilities and headquarters for both the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve. RIM previously designed the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage for which it ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published a notice in the Federal Register designating northern sea otters in the Aleutian Islands as candidate species for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Recent data collected by both the Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey show that the sea otter population in the Aleutians has declined by 70% in the past 8 years. Sea otters in the Aleutians eat sea urchins, crab, octopus, and some bottom-dwelling fishes.

  Today at the U.S. Department of State, the United States and Russia signed a long-term bilateral agreement for the conservation of polar bears shared between the two countries. The Agreement unifies management programs between the U.S. and Russia for the shared Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population. However, until recently, the U.S. and Russia have each managed the shared Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population independently.

A new report entitled "Contaminants in Alaska: Is America's Arctic at Risk?" The report will be presented by the State of Alaska this week in Barrow, Alaska, at the meeting of the Arctic Council. Also available by telephone from the Arctic Council meeting in Barrow will be Carl Hild from the Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies at the University of Alaska, Patricia Cochran of the Alaska Native Science Commission, and Marilyn Heiman, Special Assistant to the Secretary for Alaska.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Regional Director David Allen and Anchorage Director of Cultural and Recreational Services Jim Posey will host an October 4 ribbon-cutting ceremony at a recently-completed streambank viewing platform and stream restoration project on Campbell Creek. The Campbell Creek Project is one of over 200 habitat restoration projects completed by the Service's Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program in Alaska since 1995. The Partners program provides ...

Soldotna, Alaska - The Kenai River Resource Protection and Education Team will be recognized by Coastal America for their outstanding partnership efforts to restore and protect Kenai Riverbanks at a September 14, 2000, ceremony from 2:00-4:00 pm at the Kenai River Center. The Coastal America Partnership was established in 1992 to protect, preserve and restore coastal watersheds by integrating federal actions with state and local government and non-governmental efforts. The Kenai River ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today extended endangered species status for the short-tailed albatross to include this species' range within the United States. The short-tailed albatross has been listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since the Act was passed in 1973. Currently, the only known short-tailed albatross breeding colonies are on two remote Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean: Torishima Island and Minami-kojima Island.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recently surveyed sea otters in the Aleutian Islands and confirmed that the population has declined dramatically. Extensive commercial harvests of sea otters for fur began in the mid-1700's and continued until the sea otter population was at the brink of extinction. The first systematic aerial surveys of sea otters in the Aleutian Islands were conducted by the Service during 1959-1965.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is extending the public comment period for a second time on proposals to designate critical habitat for spectacled eiders and Steller's eiders. Spectacled eiders and Steller's eiders are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Service proposed to designate critical habitat for the two species earlier this year.

The center will also provide research and education laboratory facilities for the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Headquarters for both the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge will also be located there. Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, dedicated in 1998 and managed by Alaska Department of Fish and Game, is Alaska's only unit in the Reserve System which is a NOAA (National Oceanic and ...

My congratulations go to those who led this effort in the House, particularly Rep. Don Young, chairman of the Resources Committee and Rep. George Miller, the committee's ranking Democrat. President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and I share the hope that this Congress will seize the moment to provide permanent funding for land protection and we are pleased that CARA complements the Administration's Lands Legacy Initiative begun last year. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Celebrate the re-emergence of the falcon at the International Migratory Bird Day festival. "The recent discovery of the movements of a peregrine falcon shows the great distances Alaska's migratory birds travel," said Brad Andres, a Service biologist. Brad Andres and others will help the public learn about Alaska's birds during the International Migratory Bird Day festival.

The Anchorage Waterfowl Working Group plans another organized goose egg collection to start in early May. "We will collect eggs on only one or two occasions to minimize impacts on other nesting birds, and egg collectors will leave one egg in each nest to discourage geese from abandoning their nest and starting a new one," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Karen Laing. Egging will be done in organized searches by volunteers trained and supervised by the Municipality of Anchorage,...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced it will soon establish a Statewide Management Body and seven regional bodies as the first step in developing regulations legalizing spring and summer migratory bird subsistence hunting in Alaska. People serving on management bodies will be involved in the development and implementation of regulations for harvesting migratory birds and their eggs in the spring and summer. According to David B. Allen, Alaska Regional Director for the Fish ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council and California Sea Grant are co-sponsoring a free informational workshop March 23 and 24, 2000, in Anchorage, Alaska, to report and discuss the results of a three-year investigation of aquatic invasive species in Prince William Sound and Port Valdez. Scientists will focus on the investigation, which included an analysis of species found in oil tanker ballast water, invasive species found in Prince ...

In an effort to reduce the taking of seabirds, including the endangered short-tailed albatross, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission today signed an agreement providing $400,000 to help longliners install seabird deterrent devices on boats fishing the Bering Sea and North Pacific off the coast of Alaska. Today's agreement between the Service and the Commission will promote the continued development and installation of seabird deterrent devices...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to designate approximately 17,000 square miles of land and 8,440 square miles of marine waters as critical habitat for the Alaska-breeding population of the Steller's eider, a threatened sea duck. "This proposal to designate critical habitat in Alaska highlights the fact that all species require healthy habitat to survive," said David B. Allen, the Service's regional director for Alaska. More than 60 percent of the lands proposed to be ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named Bill Schaff, current Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge Manager in Kansas, as the new manager of the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge. The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is located 300 miles northwest of Anchorage, Alaska in the central Yukon River Valley. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 520 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas.

"I strongly oppose legislation introduced in the Senate today to open the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. So today I am recommending that President Clinton oppose any further Republican Congressional attempts to use legislation to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling." The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska announced today the selection of 36 Challenge Cost Share projects valued at over $1.2 million. The Challenge Cost Share Program is a partnership program designed to leverage Service funds in support of wildlife, recreational, or educational projects on Refuge System lands or adjacent areas. Each year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service builds partnerships and provides funding support for a wide range of projects through this Program.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to designate nearly 74,539 square miles of coastal Alaska as critical habitat for the spectacled eider, a threatened sea duck that nests only in Alaska and Russia. A critical habitat designation can help us reach that goal by underscoring the need for Federal agencies to consult with the Service about their activities that affect the bird's habitat. Designation of critical habitat only affects federal lands and activities funded, permitted or ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking for your help. "Natural foods are much better nutritionally for the eagles" says Steve Kendall with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If an eagle or other bird is injured within your community, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, or city police.

At a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reception yesterday, Regional Director Dave Allen presented five "Alaska Refuge Partnership" awards recognizing the substantial contributions of private citizens and organizations to the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System in Alaska. From the half acre Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota to the 20 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge here in Alaska, the National Wildlife Refuge System is the only network of federal lands ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is asking for the public's assistance in protecting bald eagles in Alaska. Spruce bark beetles have killed hundreds of trees in Alaska, and some of these trees still provide nest sites for bald eagles. To help people learn more about bald eagles and the laws that protect them, the Fish and Wildlife Service has a booklet called "Bald Eagle Basics."

The ceremony formally implements a Protocol amending the 1916 Migratory Bird Convention, an important bilateral treaty for the conservation of migratory birds. The treaties provide protection for species of migratory birds in North America, while permitting regulated hunting seasons for game birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will rely on authority under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 to establish spring harvest seasons in Alaska.

Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt awarded U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) employee, LaVerne Smith with the Department of the Interior's Meritorious Award last month. "LaVerne Smith shines as a bright beacon for the Service in her solid dedication and devotion to the mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," said David B. Allen, the Service's Regional Director for Alaska. E. LaVerne Smith, Assistant Regional Director for Fisheries and Ecological Services for the Service...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named Edward Merritt, former Innoko National Wildlife Refuge Manager, manager of the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern interior Alaska. The only collection of federal lands devoted specifically to wildlife conservation, the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System is a network of diverse and strategically located habitats. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national...

In the largest conservation gift ever in Alaska, on August 30, 1999, The Conservation Fund donated 8,496 acres of land to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for addition to the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. "This land donation from the Goldman Fund will be an important addition to the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director, Dave Allen. The Service manages the National Wildlife Refuge System and operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 ...

"National Wildlife Refuges are places where the needs of wildlife come first, but the system welcomes almost 35 million visitors each year," said Acting Service Director John Rogers. Under the National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act, a determination of compatibility with refuge purposes is the most basic legal requirement common to uses of National Wildlife Refuges. In Alaska, however, the compatibility policy does apply to the village lands within National Wildlife Refuges withdrawn under...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the peregrine falcon from the list of endangered and threatened species, marking one of the most dramatic success stories of the Endangered Species Act. "And beneath the wings of all their recovery stands America's great law: the Endangered Species Act." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers confirmed the link between DDT and egg shell thinning on peregrines in the United States.

  David B. Allen, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director for Alaska, announced today that he has selected Richard W. Voss as Manager for the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Voss served as Refuge Manager for the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge for the last five years. As the northernmost of all wildlife refuges, the Arctic Refuge offers a rich pageant of wildlife, including 180 species of birds, 36 land mammals, 36 fish...

According to Service biologists, common loons die of lead poisoning after swallowing lost fishing sinkers and jigs. Beginning in 2001, the use of lead sinkers and jigs in lead-free fishing areas on the Kenai Refuge will be prohibited. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge's lead-free fishing areas include the Kenai River for the first three miles below Skilak Lake, and the waters of the Dave Spencer Wilderness Area.

Thanks to a concerted recovery effort spanning more than three decades, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to remove the Aleutian Canada goose, one of the first animals protected under the Endangered Species Act, from the list of threatened and endangered species. The Aleutian Canada goose, identifiable by a distinctive white neck band, nests on islands within the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and winters in Oregon and California. Biologists found no Aleutian ...

When America adopted the bird as its national symbol in 1782, as many as 100,000 nesting bald eagles lived in the continental United States, excluding Alaska. In 1940, Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act, prohibiting killing or selling of bald eagles. Even if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removes the bald eagle from the list of threatened and endangered species, the bird would still be protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Congress appropriated a total of $11 million for the Federal Government to manage subsistence fisheries in Alaska, with the first $1 million becoming available to the federal agencies on June 1, but only if the Alaska Legislature failed to pass a constitutional amendment. As the Alaska Legislature adjourned this month without taking action on subsistence, the conditions are met for the June 1, 1999, disbursement of the first $1 million for the federal subsistence program. Final regulations ...

The Anchorage Waterfowl Working Group (AWWG) announced today that organized Canada goose egg collections will start in early May, 1999. "We will collect eggs on only one or two occasions to minimize impacts on other nesting birds, and egg collectors will leave one egg in each nest," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Karen Laing. Collection of goose eggs was the method most acceptable to the public as a means of reducing the growth of the Anchorage goose population, according to ...

  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in Alaska selected 37 projects and committed almost $500,000 this year for participation in a cost-share program that benefits Alaska's fish and wildlife resources. Each year the Service builds partnerships and provides funding support for a wide range of projects through a process called the Challenge Cost-Share Program. The Program provides opportunities for partners to become involved by matching funds with the Service for projects that...

  Interior Solicitor John Leshy had the following comment on a proposed state constitutional amendment dealing with the subsistence issue put forward by Representative Brian Porter, Speaker of the Alaska State House of Representatives. Representative Porter's proposal would add to the "Sustained Yield" clause of the Alaska Constitution a new subsection which would state that: "In a time of shortage of fish and wildlife, the highest preference shall be for subsistence use of fish and ...

  Haines resident, Richard Hart plead guilty today in United States Magistrate Court in Juneau to shooting and killing a bald eagle near Herman Creek, Haines, Alaska, last November. The Eagle Protection Act is a federal law which prohibits the wounding, hunting, capturing or killing of bald and golden eagles. This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Law Enforcement, and the Alaska Department of Public Safetyïs Fish and Wildlife Protection ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) published proposed regulations today (January 28, 1999) to allow the incidental take of polar bears and walrus during oil and gas operations on Alaskaïs North Slope and the Beaufort Sea. The recent request to develop incidental take regulations included offshore oil production using subsea pipelines to transport oil. Industry is required by the regulations to develop employee/polar bear educational materials, a bear/human interaction plan, and a ...

Trumpeter swans have full protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act as there is no hunting season for them. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with assistance from the Alaska State Trooper Office in Haines, the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection Office in Haines and the Haines Police Department. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats...

Haines resident Richard L. Hart was charged Friday, November 20, by the United States Attorneyïs Office for killing a bald eagle near Haines on November 2, 1998. The dead eagle was recovered and turned over to Special Agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with assistance from the Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection office in Haines.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a proposal today to extend endangered status for the short-tailed albatross to include the species' range within the United States. The short-tailed albatross has been listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since the Act was passed in 1973. Short-tailed albatrosses were originally designated as endangered under the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 on the list of foreign-listed species.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agents closed the book on a fugitive this week that fled the country six years ago to avoid prosecution in an illegal egg collecting case on the North Slope. Concluding a 1992 case named Operation Duck Soup involving a two-year cooperative undercover operation with the Canadian Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) agents closed the case this week when a fugitive pled guilty to four misdemeanor violations of the Migratory ...

Pilot Point resident Jeffery Myers was sentenced in federal court in Anchorage on August 27 for his involvement in the shooting of a wolverine on the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge while airborne in his Super Cub airplane this February. In a plea agreement with the United States Attorneyïs Office, Myers pled guilty to one count of violating the federal Airborne Hunting Act. Under the federal Airborne Hunting Act it is unlawful to shoot or attempt to shoot any bird, fish or other ...

August 24, 1998       The Peregrine Falcon Is Back! The peregrine falcon is expected to be removed from the endangered species list according to a proposal announced today by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, marking one of the most dramatic success stories of the Endangered Species Act. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers, learning of studies being conducted in Great Britain on the link between DDT and egg shell thinning, confirmed these findings on peregrines in the ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed today to retain most of the waterfowl season lengths and bag limits of last year for the upcoming 1998-99 season. The Service also proposed to continue the popular Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day for a third year to encourage parents and other adults to take young people hunting. Geese--For light geese, states may select a 107-day season between October 1 and March 10, with a daily bag limit of 15 geese and no possession limit.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed temporary approval for the use of tungsten-iron shot and tungsten-polymer shot during the 1998-99 waterfowl hunting season. The new shot material, tungsten-polymer, was submitted for Service approval by Federal this year. Comments may be sent to: Chief, Office of Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1849 C Street, NW.

An unusual team whose members include federal and state biologists, airport managers, the Army, the Air Force, the Municipality of Anchorage and others will receive special recognition from the national director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for its work on Anchorage's goose management issues. Members of the Anchorage Waterfowl Working Group (AWWG) will be recognized for their "model partnership on behalf of America's wildlife," by Jamie Rappaport Clark, the Service's ...

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service. The primary focus of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Service's nationwide wildlife inspection program is curtailing the illegal international wildlife trade. The National Director of the Service will be in Anchorage overseeing the wildlife inspection program at the Anchorage International Airport on July 8, 1998.

The Federal Subsistence Board has published and distributed the 1998-1999 Subsistence Management Regulations for the Harvest of Fish and Wildlife on Federal Public Lands in Alaska. The booklet contains information on federal subsistence seasons, customary and traditional use determinations, harvest limits, permit requirements, and methods and means of taking wildlife on federal public lands in Alaska. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

They looked very strong and headed right for the open water," said Greg Balogh (BAY-low), endangered species biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Balogh, who transported the sea ducks from Anchorage to the small coastal village, gave the Savoonga students a brief biology lesson on the rare birds before they were released. According to other Service biologists, El Nino-related sea conditions could be causing the deaths of many other species of sea birds off the coast ...

This year Anchorage celebrates the sixth annual International Migratory Bird Day borrowing Mayor Rick Mystrom's theme of "beautification for the City. , While Mystrom stresses the importance of lights and flowers to add color to the community, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) suggests that the millions for migratory birds that visit our City every year bring beauty and music to our surroundings. International Migratory Bird Day provides the opportunity to share the passion ...

People have reported sightings of dead seabirds on beaches ranging from Dutch Harbor to Prince William Sound this spring. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Vivian Mendenhall, specimens are being collected from affected areas for autopsy, which should help determine cause of death. Both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey (Biological Resource Division) are conducting surveys.

The recreation.gov initiative is part of Vice President Gore's multi-agency effort to improve customer service by establishing an electronic information system that deals with recreational opportunities on federal lands. The new site, (http://www.recreation.gov) announced today was created by a small team of federal land management agencies like the Interior Department's National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation; the U.S. ...

The Anchorage Waterfowl Working Group announced today that Canada goose eggs will be collected from nests starting on Friday, May 8, 1998 as a part of the overall goose management plan. Collection of goose eggs was the method most acceptable to the public as a means of reducing the growth of the Anchorage goose population based on comments received on the draft "Environmental Assessment: Canada Goose Population Management in Anchorage, Alaska" last year. Landowners will require permits from...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed establishing a new permit to allow state wildlife agencies to deal with and control resident Canada goose populations that pose a threat to public health and safety or are damaging property. The new special Canada goose permit is only available to state wildlife management agencies responsible for migratory bird management. What effect will the special Canada goose permits have on resident Canada goose populations?

A young orphaned polar bear cub arrived in Anchorage late Monday evening from Point Lay, Alaska. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) polar bear biologist, Scott Schliebe, the cub will stay at the Alaska Zoo until Service biologists make a decision on a suitable permanent home. According to Schliebe, on March 28 a young Point Lay hunter killed a female polar bear at a close distance when the animal charged.

Chuck Hunt of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge received the 'Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officer of the Year" award from the Alaska Outdoor Council (AOC) in March. According to the AOC, Chuck is the first U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) employee to be given this particular award. Hunt joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1979 because of his interest in Migratory Bird Treaty work.

In a two-year joint effort involving the Anchorage Waterfowl Working Group and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), the Service completed and released the Environmental Assessment (EA) of Canada Goose Management in Anchorage this week. The scientific review involves consideration of five proposed alternatives for managing geese in Anchorage, and reviews public comments on those proposed alternatives. 1. The Municipality of Anchorage has the responsibility for developing and ...

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Manager Jay Bellinger received the prestigious "Refuge Manager of the Year, award on March 21 in Florida. The National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Audubon Society presented the Paul Kroegel-Refuge Manager of the Year Award at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. He joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) more than 30 years ago in 1967 and the Kodiak Refuge in 1984.

Today at Orcas Island, Washington, representatives from the United States and Russia concluded negotiations on an Agreement for the conservation and management of the shared U.S.-Russia population of polar bears. The U.S. negotiating team consisted of representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of State, the Alaska Native Nanuuq (polar bear) Commission, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Marine Mammal Commission and the National Audubon Society. ...

KYUK Radio/TV Station, formerly Bethel Broadcasting Inc., received a national award for assistance to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in an outreach campaign on arctic nesting geese. The radio/TV station recently received the first Director's Corporate Stewardship Award given by the Service in Alaska. "The staff and management of KYUK Radio/TV station stepped forward to help garner public support for a newly crafted management plan, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Goose Management Plan."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to exempt certain wildlife shipments containing furs, hides, and skins from user fees charged under its wildlife import/export regulations. Commercial importers and exporters of wildlife and wildlife products now pay user fees for each shipment they bring into or out of the United States. The Service's wildlife inspection program helps the Nation control the importation and exportation of wildlife and wildlife products.

The public comment period for the "Draft Environmental Assessment on Canada Goose Population Management in Anchorage, Alaska," closed on November 30, 1997. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) received more than 350 comments from individuals, organizations and government entities. The public comments document is available to the public at the Alaska Resources Library, and at the Fish and Wildlife Service's Regional Office in Anchorage.

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA- A joint investigation by Special Agents from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection Troopers and Wardens from the Maine Warden's Service ended today with a guilty plea by John Downing III. The indictment charged Downing with four violations of the Lacey Act, three violations of the National Wildlife Refuge Act and two counts of Felon in Possession of a firearm. The violations of the National Wildlife Refuge Act carry a maximum penalty of one ...

According to Chairman Mitch Demientieff, "The Board is proposing regulations very similar to existing State of Alaska subsistence fishing regulations. Specifically, these include national wildlife refuges; national parks, monuments and preserves; national forests; national conservation and recreation areas; national wild and scenic river corridors, and the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska. The Board has managed subsistence fisheries on non-navigable waters (as well as limited ...

"Numerous lightly-oiled gulls are frequently seen in the Dutch Harbor area, and oiled eagles have also been observed as well," said Catherine Berg, oil spill wildlife response coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game developed a wildlife recovery plan to address the bird impacts. Wildlife Rapid Response Team (WRRT) from Homer, Alaska, has been hired by Alaska Chadux Corporation, the responsible party's ...

  According to a recent study by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the ballast water discharged by oil tankers into Prince William Sound contains organisms which are not native to the environment. The purpose of the pilot study was to assess the risk of invasion of Prince William Sound by nonindigenous species as a result of the discharge of tanker ballast water. Researchers aIso will sample the waters of Prince, William Sound to determine what nonindigenous species are ...

Experts from around the country, including the Secretary of the Interior's Science Advisor, plan to meet in Anchorage on Thursday and Friday at 9 a.m. in the Wilda Marston theater at the Z.J. Loussac Library, to discuss research needs surrounding the decline of the Bering Sea Ecosystem. The Bering Sea ecosystem supports more than 450 species of fish, crustaceans and mollusks, more than 50 species of seabirds and at least 25 species of marine mammals. Steller Sea Lion abundance has declined ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hosting Alaska's third annual Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest. He received the top award of $2,500, and his design will be used to create a Federal Junior Duck Stamp. The Service distributes a Junior Duck Stamp curriculum guide and video upon request, and offers a limited supply of reference materials.

After the success of the previous public meetings concerning goose management in Anchorage, wildlife managers have scheduled another public meeting for November 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Spenard Community Recreation Center. "Whether you are a homeowner with geese in your yard, a citizen concerned about the welfare of the birds, a resident worried about aircraft safety or just curious, you are invited to attend," Karen Laing, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist said. Back to ...

On November 6, Robert Steiner's acrylic portrait of a male Barrow's goldeneye was chosen over 379 other entries to become the design for the 1998-99 Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, better known as the Duck Stamp. This was the 17th time Steiner has entered the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. He has won 41 state duck stamp competitions, a record in wildlife art, as well as the 1995 California upland game bird stamp contest.

The public comment period for the "Draft Environmental Assessment on Canada Goose Population Management in Anchorage, Alaska," has been extended by 30 days. Biological data showing increasing wild goose population in Anchorage. Five alternatives to manage wild goose population in Anchorage.

"We now have a preliminary conclusion on the cause of the seabird deaths: starvation,)' said Vivian Mendenhall, a senior seabird biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Seabirds were found dead from the western Gulf of Alaska to the Chukchi Sea. During the first week of August, Short-tailed Shearwaters and Black-legged Kittiwakes died on both sides of the Alaska Peninsula.

The 92-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System is a unique part of America's natural heritage, one which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been in the business of safeguarding for nearly 100 years. "We hope the American people will consider National Wildlife Refuge Week an open invitation to come learn about and enjoy our rich wildlife resources on national wildlife refuges," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "I'd like to think people also...

On October 9th, President Clinton signed into law the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. Alaska's 16 National Wildlife Refuges encompass more than 85 percent of the entire national wildlife refuge system, which numbers more than 500 refuges. National Wildlife Refuges are the only system of Federal, public lands within the United States which Americans have dedicated to wildlife, and where wildlife conservation is the top priority.This new Refuge Act reinforces that dedication...

During his time off from his Air Force contractor job on a remote Aleutian Island, Washington resident, John M. Wells, 54, illegally dug up and collected artifacts of Alaska Native culture. In what law enforcement agents are calling the biggest artifact seizure and forfeiture case in Alaska, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents seized bone and ivory, lip and nose jewelry, stone points and more from Wells' home in Bridgeport. Most of them are delicate from age, and should only be moved by a...

After a careful examination of the best available information and an extended public comment period, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the Alexander Archipelago wolf and the Queen Charlotte goshawk do not warrant listing as endangered or threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The Service's determination included information from the June 1997 revised management plan for the Tongass National Forest. The Queen Charlotte goshawk occurs in Southeastern ...

On August 27th Alaska Natives and Federal managers will sign a Memorandum of Agreement to provide for co-management of marine mammals in Alaska. The Memorandum will provide a foundation and direction for developing agreements as provided under Section 119 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, between Alaska Native organizations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and the National Marine Fisheries Service. "This important co-management tool will promote the sustained ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska selected 36 projects and committed almost $500,000 this year for participation in a cost-share program that benefits Alaska's fish and wildlife. Each year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) builds partnerships and provides funding support for a wide range of projects through a program called, the Challenge Cost Share Program. The Challenge Cost Share Program provides opportunities for partners to get involved by matching funds with the ...

In two mysterious die-offs, birds continue to wash ashore along the Alaska Peninsula and on St. Lawrence Island. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, Vivian Mendenhall, specimens are being collected from both areas for autopsy, which should help biologists determine the reasons for the die-offs. "Seabird die-offs are not uncommon," Mendenhall said.

Late on July 31, the United States Senate confirmed Jamie Rappaport Clark as Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Americans are passionate about wildlife, and that passion fuels the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," Clark said. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats.

A recent decision to relax some trade controls for African elephants does not change these restrictions on ivory imports into the United States. Elephant populations of the 34 other African elephant range countries remain on Appendix I, as does the Asian elephant. All populations of African elephants remain listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, with Asian elephants listed as endangered.

The Junior Duck Stamp Alaska winners' exhibit is being shown at the Alaska Public Lands Information Center through the end of July. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sponsors the Federal Junior Duck Stamp contest every year for students k-12. This wetlands and waterfowl education and conservation program draws hundreds of entries from all 50 states. Participating students submit original "Duck Stamp" drawings of North American ducks, geese or swans in their natural habitats.

A volunteer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service drowned over the long weekend while banding tern and gull chicks at Volcano Creek delta on the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge. Josh Nove, 24 years old, disappeared in Mother Goose Lake at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, while working with a group of Service emloyees and volunteers banding birds. Nove volunteered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist in migratory bird banding, production and migration studies, at ...

The Federal Subsistence Board has published and distributed 1997-1998 Subsistence Management Regulations for the Harvest of Fish and Wildlife on Federal Public Lands in Alaska. The regulations booklet contains information on federal subsistence seasons, harvest limits, methods and means of harvest, permit requirements, and customary and traditional use determinations. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

  On July 1, 1997, the Federal Duck Stamp goes on sale in Anchorage. More than 98 percent of the revenues from the purchase of Duck Stamps goes toward the purchase of wetland habitat for the national wildlife refuge system. Duck Stamps can be purchased at any local post office, beginning July 1, 1997.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt today praised President Bill Clinton's announcement of his intention to nominate Jamie Rappaport Clark to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Jamie Clark is an experienced career professional who has been involved on a daily basis with many of the major wildlife issues facing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency with responsibility for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish ...

Lately, motorists in and around Anchorage have encountered hundreds of these adult birds leading lines of baby ducks and geese across the streets, busy highways and business parking lots. Biologists with the U.S. FIsh and Wildlife Service are asking motorists to slow down and stay alert near Anchorage nesting areas. According to Service biologist Bob Leedy the ducks and geese started nesting in and around Anchorage over a month ago.

The National Fishing Week kickoff is hosted annually by several Federal agencies, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as the DC Department of Fisheries, the American Sportfishing Association, and industry and conservation groups. These organizations and community partners also sponsor thousands of fishing week events across the Nation during National Fishing Week to ...

The Alaska breeding population of Steller's eiders was declared a threatened species today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and placed under the protection of the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In Alaska, the Steller's eider once nested in coastal areas of the Yukon-Kushokwim Delta and the North Slope from Wainwright, east to the Alaska-Canada border. The decision to list the Alaska breeding population of Steller's eiders follows a lenghty review of the species' status in Alaska that ...

The U.S. District Court for the District of Colombia has granted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a three-monthextension to evaluate whether the Alexander Archipelogo wolf and the Queen Charlotte goshawk should be designated endangered or threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act. The Services was nearing completion of a review of the two species under a 1979 Tongrass Land Management Plan when a revised plan was signed by the U.S. Forest Services of May 31 when the new plan was ...

The International Porcupine Caribou Board met in Ft. McPherson on May 6. The Board was established to implement the International Agreement between Canada and the United States on the conservation of the Porcupine caribou herd. The other active issue of the Board is the reporting of caribou harvest by communities within the range of the herd. Native user representatives on the Board recommend harvest reporting by all hunters within their communities and will work with user communities and ...

Much has improved in the 35 years since former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Rachel Carson awakened America to the problem of pesticides with her book Silent Spring. IMBD features bird walks, family activities, bird banding demonstrations and other events throughout the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere. Last year on International Migratory Bird Day, the Service unveiled a national strategy to better conserve bird habitat by coordinating conservation efforts at the local, state and...

Spending by anglers rose 47 percent to $36.2 billion from $24.6 billion in 1991 while hunters spent $17.7 billion, up 75 percent from $10.1 billion in 1991. Twenty-four million Americans took trips for the specific purpose of observing, photographing, or feeding wildlife in 1996 while 61 million enjoyed nonconsumptive wildlife-related recreation around their homes. In all, 18 percent of the population 16 and older fished during 1996, 7 percent hunted, and 31 percent participated in ...

      The tens of millions of migratory birds which migrate north each spring to nest in Alaska play a vital role in maintaining the health of Alaska's ecocystems, according to biologists with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.       "A pair of Wilson's Warblers raising their young will probably eat more than 10,000 insects, such as mosquitoes, caterpillars and gnats during their stay in Alaska," said Brad Andres, a Service migratory bird biologist. ...

A Massachusetts man who hunted illegally in Alaska will pay nearly $30,000 in fines and restitution and will not be able to hunt during his two-year probation as punishment for violating federal wildlife protection laws. Judge Ponsor also approved a forfeiture order for six big game mounts that wildlife agents seized from Romano's home in February 1995. During the criminal trial, the prosecution presented evidence that Romano illegally hunted in Alaska from 1990 through 1994 without a valid...

In the mid-1980's, wildlife biologists and conservationists struggled to reverse a sharp decline in duck populations by restoring wetlands in key nesting areas. A recently published report by the Arctic Goose Habitat Working Group, comprised of U.S and Canadian biologists, found that even liberalized hunting seasons for snow geese have failed to stop the population explosion and , by the most conservative estimates, the number of birds is rising at 5 percent a year. "These geese are ...

State wildlife agencies will receive a record $439 million collected from Federal excise taxes paid by anglers, hunters, and recreational shooters to support fish and wildlife restortion and recreation projects in 1997. The Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will distribute the funds under the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration programs, helping to pay for thousands of wildlife conservation and recreation projects throughout the United States and its ...

Three Alaska Native organizations have joined with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to begin a new era of wildlife management for some of the world's best known northern wildlife. A similar agreement with the Alaska Sea Otter commission for co-management of sea otters will be signed in the next several weeks. Signing the agreements were: Charlie Johnson, executive director of the Nanuuq Commission, Gabe Mutoyuk, Chairman of the Eskimo Walrus Commission, and Dave Allen, Alaska ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is requesting information, comments and suggestions from the public, the scientific community and concerned government agencies or other interested parties to re-evaluate the status of the Queen Charlotte goshawk and the Alexander Archipelago wolf. On December 17, 1993, the Service received a petition to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, (Act) and on May 9, 1994, the Service received a petition to ...

      The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has published final regulations which clarify the procedures it will follow when permits for visitor services on Alaska's National Wildlife Refuges are issued competitively.       The new regulations will not affect permits which are issued noncompetitively, and will not include guided sport fishing or hunting activities. According to that Section, when permits are issued competitively for visitor services on National ...

      Leading experts from around the globe will convene in Anchorage January 14-16 to discuss what they do best: mapping the world's circumpolar vegetation. The Working Group represents the eight arctic nations and takes an Eco-system approach to protecting natural resources of the earth's arctic region. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

      Students in grades K-12 who plan to enter the 1997 Alaska Junior Duck Stamp Contest need to put the finishing touches on their masterpieces!       Just as important as learning about waterfowl and wetlands conservation is the activity the young artists take part in to show appreciation for the natural resources of Alaska. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

      The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports the nesting Canada goose population has grown exponentially from almost none to about 4,000 over the past 20 years. It includes representatives from both military bases, the municipality, local airports, conservation groups, Fish and Game, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S Department of Agriculture Animal Damage Control. "Although most Anchorage residents and their visitors enjoy the geese, the increased ...

A U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agent arrives today in Anchorage with an injured bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent is accompanying the juvenile eagle on her trip to Anchorage today, so she can be rehabilitated at the Arctic Animal Hospital. Eagles are protected under the Bald Eagle Protection Act, which makes it illegal to take or possess them in any way.

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Contest is once again flying high in schools throughout the United States and Alaska. Students designing stamps which feature ducks, geese or certain swans have created a big splash in the pond of adult stamp designers. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service held the first official Alaskan-sponsored competition, in Alaska, last spring in Fairbanks.

Today, federal biologist Carol Hale of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ecological Services Office in Juneau, Alaska, receives the Sixth Annual Special Achievement Award for Scouting. During 1995, Alaska employees of the Service contributed more volunteer hours to the Girl Scouts than any of the Service's other regions. Recently, the Girl Scout Council requested that Hale be their representative to Linking Girls to the Land: Building Partnerships Between Girl Scouts and Federal Resource...

The aid program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.       Background: The Federal Aid program is built on two federal laws which established a "User-pay" philosophy to fund restoration and education activities for the nation's sport fish and wildlife. Tax dollars are returned to states' fish and wildlife management agencies by the Division of Federal Aid, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has developed an Environmental Assessment (EA) on a proposed U.S./Russia (government-to-government) conservation agreement for polar bears of the Chukchi/Bering Seas. In 1973, the U.S., Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark signed the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. In 1994, amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act directed the Service to develop a conservation agreement with Russia for polar bears in this region.

The bears and the eagles came out the winners in a recent land deal on Kodiak Island when two non-profit conservation groups added 160 acres of prime wildlife habitat to the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. The Kodiak Brown Bear Trust and Wildlife Forever donated $100,000 and $50,000, respectively, to buy the private land parcel. The Kodiak Brown Bear Trust and Wildlife Forever have provided funding during the past several years for brown bear research in this area of the refuge.

To celebrate this favored pastime (second only to swimming) thousands of fishing events will be held nationwide during National Fishing Week June 3-9, 1996, including a kickoff in Washington, D.C. Most of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 16 National Wildlife Refuges throughout the State have planned activities to teach conservation, fishing and aquatic ecology.       As part of National Fishing Week, federal agencies will unveil a just-completed National Recreational ...

The Federal subsistence Board will hold public hearings throughout Alaska during May to provide information and hear public comment on an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modify the scope of federal subsistence management in Alaska. May 13 Anchorage Sheraton Anchorage Hotel 6-9 p.m. May 14 Juneau Centennial Hall 2-10 p.m. May 15 Sitka Centennial Building 5:30-9 p.m. May 16 Kotzebue NANA Museum 6-9 p.m. May 20 Bethel KVNA Building 6-9 p.m. May 21 Nome Eskimo Community Hall 2-5 p.m., 7...

     On International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), May 11, 1996, hundreds of citizens groups, national wildlife refuges, national forests, national parks, and local businesses will celebrate the return of migratory birds and raise awareness of declines in their populations.      Chincoteague NWR is expected to draw well over 5,000 visitors to its third annual IMBD event taking place throughout the town of Chincoteague, VA during the entire weekend of May 10-12. ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) manages the program , which was designed by federal biologists and school teachers to help students and others learn about Arctic nesting Shorebirds, their migrations, and the ecosystems they depend on.       Students who live near shorebird habitat learn about shorebirds by watching not only for flocks of shorebirds but also for individually tagged shorebirds.       The Shorebird Sister Schools Program started in ...

  An Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which proposes a modification of the scope and applicability of federal subsistence management in Alaska was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, April 4, 1996. 1. In accordance with the Katie John Decision, the Advance Notice proposes to modify the interpretation that the Federal Subsistence Board had operated under since 1990,when the Federal program for subsistence management in Alaska went into effect.

The first 2 of 173 oiled seabirds that were captured for rehabilitation are on their way back to the wild today, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) biologist Rose Meehan. According to Meehan, the two Common Murres were the "first in and the first out," marking the beginning of a release program, resulting from the successful rehabilitation efforts of the International Bird Rescue Research Center. The birds were sent to Anchorage the International Bird Research Rescue ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a notice of review for plant and animal species that are candidates for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. "The revisions to the candidate species list strengthen the scientific basis of the endangered species program,"said Service Deputy Director John Rogers. "Candidate species" are species for which the Fish and Wildlife Service has enough scientific information to warrant proposing them for listing as ...

Seabirds oiled from an unidentified source have arrived on the Pribilof Islands, where some of Alaska's richest natural marine resources exist. Pollution investigators from the U.S. Coast Guard Marine safety Office Anchorage and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been on the scene since Tuesday. The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service personnel are on the scene conducting a preliminary wildlife assessment.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is asking hunters, anglers, and other wildlife enthusiasts to support the soon-to-be-conducted 1996 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. It provides the only comprehensive statistical data available related to participation and expenditures on hunting, fishing, birdwatching, and other wildlife-related recreation. The Bass Anglers Sportsman Society has assisted the Service by producing a print public service announcement ...

This year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is sponsoring Alaska's first ever Federal Junior Duck Stamp Design Contest. All students K-12 are invited to enter their original "Duck Stamp" drawing of a North American duck, goose, or swan in its natural habitat. Entries should be sent to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest, 101 12th Avenue, Box 17, Fairbanks, Alaska 99701.

January 26, 1996       Subsistence Board Regional Council Hold Public Mtg.      Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils will hold public meetings in February and March. Regional Council members are knowledgeable local residents who advise the Federal subsistence Board on issues affecting subsistence resources and activities on Federal public lands in Alaska.

While the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, in general, remains closed to snow machine use due to lack of adequate snow cover, an exception is being made for Hidden, Kelly, Petersen, Engineer and Watson Lakes for ice fishing access only, and for Skilak Lake. Upper and Lower Skilak Lake campground boat launches may be used as access points for snowmobile use on Skilak Lake, but caution should be used on Skilak, especially near the inlet and outlet, as leads can open up at any time. Back to Top...

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge will not be open to snowmobile use until snow depths reach an acceptable level, according to Refuge Manager Robin West. Snowmobiles are allowed on the Refuge only when sufficient snow cover is present to protect the underlying vegetation and terrain. "We hope the last days of January and early February will bring enough snow to open the Refuge to snowmobile use," stated West.

The Federal Subsistence Board is accepting applications through February 29, 1996, for membership on ten federal subsistence regional advisory councils. "The Regional Councils are the crucial link between subsistence users and the Federal Subsistence Board," says Mitch Demientieff, Chair of the Board. The Regional Councils represent the Southeast, Southcentral, Kodiak/Aleutian Islands, Bristol Bay, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Western Interior, Seward Peninsula, Northwest Arctic, Eastern Interior...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service si asking for your help to learn about these sea ducks in the winter. If you observe Spectacled Eiders at sea, please record the date, time, location, number of birds, activity, and other relevant information. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Signatures yesterday in Washington, D.C., on amendments to a 79-year-old treaty are giant steps in progress for Alaska's subsistence hunters - the best news in decades - but the journey is not over yet, according to officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), the federal agency which has taken the lead in modifying the 1916 Migratory Bird Treaty between the U.S. and Canada. Those partners include members of the Alaska Native community, the governments of the U.S., Canada, the ...

Eighty-one percent of Americans believe hunting should remain legal while 16 percent said it should be illegal, the study showed. The study showed 62 percent of Americans believe "a lot" of hunters violate hunting laws or practice unsafe behavior while hunting. Even among hunters, nearly half believed a large percentage of their fellow hunters violate hunting laws or practice unsafe behavior while hunting.

Perserverance and an eye for the historic paid off in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 46th Federal Duck Stamp Contest as Wilhelm J. Goebel of Somerset, New Jersey, took top honors after nearly two decades of entering the annual contest. Goebel began entering the Federal Duck Stamp contest in 1978 when he was a biology major at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He designed the 1994 New Jersey Duck Stamp and fishing stamps for New Jersey, Delaware, and Illinois.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, with the concurrence of Secretary of agriculture Dan Glickman, has appointed twenty-six individuals to fill expiring terms on ten federal subsistence regional advisory councils in Alaska. The regional councils meet at least twice each year and represent the Southeast, Southcentral, Kodiak/Aleutian Islands, Bristol Bay, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Western Interior Seward Peninsula, northwest Arctic, Eastern Interior and North Slope federal subsistence ...

Ada Deer, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, will travel to Alaska on October 19 to speak to Native Alaskans and visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Early on the morning of Saturday, October 21, Deer will fly to Fairbanks and then to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated that over 90 percent of the porcupine caribou calves are born on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the early summer months.

September 21, 1995       National Wildlife Refuges Week in Alaska; "Wildlife! Wildlife was Alaska's living treasure before the booms, and they will continue to enrich Alaska after, thanks in large part to the National Wildlife Refuge System. National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 8-14, presents an excellent opportunity to help Alaskan's learn about their heritage of "wild things.

Anchorage, Alaska - A three year undercover investigation into the illegal taking and selling of Alaskan waterfowl concluded for eight individuals on August 10, 1995, when a federal grand jury for the District of Alaska returned six felony indictments against all allege various felony and misdemeanor violations of the Lacey Act, the Migratory Bird Realty Act, and the Endangered Species Act. The indictments list the illegal taking of a variety of ducks, including the now threatened Spectacled...

Anthony Waterbury was sentenced today in Anchorage by the United states Magistrate Judge Harry Branson for killing a bald eagle. According to Special agents with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Law Enforcement in Anchorage, Waterbury shot and killed a mature bald eagle in April of 1994. The criminal investigation was conducted by Special Agents from The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and officers from the Seldovia, Alaska Police Department.

Robyn Thorson, Region 7's new Deputy Regional Director, left her last post in Albuquerque in mid May as the Assistant Regional Director for budget and finance, eagerly returning to Alaska, an old home and working station more than once in her past. Thorson replaces Dave Allen who is now the Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. She first worked for the Service in the Alaska Region as the Associate Regional Director from 1989-1993.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt welcomed today's Supreme Court decision in the Sweet Home case as "a common sense approach" that is 100% consistent with the actions of past Republican and Democratic Administrations in protecting endangered species. The Court held that the Endangered Species Act bars the killing or harming of endangered species adversely modifying their habitat. Habitat conservation plans (HCPs) are the solution that demonstrate the compatibility of wildlife habitat ...

Beginning on June 30, 1995, the Service will open a three-month comment period for this proposal. All interested parties are invited to comment during the reopened comment period; written comments may now be submitted until October 1, 1995. Comments should be submitted to the Fairbanks Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1412 Airport Way, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99701.

Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mollie Beattie, announced that the Queen Charlotte goshawk, which inhabits the coastal mainland and islands of British Columbia and southeast Alaska, does not qualify for listing as an endangered species at this time. As in its recent decision not to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf, the Fish and Wildlife Service based this decision on insufficient scientific and commercial information to warrant listing. The Forest Service, Fish and ...

Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson will proclaim July 1 "Minnesota Federal Duck Stamp Day" to honor Hautman and recognize Minnesota's contributions to the Duck Stamp program and vise versa. The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is a unique conservation education curriculum modeled after the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, designed to teach youngsters about waterfowl and wetlands conservation. For more information about Duck Stamps, the 1995 Federal Duck Stamp Contest, the ...

Lately, motorists in and around Anchorage have encountered hundreds of these adult birds leading lines of baby ducks and geese across the streets, busy highways and business parking lots. Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are asking motorists to slow down near Anchorage nesting areas. Accoding to Service biologist Bob Leedy the ducks and geese started nesting in and around Anchorage about three to four weeks ago.

Early this spring, federal biologists of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Biological Service combined satellite technology with 20/20 eyesight to solve one of the great biological mysteries of North America: Where do spectacled eiders, a rare and mysterious sea duck, go during the winter? In late March, responding to a single location signal from a satellite transmitter attached to an eider hen, Fish and Wildlife biologists Bill Larned and Greg Balogh flew out over the ...

On May 11, 1995 Alaskan Big Game Erik Van Veenen was sentenced in Federal District Court in Fairbanks, Alaska by District Court Judge H. Russel Holland for his participation in the illegal guiding of four German clients in the fall of 1992. Van Veenen had been convicted in a jury trial in Fairbanks on March 3, 1995 of two misdemeanor counts and four felony counts of the Federal Lacey Act for the illegal sale and export in foreign commerce of illegally taken wildlife. Judge Holland sentenced...

The governments of Canada and the United States today announced an historic agreement on important amendments to the 1916 Migratory Bird Convention. Upon ratification of the amendments (and implementing regulations) it will be legal for Indigenous inhabitants of Alaska and Aboriginal people of Canada to harvest migratory birds as they have done for centuries. "The agreement ensures the continued viability of the Migratory Bird Convention and the continued conservation of the migratory birds...

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) will consider customary and traditional use determinations for federal public lands on the Kenai Peninsula during a public meeting on April 13, 1995, at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. In late February, the Southcentral Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council (Regional Council) made a recommendation on customary and traditional use determinations for the Kenai Peninsula. The Regional Council advocates that residents of the communities of Hope...

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) will hold a public meeting April 10-14, 1995 at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. The Board will review proposed July 1, 1995 to June 30, 1996 federal subsistence regulations, which include open seasons, harvest limits and methods and means of taking fish and wildlife for subsistence on federal public lands. The ten federal subsistence regional advisory councils made recommendations to the Board on those proposals affecting subsistence users in their...

Applications for conducting commercial visitor services on the Alaska Peninsula and Becharof National Wildlife Refuges are now available from Refuge Headquarters. A special use permit is required for conducting any commercial visitor services on Refuge lands and waters. Application packets and additional information are available by contacting Refuge headquarters at (907) 246-3339 or writing Alaska Peninsula/Becharof National Wildlife Refuge Complex, P.O. Box 277, King Salmon, Alaska, 99613...

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Dr. D. James Baker, Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, today released a set of ten principles, designed to balance endangered species protection with economic development, that would bring significant change to the way the Endangered Species Act is implemented. The Administration will propose new regulations that would grant general exemptions from Endangered Species Act enforcement to most activities on single home residential ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is offering computer users cruising the information highway a wealth of data on the conservation and management of this Nation's fish and wildlife resources and their habitat. The new World Wide Web server "home pages" contain summaries of virtually every aspect of the numerous activities and programs conducted by the Service. Also available is information on fisheries management and conservation, detailed descriptions of various popular wildlife species, ...

Mollie Beattie, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), has selected David B. Allen to be the next Regional Director for the Service's Alaska Region. Allen, who has been the region's deputy regional director since December, 1991, replaces Walter 0. Stieglitz, former head of the federal wildlife agency for Alaska. In addition, Allen will represent the Service on the Federal Subsistence Board, which manages subsistence hunting and fishing on Federal public lands in ...

Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mollie Beattie, announced today that the Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni), which inhabits islands in southeast Alaska, does not at this time qualify for listing as a threatened species. On December 17, 1993, the Fish and Wildlife Service received a petition from the Biodiversity Legal Foundation, requesting listing of the Alexander Archipelago wolf as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service's ...

After more than seven weeks of round-the-clock feedings and 24- hour care by more than 20 different people for "Matt," Alaska's orphan sea otter, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have secured a home for the pup rescued near Valdez on New Years Eve. According to Carol Gorbics, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service marine mammal biologist, two zoo keepers from the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands arrived in Anchorage over the weekend, and plan to take their new pup home with them as soon as ...

The budget increases the Service's fisheries management funding by $6.1 million, or 39 percent, including $4 million to conserve and restore interjurisdictional recreational fisheries of national significance. The budget includes an additional $3.2 million for fishing, hunting, and environmental education programs and improved habitat management on national wildlife refuges. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency with responsibility for conserving, protecting, and...

Applications for conducting commercial visitor services on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge are now available from Refuge Headquarters. Application packets and additional information are available by contacting Refuge headquarters at 262-7021 or writing Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 2139, Soldotna, Alaska, 99669. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in West Virginia received the distinction of being named the 500th refuge. Like Ash Meadows refuge in Nevada, Lake Wales is one of the few national wildlife refuges established primarily for endangered plants. That act established a 3,195-acre wilderness within Havasu National Wildlife Refuge and 5,836 acres in Imperial National Wildlife Refuge.

The January 25th and 26th meeting of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council in Mountain Village has been postponed due to lack of a quorum to conduct business. For more information residents may contact the Regional Council Coordinator, John Andrew, at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Councils will meet in ten Alaska communities from the end of January through the first week of March. The Regional Councils advise the Federal Subsistence Board on local subsistence uses of fish and wildlife on federal public lands. Regional Council members are residents of the regions they represent and are familiar with and knowledgeable of regional subsistence activities and issues.

The subsistence hunting season for mountain goat on Federal public lands in game area RG 249 in Prince William Sound has been closed. The area includes that portion of sub-unit 6D east of Columbia Glacier; north of Valdez Arm and west of Port Valdez; Shoup Bay and Shoup Glacier. The Federal Subsistence Board closed the season because the maximum allowable subsistence harvest published in the Federal subsistence management regulations for the 1994-95 season has been met.

A document outlining the step-by-step process for developing comprehensive management plans for all units of the National Wildlife Refuge System is available for public review and comment, the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today. The material is to become part of the planning chapter for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Manual. Copies of the comprehensive management planning chapter may be obtained for review from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (attn: ...

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) has recently announced a winter caribou season in Unit 18 north of the Yukon River. The season will be from February 1 to March 31, 1995 for subsistence harvest of one caribou by residents in 14 lower Yukon River communities. The Western Arctic Caribou Herd, now numbering approximately 500,000 animals, is reoccupying its historical range in portions of Unit 18. The Board has determined that opening federal public lands in Unit 1 8 north of the Yukon ...

  Two species of Arctic nesting geese whose populations had plummeted a decade ago have staged a dramatic comeback, according to recent survey data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Results of fall surveys by Service biologists showed that cackling Canada geese and Pacific white-fronted geese, both of which nest in southwest Alaska, increased by 10 percent and 28 percent, respectively, over the previous year. The partners agreed to drastically restrict hunting of white...

The Service outlined five alternatives for future administration of the Federal Aid in Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program as part of a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. These alternatives range from decreasing the Service's role in approving and monitoring specific state projects funded by Federal Aid to increasing federal-state cooperation in planning and setting regional and national priorities for projects. The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman ...

A winter season for subsistence moose hunting will be open from December 21, 1993, through December 30, 1993, on federal public lands in a portion of Unit 18. Residents of Unit 18 and Upper Kalskag are eligible for the hunt, and the harvest limit is one antlered bull. Prior to opening the hunt, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge manager conferred with the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), village representatives, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the chair of ...

A federal subsistence caribou season opened in a portion of Unit 12 on December 6, 1993, for residents of Tetlin and Northway to hunt the Nelchina herd. Residents of Tetlin and Northway may take one bull caribou by federal registration permit during this season. In announcing the hunt opening, the Federal Subsistence Board included a provision that would close this season if the ratio of Nelchina caribou to Mentasta caribou decreases to twenty to one in the hunt area.

involving the Canadian Wildlife Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Dawson and Van Nest violated permit conditions including exceeding the numbers of eggs allowed, taking eggs from restricted areas and taking a threatened species, the spectacled eider. Among the eggs were at least a dozen eggs of spectacled eiders, which are listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

A polar bear which had been prowling around an Arctic coast military radar facility crashed through a window of the facility, mauled a worker there, and was killed in the facility library last night. The incident was reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), which has jurisdiction over polar bears, late last night. The polar bear attack was the first reported to the Service since December, 1990, when a polar bear attacked and killed a man in Point Lay, Alaska.

The International Porcupine Caribou Board met in Arctic Village, Alaska on November 9-10, 1993. The Board began implementation of the recently completed international conservation plan for the Porcupine caribou herd as well as a report on sensitive habitats deserving special consideration. Biologists from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, and the Yukon Department of Renewable Resources cooperated in the count.

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) has delayed the opening of the lynx trapping season from November 1 to December 1 on federal public land in a portion of Interior Alaska. The Board revised subsitence regulations for lynx trapping at their October 26, 1993, Anchorage public meeting. The lynx trapping regulations were revised in response to a request for reconsideration from the State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) will meet on October 26, 1993, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Captain Cook Hotel, Aft Deck Room in Anchorage. Additional information is available by calling the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management, at 800-478-1456 or in Anchorage 271-2326 (hearing impaired may call (786-3487). Other members are the Alaska directors of the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, ...

The agreement, signed last February by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and the Traditional Council of Togiak (Council), provided for the early fall transfer of as many live reindeer as possible off Hagemeister Island. The agreement further called for the remaining reindeer to be harvested as a food source and distributed to Togiak-area residents. On August 27th, the Service began a 7-week reindeer round-up on Hagemeister Island that ...

A new refuge manager has been named for the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Bethel. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Regional Director for Alaska. Stearns recently served as manager of Koyukuk-Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge system headquartered in Galena.

In accordance with an agreement made last winter between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) the Togiak Traditional Council and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Service and the BIA began transfer activities involving moving the last of the reindeer off of Hagemeister Island in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. During the winters of 1990-92 approximately 800 reindeer starved to death on Hagemeister Island in the Bering Sea. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife ...

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) revised regulations for subsistence moose hunting on federal public land in Southeast Alaska at an August 10, 1993, Anchorage public meeting. The regulations have now been revised for the Stikine River drainage portion of State Game Management Unit (GMU) 1(B). The Board eliminated the requirement that subsistence moose hunting on federal public land in the area be limited only to residents of Wrangell. In addition to Wrangell residents, residents of ...

Subsistence caribou hunting on federal public land in State Game Management Unit (GMU) 9(D) and on Unimak Island in GMU 10 has been closed for the 1993-94 hunting season. The closure was issued by the Federal Subsistence Board on August 10, 1993, to protect the health of the Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Herd. Five communities will be affected by this closure: Cold Bay, False Pass, King Cove, Nelson Lagoon, and Sand Point, although only False Pass residents have customary and ...

In a unique cooperative effort between Canada and the United States, the countries are working together to resolve conflicts concerning subsistence hunting of migratory birds in Alaska. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently completed a draft environmental assessment evaluating alternatives for resolving the issues. Comments regarding the draft environmental assessment on migratory bird subsistence hunting should be addressed to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Director, 634 Arlington ...

Mollie Beattie, newly confirmed Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be available to discuss the issues with Alaska's media on Friday Oct. 1, 1993. The Service manages 16 wildlife refuges in Alaska, with more than 77 millions acres of land. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A national wildlife refuge in Alaska known for its world class bear and caribou has attracted the keen interest of the scientific community for an unlikely natural resource treasure -its infant volcano. This summer, as biologists study concentrations of brown bears around Becharof Lake, some of the nation's top volcanologists have converged at the new volcano less than one mile away. "Lots of people know about our trophy bears and caribou and great fishing on the Becharof Refuge, which was ...

Updated regulations for subsistence harvest of fish and wildlife on federal public lands in Alaska are now available. Copies of the Federal Register containing the regulations are available at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Subsistence Management in Anchorage. Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act establishes a subsistence priority for the taking of fish and wildlife by rural residents on federal public lands in Alaska.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is gearing up for National Fishing Week June 7 through June 13 with activities scheduled at National Wildlife Refuges throughout the state. National Fishing Week celebrates recreational fishing and showcases our nation's aquatic resources. Innoko - On June 2-4 The refuge will participate in the annual Girl Scout Day ;Camp, providing activities about wetlands and fish ecology and will present the "Pathways to Fishing" program.

Notes: Scientists and resource managers from the eight circumpolar nations* will gather at UAF to begin broad-based environmental planning for the conservation of arctic flora and fauna, their diversity, and their habitats; and for protection of these resources from pollution threats described in the Arctic Protection Stategy. -- Identify gaps in arctic habitat protection. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Ingestion of lead shotgun pellets during feeding is probably the most common cause of lead poisoning in waterfowl, raptors and other birds. "We knew we had some problems with lead shot in southcentral Alaska" said Bob Leedy, Chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Migratory Bird Management in Anchorage. In response, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gradually curtailed the use of lead shot and by 1991 lead shot was prohibited for waterfowl hunting in all 50 states.

The spectacled eider, an arctic sea duck that sports a distinctive white eye patch, is declining rapidly on its primary breeding grounds on Alaska's west coast, leading the U.S. Fish~h and Wildlife Service (Service) to list the species as "threatened' under the Endangered Species Act (Act). Comments were received from Russia, Norway, Canada, Alaska and the Lower 48. BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc. provided data from 10 years of bird studies in Prudhoe Bay showing that the dramatic decline in ...

It is the first celebration of International Migratory Bird Day. "Preservation of Alaska's wetlands for migratory birds is of prime importance because more migratory birds flock to Alaska than to any other state." The Service has co-sponsored other birding activities for International Migratory Bird Day in Adak, Dillingham, Ketchikan, Seward and Tok.

Four additional licensed hunting guides were indicted by a Federal Grand jury yesterday in relation to a joint U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Division of Fish and Wildlife Protection sting called "Operation Brooks Range." "The Service will not tolerate this kind of abuse," said Tim Eicher, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agent. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement agents seized a Supercub airplane from Holleman and a Supercub and Cessna 180 from Eubank.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Law Enforcement Division, has announced plans for continued enforcement activity during the 1993 walrus hunting ~season. Agents will also discuss their plans to make random spot checks of returning hunters to determine compliance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Also, non-natives cannot buy, sell, barter, or possess raw marine mammal parts such as walrus ivory without special permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will be conducting a public meeting in Anchorage to tell people about the development of a Land Protection Plan for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Land Protection Plans explain how the Service can work with landowners to protect wildlife and other resources on private lands within refuge boundaries. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Federal Subsistence Board (Board) will meet April 5 - 8, 1993, to review and consider changes to the seasons and bag limits for federal subsistence hunting and fishing regulations. Other members are the Alaska directors of the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Board has management responsibilities for subsistence activities on federal public lands in Alaska.

More than 1,700 school children from 64 schools in Western Alaska submitted artworkand literature entries this spring for the 8th annual Goose Calendar Contest, sponsored in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The theme of this year's contest, "Geese: Conserving and Sharing Our Alaskan Heritage," continues the contest's emphasis on cooperative concern and management of the wildlife resources of Western Alaska. In addition to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, contest sponsors include ...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will be conducting a public meeting in Anchorage to tell people about the development of a Land Protection Plan for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Land Protection Plans explain how the Service can work with landowners to protect wildlife and other resources on private lands within refuge boundaries. Back to Top U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A walrus hunter was sentenced to 10 months in jail in U.S. District Court in Anchorage today for what Judge Russell Holland called "the worst example of subsistence hunting" he had seen. It is the longest sentence imposed for walrus "headhunting" to date. Gene Ozenna of Little Diomede was sentenced for one count of wasteful take of walrus, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, according to Jill Schweiger, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent.

Common murres (Uria aalge) have been found dead on beaches, harbors and floating in the Gulf of Alaska during the past few days. "At this point we aren't sure what's causing large numbers of murres to die," said Dr. Vivian Mendenhall, biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Two species of murres live in Alaska, the common murre and the thick-billed murre, and biologists consider them both abundant.

The following statement has been released by the International Porcupine Caribou Board, following its meeting in Whitehorse, Canada, January 27, 1993. The International Porcupine Caribou Board met in Whitehorse, Yukon on January 27, 1993. The Board continued its work on an international conservation plan for the Porcupine caribou herd as well as a report on sensitive habitats deserving special consideration.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recently drafted management plans for polar bears, sea otters and walrus. The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 established Federal responsibility for conservation of marine mammals. Two components of the Service's current marine mammal management program involve marking and tagging and a walrus harvest monitoring program.

The Alaska Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) last week notified 65 successful applicants who have won permits to conduct big game guide operations on Alaska's 16 national wildlife refuges. Approximately 140 guide outfitters applied for 103 guide areas, some of which will be used by more than one guide. This year, for the first time, the Service selected "rude-outfitters for these coveted guide areas based on a competitive process.