Migratory Birds
Rufous hummingbirds in the far north
Imagine standing 3 inches tall and weighing 3.5 grams (less than the weight of a nickel). Would you be bold and boisterous? Rufous hummingbirds are. Though they’re among the smallest hummingbirds in the world, these electric creatures zip across the landscape in an annual migration cycle that stretches north to Alaska and as far south as Mexico and Florida.
And, they do it in style.
Pollinators
Bee Mimics in the Far North
Put your fly swatter down.
Blueberries. Fireweed. Lupines. Forget-Me-Nots. Pollinators are an essential link in the reproductive success of many of Alaska’s flowering plants. We usually think of bees or bumblebees (maybe even bats or birds) when we think of pollinators, but let’s not forget the flies.
The Flower Flies
There are nearly 900 species of flower flies in North America, with roughly 200 species in Alaska (they’re also known as syrphid or “hover” flies). Adult flower flies feed on pollen and nectar. …
Invasive Species
A conversation about crayfish in Alaska
Adapted from a conversation with Matt van Daele (Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak), Jeff Woods (crayfish fisherman), and Tammy Davis (Alaska Department of Fish and Game). Listen to episode 24 of “Fish of the Week!”
Arrival of Crayfish in Alaska
Tammy: We first heard about crayfish on Kodiak Island in 2002 — a student was out fishing in Buskin Lake and found several. That following summer, we did some opportunistic trapping but weren’t that successful.
Matt: Back in 2003, I was a brand new high school intern with Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Sport Fish division in Kodiak. …
All The Fish
Growing up as she did in a small Wisconsin town, Riley always gravitated to the outdoors. With family who instilled a sense of independence and adventure, she learned to explore her surroundings on foot and skis, then took to rock climbing and rafting, developing an intense interest in wildlife and wildlands along the way.
“My grandma played a critical role in my childhood and my curiosity about nature,” says Riley. “She had this inexplicable sense of the way the world worked. She spoke magically about plants and animals, all the way down to the stinkbugs in her house.
All The Fish
Harbingers of spring and fresh hope
Adapted from a conversation with guests Ted Hart from the Chilkoot lndian Association and Meredith Pochardt from Haines, Alaska. Listen to the full “Fish of the Week” podcast episode about Eulachon here.
What’s in a name?
The American Fisheries Society has settled on Eulachon, but there are others.
The local name I hear a lot is ooligan. It’s like o-o-l-i-g-a-n. And oolichon. Many people say hooligan, and the traditional name for them is saak, s-a-a-k. That’s the Tlingit name.
Candlefish. Once dried, they’re so oily, you can literally light them on fire.
Salvation fish.
Pollinators
Native bees in the Land of the Midnight Sun
There are over 20,000 bee species worldwide, and approximately 100 call Alaska home—ranging from social bumblebees to four types of solitary bees and a few others in between. They play an important role pollinating plants, including wild berry-picking favorites.
Wetlands
The watery world of Selawik National Wildlife Refuge
Why are two and a half million acres of land in Northwest Alaska conserved as a wildlife refuge? What makes this place so special? In a word, wetlands. The lands that today make up Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, and that are the homeland of generations of Iñupiat, are top-notch wildlife habitat consisting largely of wetlands.
COVID pandemic underscores connections
“I think one of the things that COVID has laid to bare in our rural communities…that you’re seeing more apparently, are the connections between things like food security, mental well-being, and cultural sovereignty.” — Arctic Youth Ambassador Samuel Uuyavuk Schimmel
March 2020 was set to be an eventful one for a group of young bright Alaskans. Those young people — the third and latest cohort of the Arctic Youth Ambassadors (AYA) Program — were packing their bags for Anchorage, where they would be taking part in the AYA Program’s orientation summit. Through a multi-day event at the Anchorage Museum, the…
Virtual Arctic Refuge Bird Festival
Spring Arrivals in the Arctic
Migratory birds connect us to the wider world. In spring, when birds arrive from hundreds or even thousands of miles away, we marvel at the distances they’ve traveled, the places they’ve been. Birds don’t heed borders or language barriers. They transcend them in every sense, soaring beyond the confines of the human-built world and showing us — when we take the time to look — how interconnected we are as inhabitants of this planet.
Spring migration brings birds from around the world to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to breed. Many of the birds migrating through the lower 48 eventually make…
Careers
Two Decades of Service to Alaska
In Alaska, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employs a small army of dedicated and passionate staff with a large spectrum of roots. Some were born and raised in Alaska. Others have come from around the world. Regardless, some stay to do a job they feel is important enough to spend a lifetime doing. Like Greg Siekaniec, who has served the people of Alaska in numerous roles across the state for nearly two decades.
Where are you from? How did you get introduced into nature?
I grew up in Minnesota—the western prairie region—and was fortunate enough to have exposure to what I call the “lakes country.” My parents had a cabin…
U.S.Fish&Wildlife Alaska
Stories from Alaska by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
