A RANGE-WIDE ASSESSMENT OF THE CAPE THOMPSON MUSKOXEN POPULATION
Schmidt JH and Westing C. 2011. A RANGE-WIDE ASSESSMENT OF THE CAPE THOMPSON MUSKOXEN POPULATION. National Park Service. Fairbanks, AK.
The Cape Thompson muskoxen population has been monitored since 1988 using minimum count methods. The traditional survey area focused on the coastal region (~0-30km from shore) from Cape Thompson in the north to the mouth of the Noatak River in the south(Fig. 1). This area was divided into 12 subunits which were surveyed intensively using fixedwing aircraft, and most of the known population occurred in this area (Westing 2009). However since introduction, incidental sightings have increased in the surrounding area. In the last 20 years, the number of incidental sightings has increased dramatically, while in the last 5 years,counts within the traditional survey area have decreased (Westing 2009). For these reasons, it was deemed necessary to survey the known range and potential habitat in GMU’s 26A and 23 north of Kotzebue that may be supporting muskoxen to try to understand the overall status of the population and develop a better tool for monitoring changes in population size and distribution. This increased the survey area from 10,440 km2to ~66,000 km2, making a minimum count approach impractical.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Schmidt, Joshua; Westing, Charlotte
- Date of Issue
- 2011
- Units
- CAKR
- Keywords
- Abundance, Alaska, Cape Thompson, Muskox, Sampling, Survey, wethod
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals