Caribou Monitoring in the Arctic Network of National Parks

Joly, Kyle

Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) have consistently ranked high as a vital sign for ARCN. At an estimated population size of over 400,000 animals, the Western Arctic Herd (WAH) are a significant ecological force in Northwestern Alaska and are the largest caribou herd in Alaska. The WAH has a substantial cultural impact in that the heritage and traditions of Native Alaskans in approximately 40 subsistence based communities in the region have been shaped by the availability of these caribou (Western Arctic Herd Working Group 2003). The availability of WAH also affects the economics of this region. The presence and relative abundance of WAH caribou have substantial impacts on the populations of wolves, bears, and wolverines in the area. Caribou are good integrators of regional conditions in northwestern Alaska because of their migratory nature. Caribou may have substantial effects on plant and lichen communities and by extension wildlife communities, either directly through browsing and grazing or indirectly through biogeochemical cycling. Key reasons for monitoring the WAH in network parks are that caribou are: (1) an extremely important subsistence species that occur in all park units within this network; (2) specifically identified in the management objectives of GAAR, KOVA and NOAT; (3) directly impact reindeer and reindeer herders in BELA; (4) considered good indicators of the condition of park ecosystems because they consume lichens and fungi making them good bio-indicators of environmental toxins; and (5) the focus of national and international datasets for caribou herds and caribou ecology across the Arctic region. Successful monitoring of the WAH by ARCN and NPS staff will require integration with existing efforts currently be done by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Caribou Monitoring in the Arctic Network of National Parks

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