Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
March 2020

Fish and Wildlife Management in the United States
Article 3: Engage and Affect Change Today

Do you ever feel like your voice, one voice, is just too small to make a difference in this politically charged and popular opinion driven world? I don’t think you’d be alone in saying yes; I know I have felt that way throughout my life. It’s hard to imagine straightforward ways to engage our political and regulatory processes these days enough to affect real impact or change. It’s easy to get down, kick the dirt, and throw up your arms in frustration and dissatisfaction. ...   Wildlife Management Article Continued

Is it a Mountain Lion?
Using forensics for fur

Did you hear there was another mountain lion sighting in Interior Alaska? Seeing a mountain lion in Alaska is almost like saying you saw a Yeti, but not as mythical because they have been here. It’s understandable that they could come into the state following mule deer as the deer expand their known ranges. Mountain lion sightings have been reported in Alaska as far north as Fort Yukon and at least as far back as the 1940s. Most records of sightings come from Southeast Alaska ...   Forensics for Fur Article Continued

Diving in the Dead of Winter
Dive Team Learns Ship Husbandry

On three freezing days in mid-January, a half-dozen state divers jumped off the back deck of the state research vessel Medeia for training in Juneau’s Harris Harbor.

Members of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s dive team generally spend their time underwater looking at living things like herring spawn, sea cucumbers, geoducks and sea urchins. The mid-winter training provided a new set of skills known as ship husbandry.

“For us, that’s looking at the ...   Ship Husbandry Article Continued