Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
October 2024

Re-Wilding Wood Bison
Soft release, anchoring, and lessons learned

By Riley Woodford

Giant wood bison roamed the expansive sedge meadows of Alaska for thousands of years before disappearing early in the 20th century. Now, close to 150 wood bison in two herds are foraging in the meadows and mixed forest of Interior and Southwest Alaska.

This summer, 58 wood bison, originally from Canada, were transported to the Minto Flats State Game Refuge west of Fairbanks. This wetland meadow complex of almost half a million acres lies in just about the geographic center of the state. ...   Wood Bison Article Continued

Plains bison and wood bison

By Riley Woodford

Wood bison are the largest native land mammal in North America. A big male can weigh a ton and stand taller at the shoulder than a grown man. They are noticeably larger than plains bison, their close relatives.

Plains bison and wood bison evolved from steppe bison, an ice-age bison (famous from cave paintings) found across Europe, Asia and North America that went extinct a few thousand years ago. Plains bison flourished in the south and wood bison adapted to more northern climate and environment. ...   Plains & wood bison Article Continued

Belugas Count! 2024

By Barb Lake

Spotting a bright white beluga whale in the murky waters of Cook Inlet isn’t as simple as it may sound. Seeing one of these iconic whales takes some dedication, so a little help from experts goes a long way.

On a beautiful sunny Saturday in late September, residents and visitors came together throughout Cook Inlet to celebrate the annual Belugas Count! citizen science event. This free family-friendly celebration, hosted by NOAA Fisheries and dozens of partners, is Alaska’s largest ...   Belugas Count! 2024 Article Continued

Keeping Chronic Wasting Disease out of Alaska

By Staff

Alaska offers outstanding big game hunting opportunities, but Alaskans also enjoy hunting out of state. It might be a chance to hunt whitetails with family in the Midwest, or take a horseback trip for elk in the West.

Unfortunately, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is present in deer and elk in both those regions. CWD is a fatal neurological disease that can be unintentionally brought to Alaska by hunters bringing home CWD-positive tissue or carcasses. CWD has been detected in 35 states in ...   CWD Article Continued