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Assessment of Alaska Reindeer Populations and Range Conditions

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Assessment of Alaska Reindeer Populations and Range Conditions Paper presented at The First Arctic Ungulate Conference, Nuuk, Greenland, 3-8. September, 1991. Assessment of Alaska reindeer populations and range conditions J. D. Swanson1 and M. H. W. Barker2 1 USDA Soil Conservation Service, 201 E. 9th Avenue, Suite 300, Anchorage, Alaska 99501, U.S.A. 2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska 99508, U.S.A. Abstract: Populations of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) have fluctated greatly since their introduction to Alaska in 1891. In the 1930s, reported numbers exceeded 600,000. Presently, 38,000 reindeer graze 6.2 million ha of rangeland and woodland in Western Alaska (from 66°54'N to 52°07'N latitude). Condition of winter range producing fruticose lichens (Cladina rangiferina, Cladina arbuscula, Cladina stellaris, Cetraria cucullata, Cetra- ria islandica) is of major concern. Monitoring programs have been established for vegetation, fire, reindeer and wildlife. Reindeer have overgrazed lichen resources on some Bering Sea Islands. Wildfires have had the greatest impact on lichen range depletion on the mainland. Overgrazing has been a problem in localized areas. Moose (AIces alces) and muskox (Ovibos moschatus) rarely contribute to major lichen depletion. 60-80% of the mainland and 5-30% of most island winter lichen ranges are presently estimated to be in good to excel• lent ecological condition. Procedures for assessing condition of the lichen ranges are being further refined. Keywords: Alaska, winter, pastures, lichens, population dynamics, sampling techniques Rangifer, 12 (1): 33-43 Introduction Siberian reindeer herders were originally Sheldon Jackson, General Agent of Education brought to instruct local natives in reindeer in Alaska, toured the northern coasts of Siberia husbandry and herding techniques (Brickey, and Alaska in 1890. He noted that reindeer her• 1975). They were replaced by Saami herders ding made Siberian natives more independent from Norway in 1894 (Olsen, 1970). The pristi• than Alaska natives. Private funds were used to ne ranges provided excellent forage. With good transport 16 reindeer from Siberia to Unalaska animal husbandry practices, such as 24-hour and Amaknak Islands in September 1891, to im• herding, the population rapidly expanded. Net prove living conditions and reduce starvation annual herd increase reached 25-33.5%/year among Alaska natives. These reindeer starved to (Palmer, 1934). By 1932, the reindeer popula• death for lack of lichen forage (Brickey, 1975). tion had grown to 641,100 (Mozee, 1933) (Fig. During 1892-1902, 1,280 reindeer from Siberia 1). Lomen (1929) reported that there were were shipped to Port Clarence on the Seward 90,688,259 ha of suitable reindeer range. Based Peninsula (Churchill, 1906; Lomen, 1929). on 12 ha/grazing unit, he optimistically estima• These reindeer were dispersed throughout ted that Alaska could support 5 million rein• northern and western Alaska. deer. Rangifer, 12 (1), 1992 33 husbandry and range research. Investigations were conducted at the Reindeer Experiment Station at College and at the Nome and Nuni- vak substations. Detailed studies offeeding, bree• ding, forage, animals habits, diseases, insects, morphology, and caribou-reindeer crossbreeding were conducted. Of specific interest are those studies that focus on reindeer range mapping, reindeer grazing and lichen growth rates (Pal• mer, 1926, 1934, 1945). L. J. Palmer pioneered reindeer research in American with studies on forage plant abundance, forage palatability, and grazing strategies. Palmer and Rouse (1945) 0 , —I—1 I I I I I 1 I I 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 measured vegetation productivity, conducted ve• Years getation recovery experiments, and monitored Fig. 1. Alaska reindeer populations, 1891-1991. fire effects on lichens. From these and other re• Reindeer became a valuable resource. Rein• cent efforts (Alaska and Circumpolar), princi• deer meat -became a normal part of the local ples of Alaska reindeer range management have diet. During 1928-30, 2,500,000 kg of reindeer been established. meat were shipped to markets in the lower 48 In recent years, lucrative wet velvet antler states (Palmer, 1934). By-product markets were markets and high-value speciality meat products developed for antlers, blood and viscera. Can• have brought attention to potential economic ned dog food was retailed. Antlers were expor• development of rural Alaska. Reindeer herders, ted and used for knife handles. Skins were used land owners and managers have expressed con• locally for making boots, parkas, trousers and cerns over industry expansion. Although the in• sleeping bags (Palmer, 1934). Corrals slaughte• dustry has attempted to increase reindeer num• ring plants, underground storage tunnels and bers over the past 15 years, statewide numbers shipping facilities were constructed throughout have not significantly increased. The major cau• the reindeer areas (Fig. 2). ses are predation, brucellosis, induced handling By 1929, the non-native, profit-driven Lomen stress (caused by snowmachines, helicopters, Corporation asserted much influence over the and velveting), spring harvest of pregnant fema• industry. The Corporation's prominence, com• les, reindeer loss to migrating caribou, and de• bined with a change from subsistence to profit- pletion of winter lichen range. driven motives, prompted congressional investi• Although reindeer thrive in the more tempe• gations from 1927-1938. On September 1, 1937, rate Aleutian climates without a lichen winter Congress passed the Alaska Reindeer Act, diet, on most reindeer winter ranges, if lichens which excluded non-native ownership of rein• are available, they are highly preferred (Palmer, deer. All reindeer, range grazing rights, equip• 1945; Andreev, 1954; Skjenneberg and Slags- ment and handling facilities were transferred to void, 1968; Pegau, 1968b). Lichen ranges fre• a government trust. quently receive intensive use. The slow growth Alaska reindeer populations began their decli• rate of lichens is widely recognized. Scotter ne in 1933. By 1950 only 25,000 reindeer remai• (1963) in the North West Territories found that ned. Population declines were attributed to in• the average annual growth rate for Cladina stel- adequate herding, wolf prédation, poor faciliti• laris was 3.4 mm and 4.1 mm for Cladina rang- es, herder/owner conflicts and low profit iferina. Pegau (1968a) found Seward Peninsula margins caused by the economic depression rates to be 5.0 mm and 5.3 mm/year respective• (Abrahamson, 1968). Winter forage was destro• ly. Lichen recovery may take 20 years (25-40 yed by overgrazing, trampling and fire. There years on upland ridges) following full cropping was poor planning of range use and insufficient on coastal tundra (Palmer, 1934). Lichen rec• knowledge of range management. overy is further complicated by the competitive In 1920, the Bureau of Biological Survey, in nature of the vascular plant community. cooperation with the Alaska College of Agricul• Methods used to assess lichen ranges are discus• ture and School of Mines, initiated reindeer sed in the following. 34 Rangifer, 12 (1), 1992 U^.:^ll345 DISTRIBUTION (PALMER, 1945) PRESENT DISTRIBUTION ON IDENTIFIED ISLANDS, SEWARD PENINSULA, FAIRBANKS, AND PALMER. Fig. 2. Reindeer distribution, Alaska. Methods where possible. Range condition (ecological A variety of sampling and evaluation techniques condition) is the ecological status of vegetation has been used to monitor rangeland in Alaska. for a specific site. It is an expression of the rela• Data for this assessment has been consolidated tive degree to which the kinds, proportions, from various vegetation surveys, range condi• and amounts in a community resemble the cli• tion assessments, trend plot analyses and utiliza• max vegetation (Soil Conservation Service, tion checks. Historical reindeer population and 1976). Condition is divided into 4 classes: poor range condition information has been reviewed (0-25%), fair (26-50%), good (51-75%), and ex• where possible. cellent (76-100%). Two separate values for con• Ecological site descriptions were developed dition are determined on ecological sites where using data from historical climax relict areas lichens are the key for management and/or sup• (Soil Conservation Service, 1976). Site descrip• porting > 130 kg/ha live lichen biomass. The tions contain information on landscape factors, first condition value represents vascular plants, water features, soil factors, vegetation factors, and the second value represents condition of li• wildlife, and community dynamics. chens. For example, a condition rating of Ecological site maps were prepared using 100/100 indicates that the plant community ex• 1:250,000 scale topographic maps and false-color hibits balanced floristic composition and mat• infrared photography at a scale of 1:60,000. Evi• ches its expected potential. The subsequent ra• dence was collected for fire history and grazing ting of the same community at 95/45 would in• intensity. Crews traversed pre-established tran• dicate that a disturbance had occurred, and sects when possible to verify the accuracy of although the vascular plants had nearly recover• the maps. Procedures to evaluate ecological site ed to climax potential, the lichen component include: canopy coverage, species frequency, had yet to reach half its climax potential. If li• height of vegetation, annual production, lichen chens are not part of the potential vegetation, and moss biomass, and soil information (Swan- their component
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