Wildlife Diversity Brochure

Since 2002, The Wildlife Diversity Program and our partners have conducted projects on over 100 diff erent species of wildlife. The list below spotlights some of the species receiving our att enti on: The Wildlife Diversity

Waterbirds Mammals Raptors Amphibians Program Mission: Conserving • yellow-billed loon • wood bison • golden eagle • wood frog • common loon • brown bear, Kenai population • bald eagle • western toad To conserve the natural diversity • Pacifi c loon • Alaska marmot • osprey • rough-skinned newt of Alaska’s wildlife, habitats and Alaska’s • red-necked grebe • hoary marmot • gyrfalcon • northwestern salamander • horned grebe • Montague Island marmot • Queen Charlotte goshawk • long-toed salamander ecosystems. • Glacier Bay marmot • American peregrine falcon Landbirds • collared pika • Arctic peregrine falcon Seabirds Wildlife • American dipper • tundra hare • Peale’s peregrine falcon • short-tailed albatross • rusty blackbird • least weasel • northern saw-whet owl • marbled murrelet • Arctic warbler • little brown myotis • northern pygmy owl • Kittlitz’s murrelet • Aleutian tern Diversity • Prince of Wales spruce grouse • Keen’s myotis • northern hawk owl • olive-sided fl ycatcher • California myotis • western screech owl • black-legged kittiwake • various other songbirds • long-legged myotis • barred owl • common murre • silver-haired bat • short-eared owl • glaucous-winged gull Marine Mammals • various other small mammals • boreal owl • pelagic cormorant • bowhead whale • great gray owl • double-crested cormorant • North Pacifi c right whale Shorebirds • great horned owl • tufted puffi n • killer whale • black oystercatcher • long-eared owl • horned puffi n • Steller sea lion • Eskimo curlew • parakeet auklet For more informati on • harbor seal • Pacifi c golden-plover • pigeon guillemot about the ADF&G Wildlife Diversity • bearded seal • western sandpiper • ringed seal • solitary sandpiper Waterfowl Program, our staff and projects, please • spotted seal • short-billed dowitcher • Steller’s eider contact the Wildlife Diversity Program • ribbon seal • surfbird • spectacled eider • walrus • black turnstone • Tule white-fronted goose Coordinator at 907-465-4190 or visit • polar bear • sandhill crane • Dusky Canada goose www.wildlife.alaska.gov. • northern sea otter • trumpeter swan

Working Together for Conservati on Wildlife Diversity Partner Program Our Wildlife Diversity Program biologists conduct a wide range of research, monitoring and conservati on projects. But there is a limit to what we can accomplish alone. Fortunately, a great deal of capacity and experti se exists among our partners throughout Alaska. The Wildlife Diversity Partner Program provides an exciti ng opportunity for organizati ons (including state Photos courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ADF&G and our Wildlife Diversity Program partners. and federal agencies, Nati ve organizati ons, nonprofi ts, universiti es and individuals) to receive State Wildlife Grant (SWG) funds to work on shared conservati on prioriti es identi fi ed in the Alaska Wildlife Acti on Plan. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Partner program recipients must be able to supply qualifying non-federal matching funds (which may administers all programs and acti viti es include staff ti me, volunteer ti me or donated goods or services). These collaborati ve eff orts eff ecti vely free from discriminati on based on race, color, nati onal origin, age, sex, religion, leverage SWG funding and effi ciently combine the resources and experti se of a multi tude marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or of organizati ons to meet the conservati on needs of Alaska’s diverse wildlife. disability. For informati on on alternati ve formats for this and other department The Alaska Department of Fish and Game We conti nue to seek out new partners and projects, while working with existi ng partners, publicati ons, please contact the to identi fy collaborati ve opportuniti es. For informati on about ADF&G’s Wildlife Diversity department ADA Coordinator at (voice) Wildlife Diversity Program Program, contact the Wildlife Diversity Program Coordinator at 907-465-4190 or visit 907-465-6077, (TDD) 907-465-3646, or Division of Wildlife Conservati on (FAX) 907-465-6078. www.wildlife.alaska.gov. What We Do: A Small Sample Keeping Common Species Common he Wildlife Diversity Program leads wildlife conservati on projects throughout the state. Our eff orts range from baseline surveys and monitoring to the ADF&G’s Wildlife Tdevelopment of management tools and directed research projects aimed at understanding populati on movements and distributi ons, breeding ecology, geneti cs, habitat use and the factors limiti ng populati ons. To demonstrate the nature and breadth of our eff orts, here are just a few highlights from more Diversity Program than 120 projects undertaken by the Wildlife Diversity Program and our partners to date. Understanding the ecology of oystercatchers Working with whalers on bowheads Involving volunteers to help fi ll data gaps – he Wildlife Diversity Program works The black oystercatcher is one of the rarest The ecology of the endangered bowhead whale ADF&G’s Citi zen Science Program Tproacti vely with our state, federal shorebirds in North America, and most nest in remains largely a mystery to science: They are Because of Alaska’s vast size, traditi onal and private partners to conserve wildlife Alaska. Despite being considered a species of exceedingly diffi cult to study, but Alaska Nati ves inventory and monitoring eff orts are oft en species before they become threatened high concern, very litt le was known about their hold the key to unlock some understanding. A cost prohibiti ve for many species. To help or endangered, to recover species already ecology or populati on status. ADF&G took the handful of Nati ve villages in the Arcti c are sti ll fi ll these data gaps, the Wildlife Diversity imperiled and to keep “common species lead on an internati onal, multi agency project permitt ed to harvest a small number of these Program created the Alaska Citi zen Science common.” to address key aspects of black oystercatcher massive animals for Program. The program (1) collects valuable ecology criti cal to the conservati on of this subsistence. ADF&G baseline informati on across large geographic Hunters, anglers and trappers have long poorly understood species. The cooperati ve is partnering with the areas at litt le cost; (2) provides opportuniti es supported the conservati on of game and project drew together the eff orts of the U.S.D.A. North Slope Borough to for volunteer parti cipati on and conservati on furbearing species through license fees. But Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, investi gate the feeding educati on; and (3) develops a mechanism what about conservati on eff orts for other U.S. Geological Survey, Nati onal Park Service, ecology of the bowhead for citi zen-based monitoring in the face of wildlife species that play important roles in University of Alaska Fairbanks, Oregon State whale by collaborati ng environmental change. The data our citi zen our ecosystems but are not hunted, fi shed University, Parks Canada, Canadian Wildlife with local whaling scienti sts collect helps defi ne distributi onal or trapped? Unti l recently in Alaska, no Service, and the Laskeek Bay Conservati on crews to obtain stomach limits and habitat associati ons and is building dedicated source of state or federal funding Society in Briti sh Columbia. The project contents and other samples and measurements the foundati ons for directed research. This produced signifi cant new informati on on from harvested whales. This project opens exciti ng program allows individuals, families, existed for understanding and conserving distributi on and populati on trends, breeding the door to new informati on on bowhead community organizati ons and school groups – the wider diversity of our wildlife. biology, rangewide producti vity, threats, whale diets and the frequency and intensity of anyone interested in learning more about our In 2001, new sources of federal funding seasonal migrati on routes and wintering feeding. wildlife – a chance to get involved. Ongoing became available for this broader scope of concentrati ons. As a result of this project, the Citi zen Science Projects are focused on wood conservati on. These funding opportuniti es, species is believed to be stable and has been frogs, bats, loons and grebes. For more Restoring the wood bison known today as the State Wildlife Grant removed from the Audubon Watch List. informati on, visit www.akciti zenscience.net. Wood bison once ranged across Alaska and (SWG) program, led to the creati on of the northern Canada, but were driven nearly to Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s exti ncti on like their bett er known southern Wildlife Diversity Program. cousins, the Plains bison. By 1900, wood bison were exti rpated from Alaska and fewer than 300 remained in Canada. ADF&G is partnering with the Wildlife Conservati on Society, Alaska Wildlife Conservati on Center, the Turner Foundati on, Safari Club Internati onal and others to reintroduce the wood bison – the largest mammal nati ve to North America – back into their former range in Alaska.