Nunivak National Wildlife Refuge

' NUNIVAK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Annual Report 1969 SPEC COLL NARR NUNWR 1969 Narrative Report January 1, to December 31, 1969 Staff Nunivak is administered by the staff of the Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Refuge with headquarters in Bethel, Alaska. The permanent staff ·is augmented as necessary by intermit�ent employment of local residents. Permanent Personnel Calvin J. Lensink •• • • • • • • • • • Refuge tl!anager Jerry L. Hout • • • • • • • • • • • • • Assistant rft.anager Virginia Hyatt • • • • • • • • • Clerk· James R. Geerdts • • • • • • • • • • • Maintenanceman Temporary and Intermittent Personnel Richard Davis • • • • • • • • • • • • • Laborer Uncle John • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Laborer · Joe David • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Laborer Henry Weston • • • • • • • • • • • • • Laborer Henry Ivanoff • • • • • • • • • • • • • Laborer This report is prepared for administrative use within the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. Because discussion is frequently based on fra.gJDentary or preliminary data, conclusions should not be quoted without permission of the Refuge Manager. Department of the Interior Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Service Bethel, Alaska 99559 TABlE OF OONTENTS INTRODUCTIOO 1 Summary of Activities 1 Habitat Conditions 1 Weather l wilDLIFE 3 Birds 4 Memna.l.s 4 I.enmings • 4 Furbearers 4 Marine Manmals • 4 Reindeer • � 4 Muskox • 6 Winter Range Surveys 6 Transplant 7 REFOOE IEVEWPftFNI' .12 FIElD INVESTIGATIONS .13 Wildlife Management Study No. 1 . 13 Wildlife Management Study No. 2 . 13 AN'IHIDPOWGICAL STUDI£'3 . 13 PU3LIC RELATICMS .14 VISITOOS .14 SAFI'EY .15 APPENDIX 1 Nunivak National Wildlife Refuge Narrative Report January 1, to December 31, 1969 INTRJDUC1'ION Summary of Activities The Nunivak National Wildlife Refuge is one of four satelite refuges administered by the staff of the Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range. Although in past years programs on Nunivak have necessarily been treated as of secondary importance to those on Clarence Rhode, pressing problems of management, related chiefly to muskox, have caused a rapid expansion of activities. During 1969 the program related primarily to evaluation of winter range conditions and to a transplant of muskox to the Arctic National / Wildlife Range. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game provided the major monetary and operational input to the latter project. In addition, studies of snow conditions, as they relate to winter range and the behavior of muskox, and a more general study of the behavior of muskox were initiated by Dr. Peter Lent, Assistant Leader Alaska Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, and his student, Dennis Knudson. The Refuge staff spent much time in planning for future transplants, and constructed a small holding corral for muskox which, it is hoped, will remove a major bottleneck encountered in previous transplant operations. Other duties and status of funds combined to cause the elimination of qoth winter and summer·censuses of muskox in 1969. Habitat Conditions Weather Habitat conditions are related directly to local weather patterns, which may fluctuate sharply from one year to the next. Weather during November, December, and perhaps January, is most critical for the muskox and reindeer. Deep snow or severe icing conditions that may occur during these months reduce the availability of forage, and animals may have to survive long periods with inadequate food. The development of conditions which limit foraging become less critical �s winter advances. During r�ch, weather usually becomes less severe. In late springs, however, there may be insignificant melting of snow through April. Table l. Temperatures and Pre?ipitati�n Patterns at ��koryuk, Winter, 1968-69. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. ·rmch April Ternperatures Average maximum 30.8 16.2 22.6 · 18.4 23.9 30 . 4 Average miru..rnum 5.0 11.5 8.4 10.7 21.4 Mean 26.6 10.6 17.1 13.4 17.3 25.9 Days maximum 32° or above 13 5 8 6 7 18 Days minimum 32° or above 2 l l 0 0 l Precipitation Days 32° or above/prec. 6 3 7 4 6 7 Days 31° or below/prec. 10 4 ll 4 10 5 Total days/prec.· 16 7 18 8 16 10 As rain and/or wet snow l .38 .32 .73 .37 .62 .29 As dry snow .61 .29 .51 • 25 .33 .08 Total .99 .61 1.24 .62 .95 • 37 Departure from normal ' ...:.35 -.41 +.40 -1.28 -.22 -.33 -- l Estimate based on assumption that all precipitation on days with temperatures of 32°F, or above, fell as rain and/or wet snow conducive to formation of hard crust or ice, when followed by cooler temperatures. 3 During the winter of 1969, there was moderate snowfall in November, but only very light fall in December and in early January (Table 1). 'Prom January 13 to 22, snow fell almost daily. Between January 24 and 30, a wann spell produced maximum daily temperatures ranging from 32° to 36°F. The heaviest precipitation of the winter occurred during this warm period, when a water equivalent of .73 inches fell as rain and/or wet snow. We believe that most of the thick ice layer observed at the bottom of test pits on ridge tops and edges of cliffs. during February surveys.. was formed during this period. This conclusion is supported by residents of riTekoryuk who report that until mid-January there was not a significant accumulation of snow in lowland portions of the island. Precipitation in both February and March was below normal, but much of the precipitation of both months may have contributed to the ice lenses observed in test pits. Tempera tures averaged much higher during April than in previous months; most precipitation fell as rain, and many areas became bare of snow. Foraging conditions for muskox and reindeer were probably favorable until mid-January, but deteriorated at the end of the month because of the extensive icing. Conditions did not become appreciably worse until mid-February, and were probably not critical for muskox until March, although the generally poor condition of reindeer in late February and early March suggested that deer were not obtaining adequate food. A relatively early spring may have prevented significant losses to the reindeer herd, but muskox appeared to be in adequate physical condition during March to have survived a normal spring without serious consequence. WILDLIFE Most observations of wildlife are obtained as an incidental product of activities concerned with muskox. lienee, information on most species does not permit evaluation of annual fluctuations in status. Open seasons on ptarmigan, waterfowl, furbearers, and marine mammals are established in accordance with regulations of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Seasons and bag limits do not vary appreciably from year to year (see Annual Report for 1968, and also Clarence Rhode Annual Report for 1969). The Department of Interior has not permitted hunting of muskox, the only b.ig game species, although hunting was authorized by the State. Control of herd size (it is considered too large) was effected partially, if not entirely, by natural mortality and transplants. More important, transplants in 1968 were the first large scale attempt to move animals to their original range on the Arctic Slope, which was the primary objective in developing a protected herd on Nunivak. 4 Birds Few significant or unusual observations of birds were made in 1969, as activities were mostly confined to winter months. Snow and McKay's buntings were common in February and March. McKay's buntings were the most abundant of.the two species until early April, but between April 5· and 11, the relative balance of the.two species changed rapidly- a larger number of snow buntings (which nest on Nunivak) coinciding with a decrease of McK�y's (which nest only on St. Matthew and Hall Islands of the Bering Sea Refuge). The chan�s in population coincide exactly with the disappearance of both species at Bethel, where neither nests. McKay's buntings had returned by October 25, when both species were again common. Five harlequins were observed in leads on the south shore on ��rch 31, and both king eiders and murres were common in leads ori the north side of the island on April 10. All species may have been present earlier. \ Migrant brant and geese were reported to be abundant during the fall. Two flocks of snow geese were observed on October 19, the latest that we've seen them. Eiders (spectacled and common?) and common scoters were abun dant along the shoreline between October 25, and November 10. During this same period, glaucous gulls of all ages were common, ravens were seen on several occasions - once, in a group of six. A gyrfalcon was observed patrolling the beach on several occasions, but it could not be determined whether more than one was present at the location we watched. Mammals Lemmings Brown lemmings (Lemus trimucronatus) were extremely plentiful during . the late summer and fall - an obvious high in population for this cycling species. The lemming is considered to be a distinct .subspecies (L.t. - harroldi). F'urbearers Both red and arctic foxes were abundant in the winters of 1968-69 and 1969-70. Prices of fox pelts have increased significantly in recent years, particularly for reds, which formerly were worthless. A few mink were taken, but are not particularly plentiful, nor do they bring as high a price as those from adjacent regions of the mainland. Marine mamnals No obvious changes in abundance were observed among marine mammals (harbor, ringed and ribbon seals, and walrus) which provide one of the more irrportant segrrents of the economy. Reindeer Although reindeer are classed and handled as domestic animals, they are conspecific with wild caribou which they replaced, and are free 5 Table 2. Reindeer Populations and Harvests, 1965-1969. Population Number Probable Year Estimate 1 Butchered Winter Loss 1965 15,000 2 2,554 light 1Q66 1,714 light 1967 2,058 light 1968 10,000 3 1,850 moderate 1969 2,235 1 Censuses are in July, prior to butchering.

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