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JANUARY - DECEMBER 1965 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS and IZEMBEK NARRATIVE REPORT

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TMARPATTW REPORT JANUARY - DECEMBER 1965 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS and IZEMBEK NARRATIVE REPORT PS REFUGE NARRATIVE REPORT. January 1, 1965 - December 31, 1965 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS NATIONAL VJILDLIFE REPUGE AND IZEMBEK NATIONAL WILDLIPE RANGE COLD BAY ALASKA. Staff: Robert D. Jones, Jr. Refuge Manager Jack B. Helvie Asst. Refuge Manager Bertha A. Gray (E.O.D.) 10/27/65) Clerk-typist C. Peter McRoy (Temporary) Biological Aid Patricia J. McPhaden (Terminated 10/22/65) Clerk-typist U. S. DEPARTMENT 0^ THE INTERIOR Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Fish and Wildlife Service Cold Bay, Alaska TABLE OF COlNnENTS I, GENERAL Pa.^e A« Introduction, »•••«••••••« ,. ,1 B. Weather Conditions., ,.... 1 C. Weather Influences 4 D. Habitat Conditions 5 1. Water 5 2, Food and Cover , 5 II. WILDLIFE A. Minatory Birds 6 1. Ducks , , 6 2. Geese , 7 B. Upland Game Birds - 23 1. Willow Ptarmigan 23 C. Big Game Animals 24 1. Alaska Brown Bear , ..24 2. Caribou 24 D. Fur Animals, Predators, Rodents and other Manmals,. , 25 1. Sea Otter 25 2. Harbor Seal 25 3. Killer Whale 25 4. Red Fox 26 5. Ground Squirrel 26 6. Microtine Rodents ,26 E. Hawks, Owls, Crows, Ravens, and Magnles 23 1. Marsh Hawk 28 2. Oyrfalcon 28 3. Peregrine falcon 28 4. Merlin 23 5. Kestrel 28 6. Short-eared Owl 28 7. Raven 28 8. Magpie - 28 9. Northern Shrike 28 10. Bald Ea^le 28 F. Other Birds 28 1. Golden Plover 28 2. McKay's Bunting 29 G. Fish 29 III. REFUGE DEVELOPT^ENT AND MAINTENANCE A. Physical Development 29 B. Plantings 30 1. Aquatics and Marsh Plants 30 2. Trees and Shrubs 30 C. Collections and Receipts 30 D. Control of Vegetation 30 E. planned Burning 30 F. Fires 30 TV. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT A, Grazing 31 B. Haying 32 C. Fur Harvest,. 32 D. Timber Removal 32 E, Commercial Wishing ,....32 F, Other Uses 32 V, FIELD INVESTIGATION OR APPLIED RESEARCH VI, PUBLIC RELATIONS A, Recreational Uses 33 B, Refuge Visitors 33 C, The Bomb 3^ D, Hunting 43 E, Violations 43 P. Safety 43 VII, OTHER ITEMS A, Items of Interest,,,, , 44 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS NATIONAL V/ILDLIPE REFUGE AND IZEMBEK NATIONAL ' JJIDLT^E RANGE MARRATr/E REPORT January 1, 1965 - December 31, 1965 I. GENERAL A. Introduction. The year 1965 witnessed the corrosive evil of a nuclear bcmb explosion on a National Wildlife Refuge. Life, ecology, evolutionary processes; all essential features of the worldwide heritage of mankind, to which a National Wildlife Refuge is and ought to be devoted x^ere violated.1 October 29, at precisely 1100 AST an 80 kiloton bomb was exploded 2300 feet underground on Amchltka Island^ and now a large deposit of radioactive vastes"occupies a cavern on the Refuge. The bomb people estiinate the top of this cavern to be approximately 1000 feet below the surface. In an area of continuing seismic activity this may not be enough. With Bering Sea just 5000 feet av/ay and two streams leading directly to it from the bcmb site the probability of contamination is high. This chronicle, though relieved with accounts of life and living processes must be the melancholy tale of a triumph of the forces of destruction. B. Weather conditions. The weather records furnished below represent two points in the 1100 mile span of the Aleutian Islands Refuge. Cold Bay is at the eastern end and Adak slightly west of center. Rainfall at the bomb site on Amchltka is comnarable to that recorded at Adak. -2- Cliraatological Data for Cold Bay obtained from the U.S. Weather Bureau 1965 Free in.itatlo n (inches) Temo . (0F) Wind (mph) Sleet/ Water Rain Snow Enuiv. wax !1i n Avg Max Avg Jan. .30 16.4 1.21 42 6 27.3 46 13.4 Feb. .10 23.4 2.78 43 2 24.7 61 16.1 March 2.89 1.6 3.05 47 25 35.6 55 18.3 April .51 3.2 .83 58 24 35.2 60 20.2 May 2.13 5.3 2.66 49 24 36.3 44 18.1 June 2.54 0 2.54 57 34 44.4 50 16.1 July 1.20 0 1.20 65 40 48.7 50 14.7 Aug. 1.57 0 1.57 59 40 50.3 47 16.8 Sept. 9.78 .1 9.79 63 30 48.9 56 16.6 Oct. 1.98 7.7 2.75 49 23 36.7 43 13.7 Nov. 1.58 9.9 2.57 50 25 36.1 59 16.5 Dec. .90 8.7 1.77 43 14 28.4 61 15.2 Totals 25.48 76.3 32.72 65 2 37.7 61 16.3 -3- Climatological Data for Adak obtained from the U.S. Naval Weather'Service 1965 Month Precipitation (Inches) Temn. (0^) Wind (knots) Sleet/ Water Rain Snow Enuiv. Max Min Avg Max Avg Jan. 3.37 14.3 4.80 46 12 33 49 10 Feb. 2.91 27.6 5.67 46 6 34 54 9 March 3.45 24.1 5.86 47 23 36 41 9 April 9.57 6.0 10.17 52 28 39 49 9 May 2.80 2.5 3.05 51 28 42 43 9 June 3.16 0 3.16 60 30 45 44 7 July 3.88 0 3.88 68 41 49 49 8 Aug. 2.39 0 2.39 66 43 51 58 8 Sept. 5.37 0 5.37 59 34 47 37 8 Oct. 6.66 T 6.66 52 29 42 85 11 Nov. 8.18 9.9 9.17 55 26 38 72 14 Dec. 5.53 14.4 6.97 48 10 34 64 12 Totals 57.27 98.8 67.15 68 6 38 85 9.5 -4- C. Weather influences. Originally scheduled for the 27th, the exolosion was delayed by weather for two days. In the Aleutians everything, even nuclear bcmbs, must wait on the weather. In a happier vein, v/eather trends in "the Chain" and Alaska Peninsula area produced a much delayed waterfowl migration from the Izembek NWR to the wintering grounds. The two southbound goose populations, i.e., of black brant and lesser Canada geese, do not start on their Journey until westerly winds blow all the way across the Gulf of Alaska. This we have reported before in these narratives. In most years the goose migration occurs during the last week of October. Until this year the latest migration date we had recorded was Movember 7, but the record now stands at November 14. Figure 1. Surface weather chart of the North Pacific Ocean, 11a.m. AST, November 15, 1965. Traditionally, low pressure centers move one after the other, like a string of beads from Japan and Siberia eastward across the North Pacific. -5- These lov/s pass over the Izembek Range and move on to the Gulf of Alaska. When they reach the vicinity of Cook Inlet usually westerly winds blow at the Izembek Range with a flow straight across the Gulf. When this pattern occurs with regularity every few days the birds have but to accumulate the necessary fat and protein reserves - and go. This year, however, high pressure centers and ridges blocked the movement of low centers, and suitable westerlies failed to develoo. In this area the trends of pressure patterns are stable and it is a good rule of thumb to expect the existing pattern to continue. Knowing this we forecast a late migration, although vie did not go so far as to forecast the latest on record. When "H" day did arrive it was not on the heels of a big low center, This time the long-awaited winds developed between a big high pressure center situated over the Pacific Ocean, .and a small low center near Ht. Saint Ellas. The v/inds were not as strong as those in the wake of a big low. The normal flight time over the great circle route to Dixon's Entrance (where the brant are thought to make landfall) is roughly 11.5 hours, but this tine reduced wind velocities were exnected to add about four hours. D. Habitat conditions. 1. Water. Water management is not practiced on these refuges. 2. ^ood and cover Eelgrass studies conducted here in cooperation with the University of Washington have shorn that the eelgrass resource on the Izembek NWR is the largest in the world. This is based on comparison of the acreage and density of nlant growth with published facts concerning other eelgrass producing areas. The area in Izembek Bay alone is in the order of 40,000 acres and the standing stock computed to be in the order of 2,020,000 metric tons. Assuming 300,000 brant and lesser Canada geese to eat 375 grams dry weight per day for 60 days in the Bay the total amount of eelgrass consumed would be 33,750 metric tons. This represents a 1.6^ utilization of the existing summer standing stock. Thus even a much larger number of birds than used in this example would not be food limited. Except in the cases of human disturbance, cover conditions change so slightly as not to be a factor. The biggest single agent to cause disturbance is the National Military Establishment. Lacking productive , aims, this type of disturbance is the most destructive. The bomb is a case in point. Disregarding the moral aspects of firing the bomb on a National Wildlife Refuge, the damage to ground cover through use of machinery became extensive.
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