Caribou Migration Update: March 27, 2002 Today's Report Includes: Latest from the Arctic Front The Cycle of Life and Death in the Arctic: Challenge Question #9 Arctic Village to Kaktovik Snowshoe Expedition, April 2002 Challenge Questions #10, #11 Arctic Weather- Where's the Cold? Challenge Question #12 A Map Worth a Thousand Thoughts Confused about Collars? That's a Long Commute! Discussion of Challenge Question #6 Twilight Zone - Discussion of Challenge Question #7 Energy Audit - Discussion of Challenge Question #8 Caribou Expert and ANWR Biologist for ANWR Retiring Teacher Tip: Visit "Project Caribou" Latest from the Arctic Front Caribou Migration Map Click on Map to Enlarge What direction are the caribou moving? Can you see some northern, or maybe southern movement yet? The days are getting longer in the Arctic and around the world. This increased day length can make a big difference for caribou and Arctic trekkers (see below for more on this)! Today's Data The Cycle of Life and Death in the Arctic We have unfortunate news to share. Note that in this data set there is no location for Trudy. The biologists were concerned that she might have died, and are now sure that she has. The location sent previously (67.49, -140.10) is her final resting place. Actually, Trudy died sometime just before the middle of February. Her resting place is downstream from Old Crow about 20 miles, near the mouth of Caribou Bar Creek. They are trying to get some people to snowmobile out there and try to recover her collar. Don Russell will be going out on snowmobile in early April to look for her and rescue the satellite collar for re-use. What will happen next? Trudy died during the cold, frozen winter. Think about the cycle of life and death in the wilderness and then answer this challenging question. Challenge Question #9: "What do you think caused Trudy's death? What will happen next to her body? What predator is most likely to come along first?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Arctic Village to Kaktovik Snowshoe Expedition, April 2002 We are fortunate this spring to be able to "tag along" on the adventure of a lifetime! Biologist Steven Kalinowski will be going to Arctic Village on April 1st to begin a month long snowshoe trip across the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He will be alone and self sustained - using a sled to drag along everything he needs for the month. The purpose of the trip (besides having fun) is to photograph the Refuge in winter - especially making landscape photographs. Kalinowski loves the beauty of the tundra and has traveled many times to the Arctic. He describes it as incredibly wild and achingly beautiful, full of hardship, and yet surprisingly gentle. We are so pleased that he has offered to share this trip The only way to get to Arctic Village with us! Read details of this Arctic expedition and view some inspiring photographs taken by this biologist-photographer on previous trip: Snowshoe Expedition Staying dry is one of the most important tricks to Arctic winter trekking. One of the things we asked Steven was how he will warm up if he gets his feet wet crossing rivers. He said he won't be building a fire because..., and he asked me if I had read, "TO BUILD A FIRE," a short story by Jack London (Teacher Tip: recommended reading). Challenge Question #10: "How do you think Steven Kalinowski finished this sentence, "I won't be building a fire because..." Challenge Question #11: "How far is it from Arctic Village to the town of Kaktovik? How many miles a day would you have to travel if you did this trip in 30 days?" (To respond to these questions, please follow the instructions below.) Watch for more details of this expedition when Steven returns and shares his journal with us. Visit Steven Kalinowski's Web site: Arctic Reflections: A Personal View of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Arctic Weather- Where's the Cold? Courtesy S. Kalinowski Almost every year, the Yukon sets records for the weather. The territory has the greatest range of annual temperatures in North America, and the highest air pressure in Canada. It holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in North America. On February 3, 1947, a temperature of ­63 degrees Celsius (-81F) was recorded at Snag, Yukon, a defunct airstrip located east of Beaver Creek. So why does the temperature tend to plummet here when it does get cold, falling lower than anywhere else in North America? Mountains play a bigger role in influencing the weather here than any other single factor. The Coast Mountains block warm, moist Pacific air from moving into the territory. Cold, dry Arctic air then dominates, pooling in the valley floors where most communities are located. During the long cold ­ and usually clear ­ northern nights, more heat is lost through radiation. Think about our collared caribou. Some of them are definitely grazing in quite mountainous regions at higher altitudes. Challenge Question #12: "Why would a retired Canadian meteorologist suggest for people who want a break from the winter cold to follow the lead of animals like moose and sheep and climb a ridge?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) A Map Worth a Thousand Thoughts Oil development on Alaska's Arctic Slope courtesy of Conservation GIS Center In our next Update we will be examining more of the pros and cons of oil development in ANWR's coastal plain, also known as Area 1002. In preparation for this, we are presenting this map of the current oil development on Alaska's Arctic slope. Highlighted here are the Prudhoe Bay and north slope oil developments. The Central Arctic caribou herd make up the largest concentration of caribou in the drilling area. What information can you find on this herd? How has oil development affected them? Can you locate the coastal plain where the Porcupine caribou yearly migrate in the spring for calving? Can you get a general idea where their winter range lies? We hope this map will make you more familiar with this oil-rich area and inspire you to begin research on the potential effects of oil drilling in ANWR. Until next time? Confused about Collars? Fran Mauer and plane with radio antenna under each wing Caribou and many other wild animals are studied in their habitat using collars with transmitters. Have you ever wondered about the difference between conventional and satellite collars? We know they are both used to help locate animals in the herd, and we know they both require some kind of battery to send a signal. Here are some more details to help clear the confusion. Confused about Collars: Conventional and Satellite Collars That's a Long Commute! Discussion of Challenge Question #6 View from BADAMI courtesy Kevin Fitzgerald and Murray Warren Imagine commuting to work from Talkeetna, Alaska to the Badami River Pumping Station near Prudhoe Bay. How far is this commute and how common is it for Alaskans to make a commute like this? Seventh Graders at Iselin Middle School figured that the only good way to commute this distance was as the crow flies- on a jet! Here is their calculation and some insightful comments on work life in Alaska: "Mr. Fitzgerald commutes 523.5 miles from Talkeetna to the Badami River Pumping Station. We think this is a common commute in Alaska because the population density in Alaska isn't as high as other states in the United States. People have to travel farther to get what they need." Congratulations to you for using your resources to calculate this BIG commute! Twilight Zone - Discussion of Challenge Question #7 In our last Update we learned some twilight terms. What did you find out about the term crepuscule? What does this term mean and how many ways can you find that it is used? Wow! Here is a group of researchers with some great work to report! "We looked the word crepuscule up on the internet using the Merriam-Webster Online. We also looked it up in our oldest, largest dictionary in the library, a Webster Dictionary. We found out that the meaning of the word is twilight. It comes from the Latin word that means dusky or dark. "We looked on the internet for the word crepuscule. We found it describing a type of rose, names of bands, one person described his basement as a crepuscule. It is the name of a street and also a work of music." Fantastic job, Avery, Julie, Jenny, Justin, and Shane from Ferrisburgh Central School. Energy Audit - Discussion of Challenge Question #8 Have you been looking differently at the vehicles you pass by on the roads and highways this past two weeks? We hope you have. The consumption of oil in the US alone is 19.4 million barrels every day just to power our vehicles. Good job if you took the time to examine this important issue. This is one way you can begin to make a difference in your own family. Caribou Expert and ANWR Biologist for ANWR Retiring Fran Mauer, one of our true experts in Porcupine caribou work who has been with the US Fish and Wildlife Service for 20 + years as a caribou expert for ANWR, is retiring in May of this year. Fran Mauer is a wildlife Biologist for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks, AK. Fran's field assignments on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge include surveys and studies of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, moose, Dall sheep and Peregrine falcons. Teacher Tip: Visit "Project Caribou" The Yukon Department of Renewable Resources offers educators an informative curriculum guide, Project Caribou. Written for teachers for integrating caribou related learning into existing curriculum, this resource guide can be accessed through the Web at the Project Caribou Web site. Take a look and pick up some of the infectious enthusiasm for caribou that is shared by the Renewable Resources. How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions: IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message. 1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-caribou@learner.org 2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question # #9 (or #10 or #11 or #12). 3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the questions above. The Next Caribou Migration Update Will Be Posted on April 10, 2002. Copyright 2002 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form