Caribou Migration Update: April 10, 2002 Today's Report Includes: Latest from the Arctic Front: Challenge Question #13 Biologists Busy in the Field Welcome Catherine! Politics and Science - Studying Oil and Caribou Challenge Questions #14 The Cycle of Life and Death in the Arctic Few Wild Animals Die of Old Age No Gourmet Coffee Shops on This Trip Where, Oh Where Could That Old Collar Be? Challenge Question #15 Game: Jump Rope Rivers to Reach Your Summer Range Kalinowski Expedition: Discussing Challenge Questions #10, #11 Sunrise, Sunset and Treeline Defines Arctic Arctic Weather- Discussion of Challenge Question #12 Last, But Not Least: Duct Tape in the Arctic Latest from the Arctic Front Caribou Migration Map Click on Map to Enlarge Weather news from biologist Stephen Arthur this week reveals that the snow cover was light throughout the winter range this winter, and the caribou wintering in Canada are already showing some slight northward movements. Therefore, it looks now like it will be a normal, or perhaps even and early spring! Can you see some signs? This week's map shows a few new brown dots! Study it and find out about this additional collared cow, "Catherine." Also see for yourself who is moving toward the calving grounds. There is some dramatic evidence that the forces of springtime are affecting the collared cows. Study this week's migration map and answer this: Challenge Question #13: "Which caribou cows are beginning to move northward? Which are heading for a river valley that leads northward? And, who has traveled the farthest to start their migration to the calving grounds?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) Biologists Busy in the Field During the following week, ADFG biologists captured and weighed 25 10-month old calves from the Central Arctic herd as part of a study of the relationship between birth site and growth rate. In addition, 11 Porcupine caribou cows were captured and radiocollared. Outside the area of overlap between these herds, biologists from the Yukon Department of Renewable Resources captured 12 Porcupine caribou cows for radiocollaring with conventional radiocollars and one additional cow, which was fitted with a satellite transmitter. You can read the full report: Field Research Welcome Catherine! Newly collared Catherine M. Kienzler and L. Laberge Catherine" was captured on March 12th, south of the Ogilvie River. The team had been hoping to recapture and recollar either Lucky or Blixen, but as the radio transmitter portion of their collars are not working, we were not able to locate them amongst the 1000's of caribou in the area. Catherine was chosen as she is a young animal and in very good condition. She was named by the 2001 Johnny Charlie Scholarship recipient, and assistant wildlife technician, Kieran O'Donovan. Kieran worked with Dawson Regional Biologist Dorothy Cooley during the summer of 2001. The first location for Catherine is her capture location, as in where the picture was taken, then she goes into her regular transmission schedule. Politics and Science - Studying Oil and Caribou Oil development on Alaska's Arctic Slope courtesy of Conservation GIS Center In the past couple of weeks the debate for oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has really heated up. One week after the U.S. Geological Survey study (USGS) warned that the Porcupine caribou may be particularly sensitive to oil exploration in ANWR the U.S. administration completed another report suggesting that drilling should have no impact on caribou. Kind of confusing? The Bush administration argues that oil development in the refuge will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and stimulate the economy. Environmental groups say it would destroy pristine wilderness. We wonder how oil development will affect the Porcupine caribou and other wild creatures that occupy this protected area. How do we sort through this mixed up mess of scientific data and opinion? Learning what we can about caribou migration, behavior and habitat needs is one way to begin to understand. The political and economic arguments are important, too. Keep your eyes and ears open and learn all you can so you can form your own opinion. Studying the Central Arctic caribou herd whose range lies in the oil fields around Prudhoe Bay may reveal some of the answers. Read more about the Central Arctic herd: Studying the Central Arctic Caribou Herd After reading the research sharpen your pencil to picture this population comparison: Challenge Question #14: "For every Central Arctic caribou, there are about how many Porcupine caribous?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) The Cycle of Life and Death in the Arctic Last time we learned that one of our collared caribou, Trudy had died. Sometime in February her transmission showed that she wasn't moving anymore. Challenge Question #9 stimulated some good thinking to answer these questions. This is what you wrote: 1. "What do you think caused Trudy's death?" "Our group is tracking Trudy and are all very sad to hear about her sudden death. Trudy died because of the frozen cold temperatures. She also might not have been able to find food." "We think the cold frozen winter killed Trudy. The weather conditions were too hard for her to handle." "Trudy might have died from old age, it might have been the end of her life. It could have been from a broken leg or sickness. We read that the average age of caribou is 4.5 years. Maybe a predator attacked her because they were very hungry." 2. "What will happen next to her body? What predator is most likely to come along first?" "She will start to decompose when the snow begins to melt and some predators will come along to eat her, such as, snow foxes, wolves, or a grizzly bear." "We believe that her body will stay there lying in the snow until a predator comes to eat. Unfortunately, we think wolves will come and eat Trudy. " "A predator will surely finish off the body. Probably a pack of wolves might eat the meat. It could also be a bear. An eagle or a wolverine might come and eat the meat that is left." GREAT THINKING! Thanks to the following students- Kameron & Patrick from Ferrisburgh Central School; Amy, Jill, Briana, Christine Kavika, Mike, Ken and Charmi from Iselin Middle School. Few Wild Animals Die of Old Age We asked Martin Kienzler the same questions about Trudy's death. Here is his response. "Well, it is said that in the wild, few animals die of old age. Not sure how true that really is, but although caribou can live to 13 or 14 years of age, data from harvested animals indicates that not many do in fact live that long. Trudy was a young animal when collared July 1st, 2000. She had spent the majority of the winter 2001-02 north of Old Crow, on the southwestern edge of the Old Crow Flats, where caribou don't often winter (in our relatively short period of time watching them). We had heard that hunters from Old Crow were surprised at what good shape the caribou were this winter, and especially those from North of Old Crow, so we can expect that she would have been reasonably healthy. Best Guess is Wolves Courtesy of the Dept. of Renewable Resources Gov't of the Yukon "During the winter, the primary natural predator is wolves. Contrary to popular opinion, wolves don't just take the weak and the injured, wolves kill what and when they can. Wolves tend to use frozen rivers as travel corridors, and her final resting place (from where her collar is transmitting) is just south of the Porcupine River. We certainly can't say for sure, but it is quite possible that she was killed by wolves. You could speculate further, she could have gone through the ice, but I doubt it, there is very little open water and thick ice conditions, mostly. She could have broken a leg... we just can't say for sure." Frozen til Spring? Contrary to what many of us thought, a frozen body still attracts predators. Martin continues: "Even frozen, wolves and other animals mentioned above would be able to scavenge the carcass. This would especially be the situation if she had been opened up before she completely froze. If by chance she had gone through the ice, then she would remain frozen until spring came, and might or might not be retrievable by scavengers." No Gourmet Coffee Shops on This Trip Old Crow, Yukon Coutesy of Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation A team of people headed to the sight of the last satellite signal that Trudy's collar made. They vehicle used for the search? A snowmobile. The snowmobiles will travel from Fort MacPherson, NWT to Old Crow, Yukon. The snowmobile trail from McPherson to Old Crow at this time of year is like a highway. It is hard packed and well worn. It passes through the Richardson Mountains, before dropping onto the Porcupine River. In total, they will travel about 300 miles. The trail is an old winter trade route, which the Tetlit G'wichin from McPherson once used to get to Old Crow, home of the Vuntut G'wichin, and vise versa. Of course, in the old days there were no snowmobiles and they traveled by dog team and on foot - snowshoe. And, no, there are no fancy rest stops along the way; a few cabins enroute, but the nearest coffee shop is in Dawson. Not even a restaurant in Old Crow, nor a hotel, but they do have satellite T.V.! Where, Oh Where Could That Old Collar Be? The search for the collar is on. What signs will they find at the site of Trudy's body or her remains? As we mentioned earlier, the first and most likely predator involved at the site is the wolf. If there isn't too much fresh snow to hide the site, the team will be able to see the "map" of evidence showing foot prints and other marks surrounding the kill site. Wolves by nature have a natural hierarchy in their family structure. Any research on the nature of wolves will reveal the behavior of the individuals in the hierarchy in a feeding situation like this. What do you know about wolves. Can you answer this? Challenge Question #15: "In a wolf hierarchy, which wolf will have the best "seat" at the table? Who will be next to partake in the food?" (To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.) What if there is nothing left of Trudy except the collar? The collar is probably the only part of Trudy that predators would not be interested in eating. Therefore, it could be the only physical evidence left that they could find to reveal the story of what happened. For example, teeth marks on the collar will indicate that wolves or other critters fed on the caribou, but not necessarily that they killed it, though they might have. If there was blood on the collar, it would indicate she was killed. And if there was no blood on the collar she probably died for some other reason, froze and was then fed on. We will need to wait to find out in the report next Update. Game: Jump Rope Rivers to Reach Your Summer Range Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, June 2001 Amy Gulick Caribou don't travel great distances in the winter. Their winter ranges are usually areas where snow can be easily dug. When the snow begins to melt and days grow longer the caribou begin to feel the urge to migrate. Who is first to start this migration move? Who is next? When they reach the rich green food of the summer grounds they are continually on the move taking advantage of a wide variety of habitats. Looking for food, watching for predators and dodging insects, they spend their summer raising their calves and building body fat for the long migration and winter months ahead. Get out your popsicle stick food tokens, set up some jump rope rivers and take an hour this spring to go outside and play the caribou migration game! Use your bodies to understand the annual migration cycle and discover the thrill of escaping the threat of predators. Visit Project Caribou and download this fast-moving and fun migration game: "Barren-ground Caribou Migration." Kalinowski Expedition: Discussing Challenge Questions #10, #11 How is the Arctic trek going for Steven Kalinowski? We know temperatures are starting to warm up all over the continent. Days are getting longer each day, too. As we "tag along" on this snowshoe adventure in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, we know one thing. There won't be many evenings spent around the campfire! Challenge Question #10 asked, "How do you think Steven Kalinowski finished this sentence, "I won't be building a fire because..." Because much of his trip lies above the tree line! There is no wood for campfires (learn more further in this report). Where is Kalinowski today? We asked you in 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?" We used some help from the Web site, How Far is It? and found that the distance, as the crow flies (a straight line), was about 141 miles. For someone on snowshoes pulling a sled up and down mountains and through river valleys, the distance could be as great as 175 miles. Today is day #10, so if he traveled equal number of miles each day he would have traveled one third the distance. On the average he will need to travel 175 divided by 30 each day, or just under 6 miles a day. We hope to hear more from this adventurer when he reaches civilization and a telephone to call us with details. In the meanwhile, we hope he is staying dry and warm. Sunrise, Sunset and Treeline Defines Arctic The southern limit of the arctic region is commonly placed at the Arctic Circle (latitude 66 degrees, 32 minutes North). The Arctic Circle is an imaginary line that marks the latitude above which the sun does not set on the day of the summer solstice (usually 21 June) and does not rise on the the day of the winter solstice (usually 21 December). North of this latitude, periods of continuous daylight or night last up to six months at the North Pole. Arctic researchers also define the Arctic region as: The area north of the treeline (the northern limit of upright tree growth) Locations in high latitudes where the average daily summer temperature does not rise above 10 degrees Celsius For more details link to another COOL map of the northern Arctic. Arctic Weather- Discussion of 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?" In most mountainous areas, temperatures drop as you go up in elevation. But in the Yukon a shallow temperature inversion is present almost continuously from late October to early March and on occasion in the summer. Herb Wahl says the warmer air aloft creates these inversions. "You can have a ­50 degree temperature on a valley floor, and if you go up 1500­2000 feet, you could find temperatures as high as ­15 or even 0 degrees," he says. Last, But Not Least: Duct Tape in the Arctic Can you see the duct tape? Seems like every situation you find yourself in these days you could use some duct tape. We noticed that is true in the Arctic, as well. Take a look at the picture at the right. Do you see the duct tape? Hmmm, what do you think the duct tape's purpose is here? 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 #13 (or #14 or #15). 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 24, 2002. Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form