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Caribou Migration Update: April 24, 2002

Today's Report Includes:

Latest from the Arctic Front

Caribou Migration Map
Click on Map to Enlarge

Joe Tetlichi reports from Old Crow in this week's update. He had been out hunting recently and has word that the caribou cows are beginning to congregate into groups in their preparation for the northward journey. He said that there is not a lot of migration action because the snow is not very deep now and they are content to take their time.

Take a look at this week's map. It looks a little different! We were able to create a better map that shows the contour of the land. We hope this will help you see and predict what routes the caribou might take on their journey to the calving grounds.

Where are the caribou now? Use the data to pinpoint their locations.

Migration Movement: Discussion of Challenge Question #13
We had you study the map last time to look for any movement signaling migration. Daylight has increased so now the migration range is having about 16 hours each day. Cows are beginning to congregate according to Joe Tetlichi. We asked you which caribou cows are showing northern movement.
Thanks to Iselin Middle Schoolers Samantha, Danielle, Karthik, Jorge and Smit for their observations! Which cows are headed north? Lots of animals are moving northward. (The one exception is Cupid, who seems to have another plan!) The animals, including Catherine, Blixen, Donner and Lucky are beginning to cluster around the Porcupine River south of Old Crow.

Keep your eyes on the valleys and rivers and we will see if this these are their preferred travel routes.
Legislators Support Conservation!

Courtesy Canadian Wildlife Service

On April 18, the U.S. Senate voted 54 to 46 to reject an amendment to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In the final vote, 8 Republicans, 45 Democrats and 1 Independent said "no" to opening the Refuge to development. The Senate vote demonstrated a deep bipartisan commitment to protecting the Arctic Refuge.

Your Voice Can Make a Difference!
The vote was the culmination of a massive grassroots campaign in which millions of people contacted Senators in opposition to the drilling scheme. Groups actively fighting Arctic drilling included Republicans for Environmental Protection, the Service Employees International Union, the Union of Hebrew Congregations, the Episcopal Church, the Gwich'in Steering Committee, the Native American Rights Fund, and more than 500 other conservation, religious, sporting, and other public interest groups.

Focus Swings to Oil Conservation
In the following Senators' comments, gasoline consumption and vehicle efficiency will be the focus of the next conservation push.

Senator Rockefeller (D-WV):
"As a refuge, ANWR is protected land, intended to ensure the national diversity of wildlife, to ensure quality in water and conservation, and to provide subsistence living for for many generations. . . . The limited amount of oil and the problems extracting it make it clear we should not risk opening the refuge, which is the last five percent of Alaska's vast North Slope that remains unprotected. There are other, better ways to promote domestic oil production and other more effective ways to deal with our country's energy needs."

Senator Dayton (D-MN):
"The only way to reduce significantly the amount of foreign oil we need is to reduce the amount of oil we consume. Seventy percent of the oil we produce or import is used in our transportation and most of that goes into our cars, SUVs, trucks, and other motor vehicles. . . So, if we are ever going to reduce the amount of oil we consume, motor fuel consumption is the place to start."

Senator McCain (R-AZ):
"Had we adopted an increase of fuel efficiency standards to 36 mpg average by 2013, we could have potentially saved 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2020 which is about equal to present imports from the Persian Gulf. This prudent conservation measure would also save twice as much, if not more, oil than what is in ANWR."

While this was a victory for preserving the habitat for the caribou, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not permanently protected. There will be American mid-term elections this November and the results of those elections could shift the balance of power, especially in the Senate where the Democrats have only a 1-vote advantage.
"Mussicho"- Thanks From the People in Old Crow, Yukon
After the United States Senate voted to disallow oil and gas development in the Arctic National Wildlife the Gwitch'in First Nation in Old Crow and surrounding areas wanted to write a 'Thank You.' To all who wrote letters or spread the word about the potential dangers of oil development, they offer a "Mussicho." Mussicho translates to "thank you" in the Gwich'in language.
Please visit Vuntut Gwitch'in First Nation (VGFN) in Old Crow, Yukon.
Caribou as Provider

Bone and antler crafted into tools

Traditionally the caribou were essential for the survival of the Northern Indian people. Records indicate that caribou have been taken near the Porcupine River near Old Crow for about 300,000 years. Today, in the midst of exposure and development from southern influences, the caribou still holds a high place in the culture of the Athabaskin Indian peoples.
For the Gwich'in, the caribou is the provider. For millennia it has supplied food, tools and products of all kinds. Existing Native artifacts made from caribou date back at least 8,000 years.
Read more about the importance of caribou to Native culture and economy:


Now that you have seen and read about some of the creative tools fashioned from caribou bone and antler think about the following.

Challenge Question #16:
"What tools and objects that you use in your daily life, could be made from antler and bone?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Passing on the Tradition
Joe Tetlichi is the Chair of the Porcupine Caribou Management Board (PCMB). He was the Chief of the Tetlit Gwich'in First Nation in Fort MacPherson before moving to Old Crow.
As the father of 2 sons and a tribal leader, Joe is concerned that his sons and the community continue with Gwich'in traditions even as they are adapting to modern ways. Joe works hard to educate others about the importance of keeping traditions and he is a fluent speaker of the Gwich'in language.
Recently Joe took his son, Jami with him to hunt caribou. He shares the experience with Journey North. Read his story:

Discussion of Challenge Question #14
After reading the information about the Central Arctic caribou herd we asked you, "For every Central Arctic caribou, there are about how many Porcupine caribous?"
Here's how Kameron and Patrick attacked the question, "First, we found out what the population of the Porcupine herd is - 123,000 caribou. Then we found out what the population of the Central Artic Caribou herd is, and that is 23,000. Then, we divided 23,000 into 123,000 and we saw that there are about 5 times as many Porcupine caribou as Central Arctic Caribou. We say about because we rounded the answer down to 5.
This is definitely a problem you where you need to round your number. Great job thinking in Ferrisburgh, you are right!
Populations Predictions and Trends
Keeping track of a wild population is important to scientists. Now you become the scientist. What causes changes in populations? Do we have information about weather, predators, habitat changes, and the availability of food and water?

Take a look at the population counts from the past 23 years. What can we learn from these numbers? Since the herd was first counted using the current methods in 1979, the population has fluctuated greatly. What makes the herd change sizes every year? Turn on your analytical minds while studying the population numbers here:

Challenge Question #17:
"Study the population numbers ince 1973:

  • What was the highest population count
  • What was the lowest
  • What was the difference between highest and lowest
  • What was the average population"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Does Deep Snow Equal Deep Trouble for Caribou?

Dept. of Renewable Resources
Gov't of the Yukon

The winters of 1999 and 2000 have presented big challenges for the Porcupine caribou. Severe mid-winter weather the past two winters may be one of the factors leading to the herd's population decline. "The question of the efects of snow on caribou is a bit complicated," reported biologist Dr. Stephen Arthur, "partly because snow conditions are variable across the winter range and through the course of a particular winter, and partly because snow hardness and depth are not necessarily correlated. But both affect caribou mobility and access to food.
"Unfortunately there are no sources of data on snow depth for most of the range, so we have to extrapolate from towns that may be some distance away from the area we are interested in.
"One source that I use or current data is the NOAA weather satellite for the arctic coast.

"The image on a clear day shows the extent of snow on the arctic coast very well. Below you will see two images from June 2000 showing how the snow cover changed between the peak of calving (June 6) and 2 weeks later (normal calving area is indicated by the red box). During 2000, deep snow throughout the winter range that persisted into early June slowed migration of the herd, so that most calves were born in Canada, and many cows had not yet reached the coastal plain at the time births occurred. The herd then followed the rapidly-melting snow eastward and most had reached the traditional calving area by mid-June. By that time, the area was snow-free."

Satellite maps for spring 2000

Snow cover June 6

Snow cover June 13

Although the images appear to be negative, they are not: ice and snow covered areas (and cloud-cover) appear white. You can see the large cracks in the sea ice (called leads) which appear as dark patterns on the white ice. On the June 13 image there is a large fog bank to the west of the calving grounds that appears gray.

Challenge Question #18:
"Why would the snowstorm that sent the caribou to calve in the foothills of the Brooks Range present a problem for the caribou population?"

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Snowmachine Odyssey: The Search for Trudy's Collar

Lachute River ice trail

The search for Trudy's satellite collar took Martin Kienzler and a group of Conservation Officers on a snowmachine odyssey through the frozen Arctic. Traveling on an ancient winter trade route, which the Tetlit G'wichin from McPherson used to get to Old Crow, home of the Vuntut G'wichin, the group followed land trails and frozen rivers to reach the site where Trudy's collar last transmitted a signal.
Did they find her collar? See pictures of the trip and find out for yourself in Martin's description of the adventure!

Wolf Feasts- Order Etiquette: Discussion of Challenge Question #15
Trudy became part of the circle of life when she died in the Arctic winter. As we mentioned earlier, the first and most likely predator involved at the site is the wolf. Last update we asked you to research wolf behavior. We got some impressive answers to our question, "In a wolf hierarchy, which wolf will have the best "seat" at the table? Who will be next to partake in the food?"
Seventh Graders, Justin Bridgette Jackie and Kawan from Iselin Middle School wrote:
"In a wolf hierarchy, the Alpha male eats first. Every wolf in his pack follows his orders. The Alpha male plans all of the attacks and leads his pack everywhere. Every wolf depends on the Alpha male. He also is the only male in the pack that mates. The next high ranking wolf is the Alpha female. She is the main female to the Alpha male. She leads the packs into hunts unlike the Alpha male who stays behind. After the Alpha male is done eating the alpha female starts to eat. The male watches the food so that no one else can eat until she's finished."

Justin and Shane from Ferrisburgh Central School add to this, "Each wolf has a certain place in the pack and depending on their place in the pack, that is where they would eat when the higher one was done."

Here is a "bird's eye view" description of a typical kill site from Martin Kienzler:
With the right conditions you would see a multitude of trails leading to an area that is about 20 feet in diameter. Snow in the area would be packed down, characteristic of a kill site. Because of their hierarchy, the wolves would feed in this order; the alpha or dominant animals would have the best "seats" at the table, while the alpha male and female eat, the lower wolves would try to rip off chunks then move away to eat, then slink in again and drag off more pieces, and so on. Other animals and birds would wait, hanging around on the periphery while the wolves are on the kill, moving in when they leave.
Ask the Caribou Expert
This is the final week to submit your questions to the Caribou Expert, scientist Don Russell. Please send your questions in to Journey North.

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 #16 (or #17 or #18).
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 May 8, 2002.

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