Wolf Call

Yesterday was a very cold day.  The high never got above -20.  Everyone was bundled and cars were having a hard time starting.  Eveyone pretty much stayed indoors.  The cold air turned all the trees and bushes and shrubs white with a very thick frost.  Buildings crackled in the cold.  I tried to walk down by the river today to get some pictures of the river but I turned around when my cheeks got too cold and my dog was trying to float in the air instead of walk on the cold road.  It was tator tot Friday so a few of us went over to Eddies for lunch.  It was pretty quiet there too.  I thought my whole day was going to be pretty boring but the last thing I did before going to bed was take my dog out one last time.  As she was sniffing the ground I heard a very strange noise.  At first I did not know what it was.  Then I realized a wolf as howling in the distance.  A few seconds later the howl was answered and then I heard numerous calls and yips.  Somewhere out in the tundra a pack of wolves were playing in the cold.  I listened until I could no longer stand the cold and the sound faded.  It was a great way to end the day.

Testing the River

I had an interesting talk with our pilot yesterday.  I went to see him to ask if he could land the plane at Brooks Camp yet so I could go do a Christmas Day Bird Count out there.  To get to Brooks Camp in the summer you land on floats in the water.  To land in the winter the river and lake need to be frozen and then the plane lands on large, fat tundra tires.  But the river has to be frozen.  Before I left to go to MN the river was still open.  But since I have been gone the temperature has been below zero and not been above it.  So I was hoping the river was frozen by now.

I was told that the pilot would test the river on Tuesday morning and if it is frozen he would come back for me and take me out there.  I started wondering how he was going to check the river so I asked.  He said it was very scientific.  First he gets three 25 pound rocks and loads them into the plane.  Next he flies over the river, opens the door and tosses out the rocks.  If the rocks bounce on the ice he can land the plane.  If they go through the ice we can't count birds at Brooks Camp.  Very scientific indeed.  Lets hope the rocks bounce.

I did go to Lake Camp yesterday and there was a small patch of open water with 11 common mergansers floating in the water.  Die hard waterfowl refusing to go south.  I love it.

I'm Back

Hello dedicated followers.  I am sorry that you have not seen a post for a few days.  I had a family emergency and was back in the lower 48.  I am back in Alaska.  While down in MN it was unusually warm for December.  Recorded highs were being broken and every one was talking about global warming.  Those that like the warmer weather were enjoying it being warm and the grass turning green.  Those, like me who like the cold and the snow thought everything was depressing.  But I am back in beautiful Alaska where things are covered in snow and frost and the temperature is -21.  It is good to be home.

I have been greeted at work with some animal sightings which I love.  Out at Lake Camp four river otters were seen playing on the ice.  And of course the Law Enforcement people who are flying around the park to prevent poaching of moose had to tell me about the moose they are seeing.  They are so sweet.  I am told that there is a mother and two calves hanging out on Pike Ridge which is a hiking trail about six miles from here.  If the weather was above zero I might be inclined to go for a long hike to see if I could find the little family but a long hike in below zero weather seems a bit much.  I am not sure I want to see a moose that bad. 

So it is back to working on grant proposals and paperwork.  The office is very quiet with a lot of people taking the week off to be with families.  The quiet is good.  It lets me concentrate harder to write better and hopefully get more money to do ore fun stuff.

Unexpected Trip Home

Hello, I am sorry about missing a couple of days.  I have had to rush home for a family emergency.  So I was home four days and flew back to Anchorage then home to Minnesota.  Flights around Alaska are never dull as we had strong winds the day I flew out.  The flight was so rough that even the flight attendant said the this is a rough one and immediately sat down and buckled herself in.  That was not comforting to say the least.  I wasn't sure I was going to make it to Anchorage.  When I got off the plane, the gate person went "Mrs. Anderson we just put you on this damn plane".

Four hours in the Anchorage airport than on to Portland.  I arrived in Portland had 20 minutes to get to my next flight.  I made it, no problem.   Arrived in Minnesota but my suitcases did not.  There were not even showing up on their computer scene.   I filed my claim and left the airport.  I had just spent 19 hours in airports and flying.  I was exhausted.  We went to bed early only to be awaken at midnight by the courier who was to deliver my suitcase.  I was informed that they would be delivering my suitcase at 2 am and I needed to be there to sign for them.  Are you kidding me was my response.  I told them to deliver them first thing in the morning.  they arrived at noon the next day, after two very angry phone calls upon which I learned they had arrived at the airport at 5pm the night before.  What horrible service Delta airlines has.  If it had been Alaska air I would have gotten 2000 miles added to my account.  Delta gave me a little bag with a toothbrush that sucked, toothpaste, a comb and a razor.  Merry Christmas!

Air Dropped Fish

So I promised you another mystery story form Katmai and here it is.  In 1956 a fishing guide and bush pilot decided that he would transport 20 arctic char from Lake Idavain to the lake inside Kaguyak crater.  Idavain lake is part of the Naknek drainage.  Kaguyak crater is off the pacific coast.  It is one of two volcanic craters that contain lakes in Katmai.  The other one is Katmai Crater itself.  Off he flew and as he passed over the crater he dropped 20 fish.

In 1963 this pilot told this story to a biologist who went out the next year to see if the arctic char survived.  He did not find arctic char but he did find dolly varden a different char species.  The Kaguyak crater does not have a stream or river flowing out of it and dolly varden are a river fish that like to go and visit the ocean then come back.  Yet this biologist found 9 specimen.  To this date no one else has ever surveyed the lake.  A number of biologist have argued over whether any char species exist in the lake.  The story from the pilot was quoted as a personal communication in 1969 but in 2007 biologist said this is a local myth or native lore.

Which is it?  I don't know, that is why it is a mystery but I am writing a grant proposal to see if I can find out.  I could have a lot of fun this summer if I get all these grants.

A Mystery at Hand

As the wildlife biologist at Katmai National Park, my job is to decide what needs to be studied or monitored based on the knowledge I have.  Which right now that isn't a lot.  But I have discovered two mysteries so I thought I would spend a couple of days and tell you about them.

Back in the middle of the 1850's the Russians started trading furs in Alaska.  They started in the Aleutian Islands then moved to the peninsula and the Kenai peninsula and finally the southeast.  When they had depleted the resources they brought in fox.  By 1910 any island that they could reach by boat they placed arctic fox.  Red foxes were all ready on some near shore islands but arctic foxes did much better in the island habitats.  Also the arctic fox has a recessive gene for blue fur.  It was this bluish fur that made their skins so valuable. 

From 1910 -1940 fox farms were all over and very successful.  But in 1936 biologist realized that the bird populations of these fox farm islands were disappearing and it was the fox that were eating them that were making them disappear, some all most to extinction.  So policy changed.

From 1940 to 2002 foxes were eradicated from the thirty nine islands.  They used poisons to kill the fox.  In 2002, people were upset about the way the foxes were being killed so methods changed.  Today I know of three islands that had fox permits off the Katmai coast that are considered part of the park.  What I don't know is if the fox were eradicated. 

One island Takli, was permitted for fox farming but Alaska Fish and Game thinks that the person who owned the permit used it to hide his illegal trapping.  Two of the islands were successful farms.  I can not find any records of eradication on any of the three islands.  So do we have arctic fox that should not belong on our islands?  It is a mystery.  One I would like to solve.  Tomorrow I will tell you an interesting fish story.

The Chinook is Here

We are going through our second chinook of the month.  What they are is strong warm air winds.  The temperature is 38 degrees right now but the winds are blowing at 50 mph with gust up to 75 to 100 mph.  They blow warm air.  I know 38 doesn't sound warm but it is for here.  These winds blow so that doors rattle and the wind hitting the side of the house sounds like a train just crashed into it. 

If the weather continues like the last one that kept me in Anchorage for 4 extra days, today will be very windy.  Then it will rain turning everything into a large ice rink, then the temp will drop and the rain will turn into snow.  Very wet heavy snow and with the wind still blow and  it will become a blizzard.  When everything quiets down we will have a large amount of snow on the ground above a layer of ice.  Makes walking so nice.