Giant song sparrow on Rat Island in June, 2010. Photo Credit: Island Conservation

Rat Island is officially rat-free

Restoration for Aleutian seabirds brings new life to refuge island

Biologists who are restoring seabird habitat on a remote island in Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge confirmed today that Rat Island is now rat-free. The report comes after two years of careful field monitoring at Rat Island, where the invasive predator decimated native seabird populations by preying on eggs and chicks.   Learn more..

Summit crater and crater lake of Kasatochi volcano, August 6, 2008, the day before the eruption. The crater shown here is about 4,000 feet in diameter. Photo by Chris Ford, USFWS.

An island’s rebirth: Life emerges after a catastrophic volcanic eruption

A secluded island in the Aleutian chain is revealing secrets of how land and marine ecosystems react to and recover from a catastrophic volcanic eruption that appeared at first glance to destroy all life on the island.

Yet little by little – a wingless beetle here, a tuft of grass there, Kasatochi, an island in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge rarely studied by scientists before its Aug. 7, 2008, volcanic eruption, is showing signs of recovery.  Learn more..

Denby Lloyd (Commissioner, ADFG) and Bill Larned (Pilot-Biologist, USFWS Migratory Bird Management), collecting data on a tundra swan sampled for avian influenza near Buckland, Alaska, 27 July 2010.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Joins in Swan Study

Each year, large groups of molting tundra swans stage near coastal regions of Kotzebue Sound.  As part of an effort to monitor Alaska’s migratory birds for avian influenza, biologists from Migratory Bird Management, Selawik NWR, Koyukuk/Nowitna NWR, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) teamed up for the final year of a 5-year study to sample and mark tundra swans.  Since 2006, Migratory Bird Management has spearheaded the project, working with collaborative crews to capture and sample more than 850 swans in this region.  Learn more..

Highlighting Summer Employment

The US Fish & Wildlife Service hires students interested in obtaining future careers in Conservation under a few different programs. These programs include Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), Student Conservation Association (SCA), Student Temporary Experience Program (STEP), Student Career Experience Program (SCEP), Student Education Employment Program and internships. The FWS also contributed to a portion of the funding for the Youth Employment in Parks program in Anchorage. These employment options significantly benefit the FWS by constructing a new generation of trained workers and fresh ideas.  A STEP student in External Affair was hired to produce short video clips illustrating these programs and the work of Alaska’s field stations.  A series will be available for viewing as the stories are finished..

Fairbanks’ 1st Annual Weed Smackdown a Success

“Can you pull more weeds than the Fairbanks Rollergirls?”  In response to that challenge, eighty-eight people hefted green bags and dug weeds on June 26th from 10:00am – 1:00pm at the Tanana Lakes Recreation Area in Fairbanks, Alaska. The event included an orientation and weed identification session, 1 ½ hours of weed pulling, followed by a weed weigh-in, lunch, and awards ceremony.

There is a growing problem with invasive weeds in Alaska.  These plants are aggressive non-native invaders that have the ability to spread rapidly and out-compete native plants for growing space. Learn more..