Each May we celebrate National Wetlands Month. Wetlands are the cornerstone of many important ecosystems, providing numerous ecological and economic benefits for fish, wildlife and people. Wetlands improve water quality, absorb and store water, help reduce flooding, and provide important habitat for wildlife. There are more wetlands in Alaska than all the other U.S. states combined. Read more

Endangered Species Day is particularly poignant today as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act and recognize the Federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, industry representatives, and private citizens who have worked together under the law to conserve America’s most imperiled species.

“In Alaska key partners have come together under the Endangered Species Act to successfully recover the Aleutian Canada goose, the Arctic peregrine falcon and the American peregrine falcon” said Geoffrey Haskett, Alaska’s Regional Director. “These are all great success stories. The sobering prospect of extinction motivates us to do all that we can nationally and internationally to conserve remarkable Alaskan species like polar bear.” Read more

“There’s constant movement on the ground and the singing is insane. I have never seen anything like this EVER. ” says retired Fish and Wildlife biologist Bud Johnson of Tok, Alaska. “There are probably a hundreds of thousands of sparrows just in Tok”.

• Read more
• Visit the Refuge website

The story of endangered species conservation in the United States over the past 40 years involves many heroes. Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) recognized 16 teams or individuals across the country for their outstanding efforts to conserve and protect endangered and threatened fish, wildlife and plants by designating them 2012 Recovery Champions. Among the award winners honored for their work were two Alaskans, Brian McCaffery and Margaret Peterson.

“Recovery Champion awards acknowledge individuals and groups who have excelled in their efforts to protect and recover our most imperiled species,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “They exemplify the dedication and determination that has helped save countless animals and plants from extinction and that continues to raise the bar in the field of endangered species conservation.”

Press Release

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced that Kali, the polar bear cub rescued in March from the Point Lay area of Alaska, will leave the Alaska Zoo on May 14, arriving at New York’s Buffalo Zoo on May 15. Kali (pronounced Cully, the Inupiat name for Point Lay), a 65-pound cub, will join young female cub Luna where both cubs will benefit from each other’s company. Under the care of Alaska Zoo staff Kali has adjusted well to his surroundings, more than tripling in size and weight.

“The Alaska Zoo has done a tremendous job of providing excellent, temporary care for Kali,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “I would like to personally thank the zoo for stepping up – at moment’s notice – to care for this cub. Now, as Kali leaves Alaska for his next short-term home, we are confident that the Buffalo Zoo will provide the best of care for Kali as the Service makes a final determination on a permanent home for the cub.” Press Release

Spring has sprung and migratory birds are arriving in Alaska by the thousands.  Soon they will be building nests, laying eggs and another generation of birds will be hatching. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, along with many partners, celebrates this special time of year by inviting you to participate at bird festivals and events across the state.  Learn more by visiting these links:

• May 9 - 12, 2013; Kachemak Shorebird Festival, Homer, Alaska
• May 16 – 19, 2013; Kenai Peninsula Birding Festival, Kenai, Alaska
• May 17-19, 2013; Kotzebue Birding Outings, visit Selawik Refuge’s Facebook page or call 907-442-3799 for details
• May 18, 2013; 12th Annual Upper Tanana Migratory Bird Festival, Tok, Alaska
• May 18, 2013; International Migratory Bird Day, Kodiak, Alaska
• May 19, 2013; International Migratory Bird Day at the Alaska Zoo, Anchorage, Alaska

As we celebrate Earth Day 2013, we invite you to take a moment to reflect on the words of Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day. He knew how hard but how critical long-term thinking is and said, "The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard." We invite you to celebrate Earth Day by choosing ways you can live today so that future generations will enjoy our wildlife legacy in the future. Visit http://www.fws.gov/home/earthday/

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will publish in the Federal Register tomorrow a 90-day finding on a petition to delist the wood bison and remove it from protection under the Endangered Species Act. Based on our review, we find that the petition does not present substantial information indicating that delisting the wood bison subspecies may be warranted.  Therefore, we are not initiating a status review in response to this petition.  However, we ask the public to submit to us any new information that becomes available concerning the status of, or threats to, the wood bison or its habitat at any time. Press Release

More than $882.4 million in excise tax revenues generated in 2012 by sportsmen and sportswomen will be distributed to state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies to fund fish and wildlife conservation and recreation projects across the nation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today.

Press Release

On March 12, 2013, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received word that a female polar bear had been taken near Point Lay, Alaska. The adult female was accompanied by a cub, which was recovered and transferred first to the community of Point Lay, and then to the North Slope Borough’s Department of Wildlife Management (DWM). Subsequent to a health evaluation by the DWM it was determined that the cub is a young male weighing approximately 18.4 lbs. and 3-4 months of age.

• Press Release
• News Blog (updated 4/4/2013)

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Alaska releases today for public comment a draft document clarifying the interpretation of the terms “significantly altered from their natural form,” “coastal dwelling,” and “mass produced” as they apply to Alaska Native handicrafts and clothing made from sea otter parts under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.  We invite your comments on this draft document by May 17, 2013.  To view the document or comment, please go to http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/current.htm

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed a draft Peer Review Plan for the Proposed Reintroduction of a Nonessential Experimental Population of Wood Bison in Alaska. The plan is available for review and comment through March 19, 2013.. Learn more

What lurks in the cold, dark depths of Hillberg Lake near Anchorage, Alaska?  With an average depth of 13 feet and a width of just 200 yards, most people would think there’s probably not much.  The bald eagle perched overhead was there for something, wasn’t he?  Throw 130 kids and 60 parents with nearly 150 fishing jigs onto the frozen lake, and you’ll quickly learn that landlocked Chinook salmon and rainbow trout lurk beneath the ice.

• Learn more
• Video

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed a Special Rule establishing how activities that may harm the threatened polar bear will be managed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Final Special Rule effectively maintains the management and conservation framework that has been in effect for the polar bear since it was first protected under the ESA in 2008.

The Final Special Rule, issued under Section 4(d) of the ESA, avoids redundant regulation under the ESA by adopting the longstanding and more stringent protections of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as the primary regulatory provisions for this threatened species.

• Press Release
• Learn more

The Alaska Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shares how they ENGAGED, EDUCATED, and EMPLOYED youth in 2012 as part of the Department of Interior's Youth in the Great Outdoors Initiative.  If you are interested in 2013 opportunities in Alaska visit the links below.

• For more on ENGAGE & EDUCATE
• For more on EMPLOYMENT
  

Parents, teachers, and scout leaders tell your kids to start the drawing engines and participate in the annual Endangered Species Day Youth Art Contest! Entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2013. The Youth Art Contest provides students from kindergarten to high school with an opportunity to learn about threatened and endangered species and express their knowledge and support through artwork. Organized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Endangered Species Coalition, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the International Child Art Foundation, the art contest is an integral part of the eighth annual national Endangered Species Day on May 17, 2013.

• Learn More About the Contest
• Learn More About Endangered Species Day 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating a proposed land exchange that would establish a road corridor through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Alaska. After careful evaluation of the impact of the construction and operation of the proposed road on the refuge and its wildlife resources, the agency has identified its preferred alternative as one that does not support allowing the land exchange to go forward.

• Press Release
• Learn more

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced today that it will propose to release wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) in Alaska, in support of an Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) plan, in an effort to establish a wild population of this native wildlife species to the State.  Potential introduction sites include Minto Flats, the lower Innoko/Yukon River area, and Yukon Flats.America’s wildlife legacy.

• Press Release
• Learn more

The Non-game Migratory Bird Management Team are a group of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologists working with partners on bird conservation, including songbirds, shorebirds, and raptors.  Among many activities, they administer survey and monitoring programs, compile data, and apply data to management. They have expanded their network globally to address birds throughout entire ranges. Visit http://alaska.fws.gov/mbsp/mbm/index.htm to learn more about their efforts.

The Non-game Migratory Bird Management Team's efforts help ensure that non-game migratory birds will be conserved for the future and will continue to be part of America’s wildlife legacy.