Bird Watchers Digest - November/December 2010

Quick Takes

BY PAUL J.

BAICICH

50th Anniversary:
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The story of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge began more than a half-century ago, with a group of conservationists who worried about the loss of wild places to development, the spread of pollution and pesticides, and even the threat of an atomic bomb. In the 1950s, a group led by Olaus and Margaret Murie launched a seven-year campaign to create a unique ecosystem-scale conservation area.

And they succeeded. On December 6, 1960, the Arctic National Wildlife Range was established for the purpose of “preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values.” In 1980 the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act enlarged the area, designating much of the original range as “wilderness” under the 1964

Wilderness Act and renaming the vast area the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Today, the 19.2-million-acre refuge supports the largest array of plant and animal life of any park or refuge in the circumpolar Arctic.

The 50th anniversary of the Arctic NWR has been celebrated in Alaska all this year and will extend across the United States in the coming year. Source: arctic.fws.gov.

QUESTION BOX

Duck Numbers Doing Fairly Well

Last summer, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service released their midcontinent waterfowl and habitat survey covering more than two million square miles over the north-central and northeastern United States; south-central, eastern, and northern Canada; and Alaska.

The intent was to estimate the number of waterfowl on the continent’s primary nesting grounds.

The results seem promising.

The total duck population was estimated to be nearly 41 million birds— 21 percent above the long-term average (1955–2009).

Right now, these birds should be well on their way southward, stopping at locations in southern Canada and the Lower 48. The numbers should be significant.

Two issues of concern persist, however: A few species ( including northern pintail and American black duck) showed dips below their long-term average, and the oil situation on the Gulf Coast portends a rough welcome for species heading in that direction.