Caribou

Villages across the Alaska Peninsula say wolf problems get worse every year, and that many caribou populations are too low to subsistence hunt. The state helped one village kill over a dozen wolves, but warns residents they will come back.   The tundra doesn't protect Port Heiden from the icy winds blowing off Bristol Bay. In this isolated community on the Alaska Peninsula, outside help is far away.   So when a problem pops up, residents fix it themselves.   Like most Rural Alaska communities, Port Heiden is also home to wildlife.

by Jackie Bartz Monday, July 26, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The board of game is holding an emergency hearing Wednesday on the Nelchina caribou herd. Earlier this month a Superior Court judge ruled that the hunt unfairly favors rural hunters. Last year the Board of Game gave the Ahtna community the authority to administer a hunt for eight nearby villages. The state constitution guarantees equal access to fish and game for all residents, regardless of where they live.

The opening of the Fortymile caribou hunt is being delayed until caribou move away from the roadways. Biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game say a large portion of the Fortymile caribou herd is clustered around the Steese Highway, and if the hunt were to begin now the quota would likely be exceeded in a day. Biologist Jeff Gross says delaying the opening would give more hunters a chance to get into the field once the caribou have...

by Jackie Bartz Tuesday, February 02, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Investigators call it the worst case of waste they've ever seen, but now it's up to a judge to decide. The trial for three men accused of killing and wasting dozens of caribou started Tuesday in Point Hope. The defendants allegedly killed more than 100 caribou in July, leaving nearly half to rot. But village leaders defended the hunters, saying they left the caribou behind because the animals were sick.

by The Associated Press Wednesday, January 20, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Court papers indicate that one of three men accused of wasting caribou carcasses in Point Hope has decided to plead guilty to a reduced charge. The Anchorage Daily News also reports that some charges are being dismissed against two other defendants and the three remaining defendants will be tried by a judge, rather than a jury.

by The Associated Press Saturday, May 29, 2010 FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Three Delta Junction men who illegally killed 10 caribou off the Denali Highway in December have been fined a total of more than $12,000. They have also been ordered to forfeit their snowmachines and rifles to the state, and had their hunting privileges revoked for three to five years. The men pleaded guilty in a Glennallen court on May 4 for killing caribou outside the federal subsistence area for which they had permits.

by Channel 2 News staff Wednesday, January 13, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A judge has thrown out charges against one of the men accused in the killing and wasting of dozens of caribou near Point Hope. The lawyer for 19-year-old Roy Oktollik says the state failed to prove he was involved in the killing and the judge agreed. The decision could lead to charges being dropped against three other men. Eight people were charged with wanton waste and failure to salvage meat for the slaughter and waste of 37 caribou in July 2008.

by Jackie Bartz Tuesday, June 29, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Complaints from caribou hunters have sparked a last-minute meeting. The Alaska Board of Game will hold an emergency teleconference this week to discuss increased bag limits and antler destruction. Several hunters are outraged after they say the board made decisions that will devastate the caribou herd they live off of.    This year the board increased the bag limit from two to five for the central North Slope caribou herd, and also extended the hunting season two and a half months.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, July 29, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Hundreds of Nelchina caribou permit holders will still get to hunt this season after a judge modified restrictions for hunting in the Nelchina basin after a community hunt was deemed unconstitutional. During an emergency meeting Wednesday, the Board of Game passed regulations which allow the 850 permit holders to use the permits in the basin starting Aug. 10. As part of the ruling, 500 residents of eight Ahtna villages will also receive permits, but not as part of a community harvest program.

Saima Chase slid onto the ice at Kotzebue Sound, her arms loaded down with two five-gallon drum buckets filled with an ax and pick. “When were these holes last opened?” Chase asked her cousin Juanita Henry, who sat quietly in the sun, ice fishing with about 20 frozen tom cod in front of her. “Last night,” Henry told Chase as she flung another fish off her line. It quickly froze in temperatures that hovered around 20 degrees. Chase, and many people here in Kotzebue, hunt and fish to feed their families.

Marge Nakak tells us the story of how her village would make caribou soup. For her, sometimes it's more than just what you make, but the circumstances that surround the meal. Every year, for Thanksgiving, she and her family would travel by dog sled to Stebbins. Listen to her describe the trip and see how to make caribou soup. Contact Rebecca Palsha

The Alaska Supreme Court listened to arguments Wednesday over the legality of a popular caribou hunt.  The Nelchina caribou herd in the Copper River Basin is one of the few herds accessible by the roadways, but hunters argue that the way the Alaska Board of Game authorized some hunting permits is unconstitutional.   Several years ago, the Board of Game set aside a community harvest hunt for Ahtna Inc.   Superior Court Judge Carl Bauman ruled the that the hunt illegally favored rural hunters.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says it’s appalled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s decision to not allow any action to be taken to protect the caribou herd on Unimak Island.  The state wants to use a helicopter to selectively target wolves preying on caribou calves, but the problem is that the calving grounds lie on a National Wildlife Refuge. “I have to say I think we were caught a little bit flat-footed that they took the no action alternative, I was a bit shocked,” said Corey Rossi, Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Wildlife Conservation Director.

An Anchorage businessman is locking antlers with a major corporation over branding. Roger Zak markets Caribrew Coffee in Alaska -- but Caribou Coffee, the Midwest coffee chain, claims Zak is infringing on its trademark.   For years Zak has brought quirky tourist-oriented products to Alaska stores, from moose-nugget chap stick to a tackle box shaped like a fish. It’s another item entirely, however, that’s bringing Outside lawyers to the state.   “It seems like you get attacked and they want you to be scared,” Zak said.

Villages across the Alaska Peninsula say wolf problems get worse every year, and that many caribou populations are too low to subsistence hunt. The state helped one village kill over a dozen wolves, but warns residents they will come back.   The tundra doesn't protect Port Heiden from the icy winds blowing off Bristol Bay. In this isolated community on the Alaska Peninsula, outside help is far away.   So when a problem pops up, residents fix it themselves.   Like most Rural Alaska communities, Port Heiden is also home to wildlife.

The opening of the Fortymile caribou hunt is being delayed until caribou move away from the roadways. Biologists with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game say a large portion of the Fortymile caribou herd is clustered around the Steese Highway, and if the hunt were to begin now the quota would likely be exceeded in a day. Biologist Jeff Gross says delaying the opening would give more hunters a chance to get into the field once the caribou have...

If there were a snowmachining heaven, what would it be like? Likely, the trails would be 20 feet wide. Groomed trails would cover hundreds of miles of open country and lead to glorious views of the countryside. There’d be mountains and rivers where riders could purposely get lost for days. But there would also be a good system of trail markers and maps to aid in navigation. There would be thousands of acres of untouched terrain for powder riding, too. And, of course, there would be a destination for lodging and a place to eat, drink and be merry with the gang.

The Alaska Board of Game has given the green light for a community harvest of the state's most sought after caribou herd. The decision comes after the attorney general asked the board to hold off on a community harvest because of a pending legal battle. By a narrow four to three vote the board decided to move forward with a community harvest. Chairman of the Board of Game, Cliff Judkins, says no matter what he does, someone will disagree, but he says disagreement is good.

The Caribou Hotel in Glennallen was destroyed by a fire Friday night. Alaska State Troopers say they responded to a fire at the hotel at about midnight. Troopers say the annex was engulfed in flames, but only eight rooms in the annex were rented out and customers were able to exit the building safely. Troopers and firefighters, along with civilians, managed to keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the building, but firefighters expect the building to be a total loss.