WISE Lectures to Explore Subsistence, Caribou, and Wolves

Curious about local science projects and what they are learning? Three upcoming WISE Science Lectures will feature local experts digging into three topics of vital importance to our communities:  Subsistence, the Nelchina caribou herd, and wolf pack monitoring.  

Everyone is invited to attend the talks, which are designed for the general public and can be attended in person or online. The talks will be held at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Visitor Center, and information on joining online can be found at www.wise-edu.org.

On Friday, February 13, Ben Bobowski will present Food Security and Protected Areas: Reflections of a Fulbright Global Scholar Project Experience.  He will introduce concepts and tools that he found helpful in understanding food security and cultural connections to the land in Costa Rica, Poland, and the Copper River Basin.  These concepts can apply broadly to any issue or community of people who have an identity with or attachment to a landscape or seascape.  

Ben Bobowski is a conservation practitioner with more than thirty years of experience, including nine years serving as the superintendent of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Much of his career has been in rural and wilderness areas creating safe environments to work through difficult issues.

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On Friday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m.,  Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Biologist Heidi Hatcher will give an update on the Nelchina caribou herd. Heidi will share the history of the Nelchina caribou herd, management and monitoring efforts, the latest status of the herd, and expectations as the herd recovers.  Heidi has been working with the Nelchina caribou herd since 2015.

On Friday, March 6, a team from Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission will share Wolf Pack Monitoring:  Range, Distribution, and Diet in Ahtna's Eastern Territory.  Wildlife Biologist Sterling Spilinek will be the presenter, joined by Wildlife Technicians Ethan Vollema and Trevor Alexander.  This is the first known tribally managed wolf capture and collaring project, and is being done in partnership with Native Village of Tazlina and Ahtna, Inc., funded through the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

This presentation will summarize results from the initial capture and monitoring phase.

The presenters will also discuss adaptive field methods, logistical challenges, and the project’s role in advancing tribally driven wildlife science that integrates Traditional Ecological Knowledge with rigorous research.

WISE is grateful to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for their ongoing funding of this lecture series, with the goal of connecting local residents with scientists and research projects of significance to the Copper River Basin.