See also:

Moose - North Richardson Mtns
 
Temperatures at Old Crow
 
Snow depth at Old Crow

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

What is happening?

• Since 1991 biologists have been counting the number of moose they see from the air while doing waterfowl surveys in Old Crow Flats. The same routes are flown each year in early June and total over 232 km. There is no attempt to classify the moose by age or sex.
• The number of moose counted along the route varies widely from year to year ranging from a low of 100 in 2011 to a high just over 1,200 animals in 1995.

Why is it happening?

• The productive wetlands in Old Crow Flats provide good feeding opportunities for moose.
• Research in the late 1990s by the US Fish and Wildlife Service showed that most (75%) of the moose they radio-collared in the eastern Brooks Range of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would move to Old Crow Flats in the spring and return to Alaska in the fall. The largest distance between summer and winter range was 196 km (120 miles), making this seasonal migration of moose one of the longest on record.

Why is it important?

• The Old Crow Flats is an important waterfowl wetland both locally and internationally. These results also suggest that Old Crow Flats are regionally important for moose populations that range between Yukon and Alaska.

Technical Notes

• These data were obtained from the US Fish and Wildlife Service which conducts aerial surveys on the Old Crow Flats as part of an on-going, continent-wide waterfowl survey program.
• Moose were not counted in 2009.
• Further information about the moose migration betweeen ANWR and Old Crow Flats can be found here: http://arctic.fws.gov/moosesdy.htm