Increasing numbers of Snow Geese in northern Alaska are fairly recent phenomena (see Ritchie et al. 2000, Ritchie et al. 2008). Colonies have been known to occur on a number of river deltas for decades (e.g., Ikpikpuk River, Kukpowruk River; Ritchie et al. 2000), but in recent history have grown substantially only in the last decade. Because in some Arctic areas an overabundance of Snow Geese has caused extensive damage to habitats used by geese and other wildlife (e.g., Batt 1997), closer monitoring of Snow Goose populations on the North Slope of Alaska is important, as is monitoring of the impacts of this much larger population of local Snow Geese on coastal habitats and other bird species.
Colony visits, brood-rearing surveys, and banding of Snow Geese all have contributed to past monitoring efforts in sites along the Arctic Coast between Kasegaluk Lagoon and Prudhoe Bay (e.g., Johnson 2000, Noel et al. 2001, Ritchie et al. 2008). Much of the recent monitoring efforts have focused primarily on sites east of Barrow, and these investigations have revealed substantial increases in local population of Snow Geese on the Ikpikpuk River, as well as substantial growth in small colonies on the Colville River delta and in the Howe Island colony on
the Sagavanirktok River delta. Less effort has been made to monitor a long-known colony, west
of Barrow on Kukpowruk River delta near Point Lay, within Kasegaluk Lagoon, but recent
observations suggested that this colony may have grown more than an order of magnitude since
monitoring began there in 1992 (R. Suydam, NSB, pers. comm.; Ritchie et al. 2000). In 2008,
CPAI provided support for additional monitoring efforts of the Kukpowruk River breeding
population. We report here on those efforts during the summer of 2008.
The primary goal of this study was to better understand growth of the Snow Goose colony
near Pt. Lay and its interrelationships among other Snow Goose colonies. Specific objectives
included
1) Determine the population size at brood-rearing by conducting a brood-rearing survey
of the Kasegaluk Lagoon region near Pt. Lay; and
2) Capture and band Snow Geese at Kasegaluk Lagoon, near Point Lay, in August 2008
so that band returns/resightings might elucidate relationships between the
Kukpowruk and other breeding populations of Snow Geese in the region.
In addition, the North Slope Borough conducted a colony visit in July to determine the
number and fate of nests at the traditional colony near the mouth of the Kukpowruk River (R.
Suydam, NSB, pers. comm.). Combined with other studies in the summer of 2008, research
activities at Pt. Lay and the Kukpowruk River Delta offered some new insights into the growing
Snow Goose Population in northern Alaska.
