Wildlife in Alaska

Back on May 15, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission (MSBFWC) held a public meeting with Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Wildlife Division biologists to discuss the status of various game populations around the Valley and state.

Because this was only two days past my shoulder replacement surgery, I was not able to attend the meeting or even log in on the internet to listen. After I was doing a little better, I looked up information from the meeting on the MSBFWC webpage and read the questions the commission had submitted to the department and their written answers.

I was a member of the commission during last year’s meeting and the general gist of that meeting was that most of the Valley’s animal populations were in some level of decline. From reading this year’s information, my take-away was that not much has changed—most animal populations were still below historic average numbers.

Some of these reductions were due to factors beyond human control. Weather was a big factor for some species and habitat degradation and loss was another major influencer. Hunting wasn’t a factor for any of the populations, indicating that the department was doing a good job in managing animal populations in the areas where they actually had regulatory control.

Earlier today, as I write this, I received a news release from Fish and Game announcing, and I quote: “The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is seeking feedback on the revised State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). The draft SWAP will be available for public comment 27 May – 25 June 2025. Public input will help us plan for the next ten years of wildlife conservation in Alaska. The 2025 SWAP identifies “Species of Greatest Conservation Need”, key habitats, priority threats, and conservation actions for wildlife in Alaska.

The primary goal of the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program is to support research on species that have a real or potential conservation concern and to take actions that avoid the need for species listings under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Each of the 50 states has its own SWAP, which is required for states to receive federal SWG funding. The SWAP identifies a range of “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in the state, from declining birds and mammals to culturally and economically important species, such as beluga whales and Chinook salmon. Keeping these species healthy is in the best interest of the economy and the well-being of the people of Alaska.

Since the first SWAP was written in the early 2000s, many Alaska species have been kept off the endangered species list, because ADF&G provided new information about distribution, or population status to show that ESA listing was not warranted (e.g., Tufted Puffin, Kittlitz’s Murrelet, Yellow-billed Loon, Suckley’s bumblebee). Populations are often different in Alaska, because we have intact ecosystems and contiguous habitat, unlike many places in the Lower 48, where populations may be declining due to limited habitat and therefore listed as threatened, endangered, or extirpated.”

Continuing, “Example priority conservation actions in the SWAP include:

Understanding the population status of priority species (are they declining and why) and implementing activities to mitigate or reverse decline.

Removing invasive species that harm native wildlife from islands or inland waters.

Identifying important habitat for high priority species (where they primarily feed or nest).

Alaska must submit a revised plan by October 1, 2025. Public comment during the 27 May– 25 June 2025 window is welcome. Please visit ADF&G’s Threatened, Endangered, and Diversity webpage to learn more about the plan revision and provide public input.”

I looked up the draft document and it’s 420 pages long. It contains a four-page executive summary with a road map to plan elements. There’s a chapter on species of greatest conservation need and another showing an overview of several facets of Alaskan life. Other chapters discuss distribution and abundance of wildlife in Alaska along with key habitats for wildlife.

Threats to wildlife and conservation actions are also discussed. Monitoring and evaluation actions and Alaskan priorities are further discussed. There are a couple of hundred pages of tables, graphs, and reference information to support the discussions presented.

Scattered throughout the document are twenty-two vignettes of birds, animals, sea life, and short discussions of various aspects of life in Alaska—all designed to making reading the document a little less imposing. It’s a long read but I’m sure it is worth the effort.