Background Articles

Arctic fox rabies is enzootic in populations of arctic and red fox populations along Alaska’s northern and western coasts. This means rabies is always present in these populations at some low level but periodically there can be outbreaks called epizootics (an outbreak in animal disease rather than an epidemic as is it is called when occurring in a human population). However, the winter of 2020-2021 ushered in a widespread outbreak with persistent and large focus in and around Nome.

Populations of southern white-tailed ptarmigan, an iconic yet well-camouflaged and easily overlooked bird of Colorado’s alpine regions, appear to be holding steady. But long-term concerns about its future remain in a warming world with growing numbers of people recreating in the state’s fragile alpine ecosystems.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy lauded the partnerships with Alaska businesses and “tremendous team effort to get salmon into the hands of our fellow Alaskans in need."

Trans Mountain pipeline expansion would effectively triple existing capacity, and in turn increase oil tanker traffic in B.C. coastal waters.

Alaska tribes and groups representing Bering Strait communities has filed an emergency petition with the U.S. secretary of commerce to eliminate chinook salmon bycatch and cap chum catch. The task force of up to 19 people would conduct a comprehensive review of salmon management in Alaska.

A new research project is building a timeline of mercury levels in the Aleutian Islands over the last few thousand years.

Several shipments of food made it into Clyde River, Nunavut, this week after delays due to weather. It's just the latest in a series of problems in the community that's been battered by weather since late January.

For years, populations of Sitka black-tail deer have slumped, leaving residents without a staple source of protein. A three-day summit held in Craig last month prompted lengthy discussions about the problem. When loggers cut down a section of old growth Sitka spruce, hemlock and cedar in the Tongass National Forest, there’s no need to replant — trees grow back on their own. It’s what scientists call an “even-aged forest.” When trees all start growing at the same time, they create a dense canopy that prevents light from reaching the ferns and berry bushes that black-tail deer love to snack on. And because the trees grow close together, they end up long and spindly — not the massive, thick, tight-grained trunks that make old growth lumber so highly valued.

The seabirds are struggling because of climate-linked ecosystem shifts — which can affect the supply and the timing of available food — as well as a harmful algal bloom and a viral outbreak in the region, she said. And their peril jeopardizes the human communities, as well: "Birds are essential to our region — they are nutritionally and economically essential," said Sheffield.

Marine hunters of eastern Chukotka often encounter "stinky" whales whose meat is unsuitable for food. The situation has become a problem for local residents. Researchers from Moscow State University and the Beringia National Park believe they have found the causes of an unpleasant odor in animals.

A 20-year-old treaty keeps Alaska and Canada working together, even through the devastating king and chum salmon collapse.

As of Tuesday, the fire which prompted the evacuation of the city two weeks ago was still 15 kilometres west of Yellowknife. Fire officials declared the fire as "being held" on Monday. According to N.W.T. Fire information officer, it's still unsafe to bring back the bulk of the residents to Yellowknife.

The Kluane First Nation in Yukon is leaning into alternative energy. The nation has a new wind turbine towering over Kluane Lake with biofuel and solar energy projects also in the works. The wind turbine is expected to generate power for the residents of Burwash Landing by spring.

Homes, fish camps, and destroyed subsistence gear that haven’t already been repaired or replaced still won’t qualify for individual assistance under new policies that take effect in March 2024.

The behemoth snowman that stole Anchorage’s heart years ago is back — as big as always, and looking friendlier than ever.

Dengue is erupting in South America — and has even found its way to the US.

The disease and virus likely exist well beyond the state’s borders, making the new name more scientifically accurate, officials say.

Amid the highest water levels seen since 2005, the city urges residents to be prepared for things to get worse.

Scientists have identified a key nutrient source used by algae living on melting ice surfaces linked to rising sea levels. They discovered that phosphorus containing minerals may be driving ever-larger algal blooms on the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The animal was until now called a Gulf of Mexico Bryde’s whale. The species is considered the region’s only baleen whale, known for comb-like plates in their mouths that strain food in lieu of teeth.The new name designation awaits recognition from a committee, in a process similar to peer review. Scientists have suggested calling the animal the Rice’s whale, after Dale Rice, a biologist who first recognized them in the gulf.