I spent a few hours yesterday looking at what I was missing not being home this year.

Looks like the goal is to increase muskox numbers to 100% of the available habitat. I guess not living in 26A anymore, and not paying attention to the regs I missed that they had cancelled all hunts for muskox in 26. At least this is what I understand. Of course I don't live in Barrow anymore so I don't know if this includes subsistance or not.

Also looks like they want to introduce woods bison to all the suitable habitat. I never realized there was such a huge difference in size and conformation. The site said there are something like 5000 woods bison in the Yukon and they want to get to that number in Alaska. The beauty of bison is that wolves have a hell of a time hunting them. So their growth should be fairly rapid. The state is claiming that they 10 times the available bison habitat of the Yukon, and could forsee woods bison occupying a huge part of that habitat.

I am looking forward to getting home. I have a few ideas, but would like to teach in a couple of bush communities for a few years and then end up outside of Fairbanks. I'll probably spend a few years in Fairbanks when I get back finishing my masters and getting Alaska teacher certificates.

My big question is can trappers take unlimited wolf, lynx, and wolverine, and hunters can only shoot 5 wolves, 1 lynx, and 1 wolverine? I love trapping and I am all about getting into it. I just don't understand the logic on this one.

I also didn't realize there were moose on the American side in SE. Moose in Glacier Bay! Pretty cool stuff. Maybe I could teach in Gustavus.

I didn't realize that the state or the feds had stopped hunting for Emperor geese.

What was the reasoning behind this?

. ,.,There are quite a few moose in Southeast....Both on the mainland and on some islands....

D99-

Let me know when you head back to Alaska. I've lived and worked there before (I'm a teacher as well) and have a lot of connections in different districts (mostly bush). We are actually moving back to Alaska for good (Lake Iliamna) this summer. My friend who works in the same district but on the other side of the Lake has gotten a number of Wolves (both trapping and hunting).

Jason

Jason,

Right now I am a sailor. After 13 years of the Navy I am finally intrested in finishing my degree. The University of Maryland, is the one I am attending as they have a quasi-campus over here.

I worked in Barrow as a cop, and lived in Sitka while attending the academy.

I really like the area around Fairbanks, but would like to spend some time teaching in a few bush communities. Dry bush communities, or non-native ones. Barrow's damp status isn't worth dealing with.

I was thinking about Kaktovik, Anaktuvik Pass or something similar.

I am double majoring in Anthropology and History. I have enough time to finish a masters if not more before I retire from the Navy, and then it's back to Alaska I go.