Western Arctic Alaska:
Opportunity for Conservation

 By Steve Zack, Pacific West Coordinator, North America Program
& Joe Liebezeit, Associate Conservation Biologist

Aerial view of tundra polygons. ©Steve Zack

Arctic Alaska contains one of the last great wildlife spectacles in North America. Breeding birds from all over the world—from every continent and every ocean—come here to rear their young in the highly productive summer on the tundra wetlands. In the entire circumpolar Arctic, the Teshekpuk region contains some of the most diverse, productive, and abundant populations of birds.

Birds are not the only fauna attracted to this Arctic haven. The Teshekpuk caribou herd, at 45,000 strong, calves its young here. Grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines, and musk ox thrive in the area. Lemming populations surge periodically. Arctic fox, red fox, weasels, and ground squirrels all call Teshekpuk home.

The Wildlife Conservation Society has been studying wildlife in this region for the past two summers. From our remote field camp located a few miles south of the Teshekpuk Lake shore, we have watched as many different species of shorebirds gather to nest and raise chicks. Waterfowl are also abundant, and we have observed large populations of eider, geese, and swans.

Yet many of these birds face an uncertain future. The remote haven of Teshekpuk is not immune to the human footprint: Teshekpuk Lake is part of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). At 23.5 million acres, NPR-A is the largest single piece of public land in the United States. The reserve envelops most of western arctic Alaska and its vital wetlands.

Thousands of geese, including one-third of all the Pacific Flyway population of Brant geese, undergo their flightless molt just north of Teshekpuk. During this critical stage of their lives, just prior to their southward migration, they are very vulnerable and highly sensitive to disturbance. Other species at risk include the buff-breasted sandpiper, yellow-billed loon, and spectacled eider.

On September 27, the Secretary of the Interior plans to begin selling leases for nearly 100 percent of the northeast portion of the NPR-A, including the Teshekpuk Lake region. This is in spite of assertions of full protection by previous administrations, strong objections by environmental groups, more than 200,000 comments by the American public urging protection of this region, and concern from the Inupiat natives, who depend on local wildlife for subsistence.

There is room for both development and real wildlife protection in the NPR-A. Based on our years of field studies at various places in the Alaskan arctic, the Teshekpuk Lake region is clearly a place that stands out as having exceptional wildlife value, which we believe is worthy of real protection.

Learn more about our ongoing conservation work in arctic Alaska by visiting the WCS Arctic Project webpage.

View a Slide Show of Teshekpuk Lens on Teshekpuk ©Steve Zack

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