An Alaskan Way of Life

posted in: General

December 16, 2024

Chelsea Pardo, TRCP’s new Alaska senior program manager, recounts her 2024 bear hunt in the Susitna River Valley

I woke up the morning of June 1 buzzing with excitement for my bear hunt. Although it would be a quick weekend adventure, I set out feeling optimistic at my chances of tagging a bruin. After a quick breakfast, I drove along the Parks Highway to catch the Alaska Railroad flag stop train in Talkeetna, hoping to glimpse Denali along the way. The Hurricane Turn flag stop train—originally named as a flag was used to wave the train down—runs through the Indian River Valley and is the last remaining train in the country that will pick up or drop off passengers anywhere along its backcountry route. The train is a treasured resource for many Alaskans who own remote property in the area.

A stop at Gold Creek to let another train pass.

As I gathered with the other passengers waiting to board the train, I noticed the typical eclectic nature of the summer crowd. The other travelers included locals with rafting gear eager to be dropped off to float the Susitna River back to Talkeetna, as well as tourists on guided trips, many of whom were experiencing Alaska for the first time. The Susitna River, meaning “sandy river” in the Dena’ina language, runs an impressive 313 miles from the Susitna Glacier in the Alaska Range, along the Talkeetna Mountains (where I would be venturing), and flows into the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. When we boarded the train, I informed the conductor of the milepost where I wanted to be let off.

A black bear sow and cub spotted from the train.

I sat next to the window enjoying the views of the river as we passed various stops that boasted stories of the valley’s rich gold mining history. After passing over the large Susitna River bridge, we paused to observe a black bear sow with a cub. I decided to take it as a good omen that I might see more bears in the area later that night on my hunt.

I arrived at my stop and felt relieved to see my mom already waiting for me by the train tracks on a six-wheeler. We loaded up the wheeler with my gear and made the short ride to our cabin. After dinner and some gear reorganizing, we decided to venture out to the bear bait. We arrived in the early evening and approached the bait quietly, never knowing if we might encounter a bear already there. There was no activity yet, and the wind was swirling our scent. We climbed into the tree stand and settled in to wait.

Hours passed, and I added more layers to stay warm as the temperatures dropped. I glanced at my watch and noted that it was 9:30 p.m., finding it strange that we hadn’t seen any activity. Just then, I spotted a black bear slowly entering from behind the bait station. It was a younger bear, alone and timid, sniffing the air and staring right at us.

I tried not to move or even breathe. As the bear moved toward the pile, I positioned my gun, ready to take a shot, but the bear was directly facing me, making it difficult to find a clear angle. I watched as it began to walk away. Unfortunately, there was no good opportunity for a clean shot, and I had to let it go as it wandered behind the stand. I reassured myself that there would likely be more bears, but I knew I only had one night to hunt before returning to town the next day.

A few minutes later, with the wind still blowing, another black bear entered the bait. This one was much more mature than the previous bear, likely around six and a half feet. I found myself shaking with anticipation, trying to remain still as it stared directly at me. I readied my gun and watched through the scope as the bear moved deeper into the bait area. It continued to look straight ahead without turning broadside, and then it began to walk away without feeding.

As it slowly made its way up the hill to leave, it stopped and turned, giving me just enough of a shot to feel comfortable. I shot and knew I had connected, but the bear ran into the nearby brush and disappeared. We climbed down from the tree stand and searched for the bear. As night fell, we decided to come back in the daylight.

The author with a Talkeetna Mountains black bear.

I barely slept that night, hoping we would recover the bear. Early the next morning, we set out to return to the bait and navigated through the devil’s club surrounding the area where we believed the bear had fallen. Busting through the thorny mess, I finally saw the black hide in a sea of green only a couple hundred yards from where I shot. Relief washed over me as I punched my harvest ticket. I was ecstatic for the harvest of the bear and the meat that we would have for many meals. My mom and I field dressed and packed the bear out that morning and loaded the boat to head home.

View from the boat ride along the Susitna River.

As I observed the river scenery and glimpses of Denali State Park on the boat ride back to Talkeetna, I felt a sense of gratitude for being fortunate to experience such an incredible place in Alaska. The harvest of an animal was simply an addition to the overall experience of being in the backcountry with my family. Something we’ve done so many times before and will hopefully do again.

Learn more about Chelsea and sign up for Alaska conservation updates HERE.

Photo credits: Chelsea Pardo

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by: Ian Nakayama

posted in: General

December 12, 2024

Hunters and Anglers Cheer as Abandoned Mine Remediation Legislation Heads to the President’s Desk

House passage follows unanimous Senate passage earlier this year

On Tuesday, the United States House of Representatives passed the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024. This bill will help clean up pollution from abandoned mines by removing barriers and risks for state agencies, nonprofits, and other groups eager to help improve water quality impacted by abandoned hardrock mines. The bill now awaits the president’s signature.

There are an estimated 140,000 abandoned hardrock mine features throughout the United States; an estimated 22,500 of those pose environmental hazards. Many of these mines have been abandoned for decades, leeching toxic, heavy metals into water sources. This legislation authorizes a pilot program that grants permits to Good Samaritans, such as state agencies, local governments, and nonprofits, to remediate these mines. It also introduces liability protections that have hampered cleanup efforts in the past.

Trout Unlimited, a conservation organization and TRCP partner dedicated to cold water conservation and the conservation of wild and native trout and salmon, has long championed the need for Good Samaritan protections to accelerate cleanup efforts and played a pivotal role in advocating for the legislation, drawing on decades of on-the-ground restoration experience to raise awareness about the urgent need for action.

“The House’s passage of the bipartisan Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 represents a huge step forward for water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in areas surrounding abandoned hardrock mines,” said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “This legislation has been a priority for the hunting and angling community for a quarter century, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law.”

Photo credit: Kelly Michals

by: Guest Author Bjorn Dihle

posted in: General

December 4, 2024

The Restoration of Sitka Blacktail Deer Habitat: Part 1

In this two-part series, Bjorn Dihle examines how restoration work of young growth forest by the Forest Service in collaboration with nonprofits, Tribes, and state and private partners will help Southeast Alaska’s Sitka blacktail deer population in the Tongass National Forest

My brother and I were hiking up a ridge in Southeast Alaska when we spotted a group of six Sitka blacktail bucks. There was no practical way to get within rifle range, so we spent the next few hours tunneling through the jungle and climbing cliffs until we were in good shooting position.

A short while later, the sun set on an expanse of mountains and ocean as I butchered a big, fat buck. Occasionally, I’d stand, look around, and listen for brown bears. There are a lot where we hunt, which makes for occasional excitement. It was completely dark by the time my brother and I had our deer quartered and buried in a snow slope.

That night, I sliced and then boiled my deer’s heart for dinner. I added a handful of the plant “deer heart,” which tastes like arugula. The buck had been eating the plant when I pulled the trigger. I enjoyed my meal beneath a still, starry night and thought back to three decades ago when I was a kid making my first Sitka blacktail hunts. Not long after I killed my first buck, I had the realization that I’d rather chase these deer than do pretty much anything else.

I still feel that way.

Bjorn Dihle with an early season Sitka blacktail.

I’m far from alone in my appreciation of Sitka blacktails. This rainforest mule deer subspecies may not be well known outside of Alaska, but for locals, as well as visiting hunters, they are a treasure. In 30 or so communities that make up Southeast Alaska, one of the most appreciated gifts you can offer someone is venison. This generosity is usually followed by the receiver of the gift telling you that there’s no better meat in the world.

Trouble in Paradise

Southeast Alaska can feel like a Shangri-la for hunters and anglers. With fishing for salmon and other saltwater species, and big game populations that still support over-the-counter tags for non-residents, it may appear there is plenty of wildlife to go around. However, the region faces some serious issues.

On Prince of Wales Island, the deer population has dropped significantly during the last few decades. The population is predicted to continue on a negative trend unless something changes. If a big winter mortality event occurs, POW’s deer may not recover. To the north, on the central islands, deer numbers are not near what they once were.

A Sitka blacktail buck and brown bear in northern Southeast Alaska.

Deer populations are influenced dramatically by winter weather, and some of the recent die-offs have been near apocalyptic. Diminished old growth wintering habitat and lack of forest connectivity contributes to deer declines. In the past, logging efforts in Southeast Alaska were rarely done with wildlife in mind. Much of the best winter habitat for deer, the large old growth that protect animals from deep snows, has been clear-cut. Combine a bad winter with a lack of winter habitat and predation by wolves and bears and you end up with a recipe for an extreme deer disaster.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game writes that, “Clearcut logging has and will continue to further reduce deer carrying capacity in some areas. Of more concern (than severe winters), habitat capability and deer numbers are expected to decline in some areas as large tracts of previously logged areas reach the closed canopy stem exclusion stage and become extremely poor deer habitat.”

Stem exclusion is when young growth forests have grown so close together they blot out the sun, creating a closed canopy where there is no understory for Sitka blacktails to browse. If these trees aren’t thinned, a Southeast Alaska forest stand in the stem exclusion phase may languish in this unproductive state for several decades to a century.

Searching for a Solution

In parts of Southeast Alaska, trappers have tried hard for decades to take enough wolves so deer populations can rebound. In some areas, their efforts have been successful on a short-term scale. Wolves are prolific breeders, though, and even with significant trapping effort, deer numbers remain poor in the central islands and are declining on POW. Studies have shown that those regions’ ample populations of black bears also prey on blacktails as they take a significant percentage of fawns. Despite the number of predators harvested, there still won’t be good numbers of deer unless there’s quality habitat.

“Fifteen to thirty years after a forest has been harvested is the best time to get in and do thinning for wildlife,” said Gregory Dunn. “We have about 200,000 acres in that framework. In ten years, we’ll be out of that window. Not much else you can do then but pre-commercial and gap treatments. The time is now.”

One long-term solution is wildlife thinning (wildlife treatments) of young growth forests that have entered stem exclusion. This is done by thinning trees and treating slash (trees cut and left on the ground) in a particular way to allow sunlight in and the understory to grow. This in turn offers better forage for deer and better wildlife habitat overall. Thinning has occurred throughout Southeast Alaska, but until recently, it has only been pre-commercial thinning—called pre-commercial treatments. Pre-commercial treatments are done in a way that helps grow trees to be harvested but does little for wildlife. Slash, which can be stacked 10 feet high, is left on the ground. Deer can’t travel through slash, creating habitat connectivity issues and what are essentially “islands of deer.”

Forest Service Tongass Wildlife Program Manager Gregory Dunn points out that nothing can grow for deer to browse once young growth enters stem exclusion and how it’s pressing that we do something about it now.

“Fifteen to thirty years after a forest has been harvested is the best time to get in and do thinning for wildlife,” said Dunn. “We have about 200,000 acres in that framework. In ten years, we’ll be out of that window. Not much else you can do then but pre-commercial and gap treatments. The time is now.”

Sitka blacktails in the high country in August.

Wildlife Treatments

There are around 1,000-2,000 trees an acre in stands of young growth being considered for thinning. In the past, a silviculturist decided where crews would do pre-commercial treatments. Dunn says that now, with the new emphasis on co-stewardship of the forest, locals, Tribes, and state and private partners are involved with choosing which young growth stands will be treated. Wildlife treatments are different than pre-commercial treatments in that a crew goes into a stand with a goal of trying to trigger understory growth as well as enhance travel corridors and habitat in other ways. Dunn says the policy is that if trees have an average greater than a five-to-six-inch diameter, then the crew takes the slash out. If the average diameter is less, then the slash is left on the ground.

“You can’t get all the slash out,” said Dunn. “Wildlife treatments take more time and cost more than pre-commercial treatments. Afterwards, the understory comes back pretty fast, but it generally takes a decade or so for deer habitat to come back if slash was left at the site.”

The Forest Service is working with nonprofits, Tribes, and communities on wildlife and watershed restoration projects in different locations in Southeast Alaska. While wildlife treatments take time, Dunn and others hope that thinning and timber harvest is done in a way to enhance or maintain quality habitat for wildlife in the future.

“It’s a huge issue to keep deer from disappearing, as deer are vital for residents of Southeast Alaska,” said Dunn.

Knowing how much people care about Sitka blacktails, it’s a safe guess that hunters will do everything they can to keep that from happening.

Bjorn Dihle is an avid hunter, conservationist and lifelong resident of Southeast Alaska.

Look for Part II of this series on Sitka blacktail conservation in Southeast Alaska soon.

Photos courtesy of Bjorn Dihle.

TRCP works to maintain and strengthen the future of hunting and fishing by uniting and amplifying our partners’ voices in conserving and restoring wildlife populations and their habitat as challenges continue to evolve. Learn more about TRCP’s commitment to healthy habitat and clean water HERE.

by: Dan Morgan

posted in: General

Hunters and Anglers Applaud House Passage of the Bipartisan ACE Reauthorization Act

The legislation aims to boost funding and provide vital enhancements to conservation programs benefiting fish and wildlife.

The America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Reauthorization Act of 2024 passed the House on Tuesday December 3, 2024, in a 366-21 vote. The ACE Reauthorization act was sponsored by Representatives Wittman (R-Va.), Kiggans (R-Va.), Dingell (D-Mich.), and Thompson (D-Calif.) and would reauthorize multiple programs that benefit hunting and angling including, the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Chesapeake Bay Program, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. It also helps address threats like chronic wasting disease. This reauthorization provides technical improvements, administrative streamlining, and increased authorized funds to improve these programs.

“The America’s Conservation Enhancement Reauthorization Act will benefit fish and wildlife while enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for millions of hunters and anglers,” said Joel Pedersen, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “TRCP applauds the House’s passage of this important bipartisan legislation and looks forward to building on the success of these crucial conservation programs that will benefit hunters and anglers for generations to come.”

The original ACE Act was passed in 2020 and portions of it were sponsored by Representatives Wittman, Dingell, and Thompson. Many of its authorizations expire next year, necessitating the passage of the ACE Reauthorization Act to ensure these programs can continue to operate in good legal standing.

The legislation is endorsed by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Ducks Unlimited, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the National Audubon Society.

The ACE Reauthorization Act of 2024 now heads back to the Senate, which passed a different version of the ACE Reauthorization Act by unanimous consent earlier this year.

by: Rob Thornberry

posted in: General

October 29, 2024

Sagebrush, Snowberry, and Aspen, Oh My!

Federal restoration funds and volunteers help increase the wildlife value of Idaho’s Pine Creek Bench

At the southern end of Idaho’s Big Hole Mountains, the Pine Creek Bench lays tucked between the South Fork of the Snake River and Stouts Mountain.

This picturesque bench provides invaluable winter range for deer, elk, and moose, and is also fertile ground that has attracted farmers for over a century who have grown diverse crops: wildflowers to alfalfa, potatoes to winter wheat. Like much of eastern Idaho, the plow has ruled for generations, largely relegating the bench’s wildlife value to the back burner.

In time, however, concerns about development on the bench and the nearby South Fork Canyon prompted eastern Idahoans to begin a long-term conservation effort to restore portions of the area. Led by the Bureau of Land Management and local non-profit organizations such as the Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, and Teton Regional Land Trust, thoughtful conservationists began leveraging support from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other sources to buy and/or conserve through conservation easements properties that held the highest wildlife values. Over the last four decades, a large percentage of the bench’s acreage has been restored to quality wildlife habitat and most of the canyon’s rim is free of houses.

To stop there would mean a great conservation success story, but one without a perfect ending. Once purchased, the BLM and partners didn’t have money to return their newly acquired properties to their original wild state. In many cases, obtained acres had been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program and were covered with nonnatives such as smooth brome to reduce erosion. Nonnative species and weeds outcompeted native plants and diminished the land’s ability to support wildlife.

That is, until now.

Using money from the recently enacted Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the BLM, local landowners, and hunter conservationists have started returning native species to the bench on properties purchased for their scenic and wildlife values. Private land enrolled in conservation easements don’t qualify for the program.

Volunteers from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers plant aspen on Idaho’s Pine Creek Bench.

The BLM-led coalition is completing the work by enlisting nearby farmers, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and volunteers. Spearheaded by BLM’s restoration lead Devin Englestead, the BLM contracts nearby producers to farm the recently purchased acres for five years before eventually planting the ground in native grasses. By hiring local farmers, BLM keeps their costs for tilling the land down and increases buy-in from neighbors. Farming the ground for a short period of time is an effective way to remove non-native grasses and weeds that then allows native flora to return.

“[The challenge with this project has been] the daunting task of turning so many acres of farmed land back into native habitat,” BLM public affairs specialist Bruce Hallman told the Teton Valley News in July. “The reality is that it takes at least 5 years to turn CRP land back into native grasses and plants. That long timeframe requires good planning, adequate funding and commitments from agencies, patience as we wait for nature to do its thing, and hoping that volunteers will rise to the occasion.”

This summer, it all came together. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Backcountry Hunter & Anglers volunteers lent their shoulders to the wheel. The IDFG used Mule Deer Initiative money to provide seedlings, and BHA provided the labor needed to get the natives in the ground.

Volunteers pose with tools and native plant seedlings.

BHA, BLM, and IDFG volunteers planted native species on roughly 1,275 acres of the bench this past summer with the idea of continuing the work annually. Volunteers planted bitterbrush, sagebrush, juniper, serviceberry, chokecherry, snowberry, milkweed, aspen, and wood rose.

The BLM focused on the parcels that connect the South Fork of the Snake River corridor with the mountains to the north. The intention is to link high-altitude summer range to winter range along the river corridor and Pine Creek Bench. By connecting the two habitats, big game survival will increase and provide higher quality hunting opportunities.

“Partnerships have helped turn it from idea to reality,” said Hallman. “The manpower that has attacked this monumental challenge could not have come from BLM staff alone. Volunteers from the nearby communities as well as Idaho Fish and Game staff have been priceless to our efforts. And local nurseries growing native plants have made the project really shine.”

Learn more about TRCP’s work in Idaho HERE.

Photo credits: Bruce Hallman