BLM-Alaska, Fortymile Caribou Herd Monitoring

In the past the BLM and the State of Alaska, Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) have worked together on this project. The State of Alaska has authority to manage fish and wildlife populations in Alaska. Dual management of many wildlife populations began when in 1990 the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculature assumed responsibility for implementation of Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. The partnership with ADF&G has provided for joint management and stewardship of wildlife resouces while providing for federal and state manadates. Monitoring of the Fortymile Caribou Herd (FCH) population and harvest has been conducted in partnership with the ADF&G through cooperative agreements since approximately 2003. Management of subsistence resources on federal public lands in Alaska became the responsibility of federal agencies on July 1, 1990 as required by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980. ANILCA requires preferential use of subsistence resources to rural residents over all other uses on federal public lands. As a result, a dual management system was created, requiring coordination between federal and state agencies. A single population of migratory caribou, such as the FCH, normally overlaps state, federal, native, and public lands in Alaska and is regulated by contradictory mandates, management policies, seasons and bag limits. BLM and ADF&G will enter into an agreement to collect data that will further cohesive management of Alaskaâ¿¿s wildlife resources and their habitats given the complexities of dual management and for the benefit of public users. The specific resource addressed is the FCH, which is a vitally important subsistence resource throughout its range.