New Study Showing Minimal Impact on Caribou Range – RedState

Last fall, President Trump authorized construction of Alaska’s Ambler Mining Highway, which would extend from Dalton Highway near Wiseman to the Ambler Mining District, a distance of approximately 150 miles. The objective is to facilitate the extraction and transportation of the known mineral wealth in the Ambler District, which is considerable and includes some strategic rare earth minerals.

Now a possible obstacle to this route has been removed. A study by Yale-trained biologist Matthew Cronin determined that the large herd of Western Arctic caribou (WAH) will not be negatively affected by the planned road.

With approximately 150,000 individuals, WAH is the largest caribou herd in Alaska. This herd spends its summers and young in the western region of Alaska’s North Slope and migrates south to the Yukon River in western Alaska during the winter.

The population of this herd has fallen from a peak of 500,000 caribou in 2003, causing concern among Alaska Natives in western parts of the state who rely on this herd for their livelihood. Biologists attribute climate change, predation and human harvesting as the main factors behind the decline in caribou numbers over the past two decades.

The western half of the proposed 211-mile Ambler Trail passes through the WAH migration area.

The study by Cronin, a researcher at the Northwest Biology and Forestry Company, found that Ambler Road’s proposed footprint represents less than 0.005 percent of the WAH’s 92.2 million-acre range and passes through an area rarely crossed during migration.

In case you didn’t know, Alaska is a very big place. There is room for caribou and a mining road. And in any case, the most significant impacts on caribou populations do not come from human activities:

Other key findings from the report include:

• The main WAH migration routes are to the west and north of the proposed route.
• Ambler Road and associated mines are located more than 150 miles from the main caribou calving grounds of the Western Arctic.
• Caribou have successfully crossed the Dalton Highway and other Alaskan and Canadian highways during their migrations for many years.
• Predation by bears and wolves, particularly on calves, as well as winter conditions and icy events, are the main factors affecting the WAH population.

Icy episodes are particularly dangerous for grazers and browsers, such as caribou and moose. Last winter, when southcentral Alaska experienced a prolonged period of freezing rain and sleet, the browse was locked behind the ice, and the roads and driveways that moose depend on for mobility were as slippery as spit on a doorknob; to my knowledge, Alaska Fish & Game is still working to determine the impact on the south-central moose population.

Learn more: This is huge: Trump approves key Alaska mining route

Drill, baby, drill: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge now open for drilling

As for caribou, bears and wolves pose a much greater threat than roads. Caribou regularly cross Alaska’s existing highways and roads (even though we have plenty of them) with impunity. But predation by bears and wolves can account for half of the calves in a given year.

Thus, a possible stumbling block was resolved. It is not yet known when construction on Ambler Road will begin, or if the general public will be allowed to use the road for recreational purposes. But it’s still a victory.

Editor’s note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, the U.S. economy is back on track.

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