BLM AK - CESU- Reindeer Range Management on the Seward Peninsula

archived

The Reindeer Research Program is uniquely qualified to perform the work that will benefit all partners. The Program is the only one of its kind in the US and has taken an active role in the development and promotion of the Alaskan reindeer industry. The research projects are varied ranging from reindeer herd management, to animal health, to nutrition and meat quality. A CESU university has been involved with the local reindeer herder community and with the assessment of grazing lands on the Seward Peninsula for over 15 years building relationships and trust in a community that is not readily accepting of outside involvement. The Program is recognized and trusted locally as well as globally in uniquely performing an on-going analysis of reindeer biology, habitat and the socio-economic implications that are associated with grazing and herding. BLM is obligated to assess rangeland health as it relates to reindeer grazing on the Seward Peninsula. Other factors such as the influences from the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, other grazing ungulates, and potential vegetative shifts from climate change are necessary in assessing rangeland health.

High