Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
August 2026

Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
A Dall sheep mortality site analysis

By Mike Taras

There aren't many things that I'd rather be doing on a cool autumn evening in Interior Alaska than jumping in a helicopter to go investigate a wildlife mortality site.

Fortunately, that's where I found myself; flying across the Tanana Flats and up a river valley into the foothills of the Alaska Range with ADF&G's Northern Region Dall Sheep biologist, Brad Wendling.

Brad is currently orchestrating one of the largest Dall sheep research studies ever undertaken in Alaska, prompted ...   A Kill Site Article Continued

How to Fish for Northern Pike

By Erik Anderson

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) has recently released a new how-to video, How to Fish for Northern Pike. It was filmed on location in Minto Flats - a truly spectacular wetland complex in Interior Alaska known for big northern pike and outstanding wildlife viewing.

Northern pike are a spectacular sport fish, known for explosive strikes that erupt in giant splashes, and in places like wetlands in Interior Alaska, they can grow to truly impressive sizes. A 20-pound northern ...   Pike Fishing Article Continued

Tree Swallows in the North are Declining Faster
Alaska monitoring efforts reveal why

By Heather McFarland, Julie Hagelin, Shelby Morgan

Tree Swallows are common aerial insectivores—birds that catch insects in mid-flight—that breed across North America. Despite their abundance, swallow populations have been declining for more than half a century. A new scientific study found that northern breeding Tree Swallows are declining faster than their southern counterparts. Data collected at Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks, the northernmost site in the study, played a key role in uncovering why.

Tricia ...   Tree Swallows Article Continued

Ammo and Eagles: Falconers on the Frontlines

By Arin Underwood

Wandering the halls of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Convention in 2025, passersby were often stopped short by the sight of a live bird at one of the many booths. A closer look revealed a beautiful juvenile Gyrfalcon with pale blue feet, black eyes and silvery dappled plumage perched on a man's gloved fist. Across the table at his side was a collection of ballistics gels and x-rays, posters of eagles at his back.

This was Ron Clarke, the founding member of the Alaska Falconer's ...   Ammo & Eagles Article Continued