Field Station:

Glacier Bay Field Station: P.O. Box 140 Gustavus, AK 99826-0140 (907) 697-2230 FAX (907) 697-2654

History
The Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office is one of 15 research centers in the nation that conducts and coordinates research for the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Center was established in 1986 after staff previously with the Alaska Office of Fish and Wildlife Research in the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service united with Service employees from two other research centers who were stationed in Alaska. When the National Biological Service was formed in November, 1993, the Center ,along with scientists from the National Park Service, was moved to this newly created agency. In January, 1996, Congress passed legislation to merge the National Biological Service with the U.S. Geological Survey, thereby consolidating biological and physical scientific research in the Department of the Interior. On October 1, 1996 the merger was completed with the former National Biological Service becoming the Biological Resources Division within the U.S. Geological Survey.

Research Program
Research in Alaska addresses important resource issues identified by Department of the Interior bureaus. Field--rather than laboratory--projects dominate Center activities; however, ongoing laboratory studies use DNA analysis for genetic stock identification of Pacific salmon, migratory bird, and marine mammal populations. These genetic analyses are useful to biologists seeking to understand the population structure of native species. Fieldwork in Alaska often takes biologists to remote areas for prolonged periods. These biologists use floatplanes and helicopters for access to tent camps, and use radios to communicate with the Center and their families. Harsh environmental conditions and the extreme seasons of the Arctic often restrict the methods and timing of research projects. Different languages and customs of Native groups throughout the state also influence when, where, and how research is conducted. Projects often involve cooperative efforts with Native peoples to study fish and wildlife resources.

Research programs investigate:

• the role of arctic and subarctic environments in maintaining wild stocks of nationally important marine and anadromous fish species
• the ecology of marine mammals and their role and effect as top end consumers in arctic and subarctic marine environments
• the role of arctic and subarctic environments in maintaining nationally important migratory bird populations
• the ecology of terrestrial mammals and the role of top herbivores and carnivores in impacting the dynamics of arctic and subarctic terrestrial systems

Current Issues & Problems

• Impacts of petroleum exploration, development, and pollution on terrestrial and marine mammals, migratory birds, anadromous fishes, and marine invertebrates
• Sport and subsistence harvests of declining populations of arctic nesting waterfowl
• Subsistence harvest of polar bear, Pacific walrus, and sea otters
• Declining populations of marine mammals and migratory birds and unknown trends of prey species in the Bering-Chukchi Sea Ecosystem
• Management of wolves and brown bears and their prey in and around Denali National Park and Preserve
• Declining populations of caribou in Wrangell/St. Elias National Park related to subsistence and sport harvest
• Impacts of hatchery enhancement on wild stocks of Pacific salmon and their exploitation by commercial, subsistence, and sport fishing interests
• Effects of commercial Dungeness crab and Pacific halibut fishing on Glacier Bay National Park marine ecosystem

Emerging Issues and Problems

• Increased impacts of recreational activities on DOI trust species in National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks
• Anticipated natural resource management problems associated with change in land status resulting from the mandates of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and negotiated exchanges between the DOI and Regional Native Corporations
• Potential impacts on industrial pollutants in the Beaufort, Bering, and Chukchi seas on DOI trust species
• Increased responsibility of Federal Subsistence management in Alaska
• Anticipated amendment of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to allow for a regulated spring subsistence harvest of migratory birds in Alaska and Canada
• Renewed government interest in petroleum exploration and development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
• International conflicts in management of Pacific salmon stocks
• Illegal harvest of shared marine mammal resources in Russia and sport harvest of polar bear populations shared with Canada
• Tour boat and visitation impacts on coastal waters of Alaska national parks and preserves

Research Program Capabilities
The staff of the Alaska Science Center - Biological Science Office includes research wildlife biologists, research fishery biologists, a research geneticist, a zoologist, a marine ecologist, a research statistician, a veterinarian, a research ecologist, biologists, and a support staff of biological technicians, statistical assistants, and laboratory technicians. Annually, the Center receives hundreds of hours of support from volunteers. A small administrative staff supports the research program. The Center has expertise in the following areas:

• Ecosystem interactions in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial arctic and subarctic environments on DOI lands (National Wildlife Refuges, National Parks, BLM); the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas; and the northern Gulf of Alaska
• Global climate change in arctic and subarctic ecosystems
• Impacts of oil and gas development on arctic and subarctic systems and key DOI trust species
• Assessment of human related (e.g., subsistence, recreation, logging, military activities, mining) impacts on DOI trust species in arctic and subarctic ecosystems
• Research on internationally shared DOI trust species and DOI programs
• Use of fish and wildlife remote sensing and GIS technology development and application to understand ecosystem functions
• Inventory and monitoring protocol development for DOI trust species in arctic and subarctic ecosystems
• Population dynamics, modeling, and ecology of Pacific salmonids, marine mammals, terrestrial mammals, and migratory birds
• Use of molecular genetic techniques to assess the systematics and population structure of arctic and subarctic DOI trust species in arctic and subarctic ecosystems

Partners in the Center's Research Program

Department of the Interior

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• National Park Service
• Minerals Management Service
• Bureau of Land Management
• Office of the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior in Alaska

Other Federal Agencies

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Department of Defense
• Department of the State (Pacific Salmon Treaty)
• U.S. Forest Service

Other Government Agencies and Conservation Organizations

• Ecosystem Initiative Partners (Prince William Sound and Glacier Bay)
• Pacific Flyway Council
• Alaska Native Organizations
• State of Alaska (Fish and Game, Environmental Conservation, Natural Resources)
• Canadian Wildlife Service
• SEDESOL (Mexico)
• Russian Academy of Sciences
• Native Walrus Commission
• Marine Mammals Commission
• Oil and Gas Industry Organizations
• State of California (Fish and Game)
• Nongovernmental Conservation Organizations
• Partners-in-Flight
• Pacific Seabird Group The Nature Conservancy
• Exxon Valdez Trustees Council
• IUCN Polar Bear Group
• Pacific Northwest States (salmon issues)
• Alaska Sea Otter Commission
• University of Alaska and other Universities