Tetlin

Tetlin NWR https://www.fws.gov/refuge/tetlin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetlin_National_Wildlife_Refuge Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge is a dynamic landscape made up of forests, wetlands, tundra, lakes, mountains and glacial rivers bounded by the snowy peaks of the Alaska Range. This upper Tanana River valley has been called the "Tetlin Passage," because it serves as a major migratory route for birds traveling to and from Canada, the lower 48 and both Central and South America. Many of these birds breed and nest on the refuge. Others pass through on their way to breeding and nesting grounds elsewhere in the state. Migrants, including ducks, geese, swans, cranes, raptors and songbirds, begin arriving in the valley in April, and continue into early June. An estimated 116 species breed on Tetlin during the short summer, when long days and warm temperatures accelerate the growth of plants, insects and other invertebrates, providing a ready source of rich foods for nesting birds. Dall sheep dot the higher slopes while Alaskan moose feed upon the tender new growth that springs up in the wake of frequent lightning caused fires. Wolf packs, turkey vulture, Canadian lynx, tundra swan, red fox, peregrine falcon, coyote, beaver, golden eagle, marten, six species of owls, snowshoe hare, osprey, trumpeter swan, muskrat, bald eagle, river otter, grizzly and black bears and members of three different caribou herds range over the refuge. Two of the six known humpback whitefish spawning areas in the Yukon River drainage are located within the refuge. Along with caribou and moose, these fish are important subsistence resources for area residents. Arctic grayling, northern pike and burbot are also found in the refuge's many streams and lakes.

X U X U R R X R ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ U ___________ W R __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ C C C U C X R X X Footnotes Common Name Sp S F Townsend’s Warbler* R R R Blackpoll Warbler R R R American Redstart X Northern Waterthrush* U U U Common Yellowthroat* R Wilson’s Warbler* U U U American Tree Sparrow* U U U Chipping Sparrow* R U R Clay-colored Sparrow X Brewer’s “Timberline” Sparrow* R Lark Sparrow X Savannah Sparrow* U U U Fox Sparrow* U C U Song Sparrow Lincoln’s Sparrow* U U U White-throated Sparrow X Golden-crowned Sparrow R R R White-crowned Sparrow* C C C Dark-eyed Junco* C C C Lapland Longspur C R Smith’s Longspur* R Snow Bunting C R Red-winged Blackbird* R U R Western Meadowlark X Rusty Blackbird* C C C Brown-headed Cowbird X X X Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch X X Pine Grosbeak* U R R Purple Finch X White-winged Crossbill* U U U Common Redpoll* C U U Hoary Redpoll R X Pine Siskin X X X W Notes U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge X Ethics for Birders X X X R Boreal Owl, Jennifer Smith/USFWS ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ Common Name Sp S F Black-backed Woodpecker* R R R Northern Flicker* C C U Olive-sided Flycatcher* R U R Western Wood-Pewee* R U R Yellow-bellied Flycatcher* X R X Alder Flycatcher* R C U Least Flycatcher X Hammond’s Flycatcher R R R Say’s Phoebe* R R R Northern Shrike* R X R Warbling Vireo X Gray Jay* C C C Black-billed Magpie* U R U Common Raven* C C C Horned Lark* U R Tree Swallow* C U Violet-green Swallow* C C Bank Swallow* R U R Cliff Swallow* C C R Barn Swallow* X X Black-capped Chickadee* U U U Boreal Chickadee* C C C Gray-headed Chickadee X X Red-breasted Nuthatch X X X Brown Creeper X X X American Dipper R R R Golden-crowned Kinglet X Ruby-crowned Kinglet* C C C Arctic Warbler X X Northern Wheatear X Mountain Bluebird* R X X Townsend’s Solitaire* R R X Gray-cheeked Thrush* R R R Swainson’s Thrush* U C U Hermit Thrush* U U U American Robin* C C C Varied Thrush* U U U European Starling* X X White (Black-backed) Wagtail X American Pipit* U R U Bohemian Waxwing* U U U Tennessee Warbler* X X Orange-crowned Warbler* U U U Yellow Warbler* R U U Yellow-rumped “Myrtle” Warbler* C C C Use caution and restrain when observing or photographing birds to minimize disturbance. Disturbing nesting birds will increase the chance of exposing eggs or young to extreme temperatures and predation. Bird Checklist Remain well back from roosts, display areas and feeding sites. Stay on roads, trails and paths where they exist; otherwise try to minimize disturbance to habitat. X X X R C C R + Phylogenetic sequence and common names follow The A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds (7th ed, 1998) and supplements. Information used to compile this list comes from daily checklists kept for the Refuge and Tok area from 1990 to 1996, and data from long-term breeding bird surveys, offroad point counts, fall migration banding, Christmas bird counts, phenology counts, and incidental observations made through 2006. Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 779 Tok, Alaska 99780 907/883 5312 907/883 5747 Fax http://tetlin.fws.gov U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1 800/344 WILD http://www.fws.gov Federal Relay 1 800/877 8339 Voice and TTY September 2007 Peregrine Falcon, USFWS ___________ W Varied Thrush, USFWS ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ Common Name Sp S F Greater Yellowlegs X

Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge – Mammals Checklist 1 Scientific Name Sorex cinereus Sorex hoyi Sorex monticous Sorex palustris Sorex tundrensis Sorex yukonicus Myotis lucifugus Canis latrans Canis lupus Vulpes vulpes Lynx canadensis Felis concolor Lontra canadensis Gulo gulo Martes americana Mustela erminea Mustela nivalis Mustela vison Ursus americanus Ursus arctos Alces alces Odocoileus hemionus Rangifer tarandus Bison bison Ovis dalli Marmota caligata Spermophilus parryi Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Glaucomys sabrinus Castor canadensis Clethrionomys rutilus Lemmus trimucronatus Microtus longicaudus Microtus miurus Microtus oeconomus Microtus pennsylvanicus Microtus xanthognathus Ondatra zibethica Synaptomys borealis Erethizon dorsatum Ochotona collaris Lepus americanus Common Name Common shrew Pygmy shrew Dusky shrew Water shrew Tundra shrew Tiny Shrew Little brown bat Coyote Wolf Red fox Lynx Mountain lion River otter Wolverine Marten Ermine Least weasel Mink Black bear Brown bear Moose Mule deer Caribou Wood bison Dall's sheep Hoary marmot Arctic ground squirrel Red squirrel Northern flying squirrel Beaver Northern red-backed vole Brown lemming Long-tailed vole Singing vole Tundra vole Meadow vole Yellow-cheeked vole Muskrat Northern bog lemming Porcupine Collared pika Snowshoe hare Family Soricidae Soricidae Soricidae Soricidae Soricidae Soricidae Phyllostomidae Canidae Canidae Canidae Felidae Felidae Mustelidae Mustelidae Mustelidae Mustelidae Mustelidae Mustelidae Ursidae Ursidae Cervidae Cervidae Cervidae Bovidae Bovidae Sciuridae Sciuridae Sciuridae Sciuridae Castoridae Muridae Muridae Muridae Muridae Muridae Muridae Muridae Muridae Muridae Erethizontidae Ochotonidae Leporidae Status Resident Resident Resident Probable Probable Probable Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Probable Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Probable Resident Incidental Resident Probable Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Probable Possible Possible Probable Resident Resident Resident Resident Resident Possible Resident 1 Wilson, D.E., and D.M. Reeder. 1993. Mammal species of the world. Smithsonian Institution Press. Last Revision 2/24/03 - B. Johnson. "Residents": Species know to occur from regular observations and/or specimens. “Possible” or “Probable”: University of Alaska Museum specimens and available habitat. “No Records”: No refuge specific nor museum specimens available. “Incidental” – A few observations 

TETLIN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE VISITOR GUIDE ACTIVITIES page 4 WILDLIFE page 10 FIRE page 12 Birds and Visitors Follow the Tetlin Passage Table of Contents Visitor Activities............................. 4 Education Programs..................... 6 Volunteer Programs..................... 7 Refuge Map...................................... 8 Refuge Facts.................................... 9 Wildlife........................................... 10 Fire................................................... 12 Communities Take Action........14 Planning Your Trip...................... 15 Visitor Information Centers.....16 Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge VISITOR GUIDE Refuge Coordinator: Kay Lynn Odle-Moore Contributors: Kay Lynn Odle-Moore, Shawn Bayless, Kristin DuBour, Nate Berg, Brian Haugen, and Tetlin Refuge staff. Photos: All photos and maps courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Cover top: Biological work often requires flights to refuge lakes; cover bottom: aerial view of Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks. Greetings and welcome to Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, the only refuge in Alaska accessible by the Alaska Highway! Tetlin Refuge was established in 1980 under the auspices of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and encompasses over 700,000 acres in the headwaters of the Tanana River adjacent to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve to the south and Kluane National Park in Canada. The lands and wildlife here have supported the Athabascan people for millennia and continue to provide the food and materials necessary for a subsistence lifestyle by local residents. In addition to providing breeding habitat for thousands of nesting waterfowl, Tetlin Refuge serves as a crucial migratory corridor for many other birds and mammals; over 180 bird species and 42 mammals have been documented on the refuge. I welcome your stay here in the Upper Tanana area and challenge you to see how many species you can identify! The refuge is open to hiking, canoeing, hunting, fishing, and camping and is accessible along the Alaska Highway from the Canada border to MP 1242. You may also access the refuge at the MP 1285 trailhead. Overnight camping is allowed anywhere on refuge lands, and there are two established campgrounds you are welcome to use. Don’t forget to stop at our visitor center at MP 1229! Please enjoy your stay, and don’t hesitate to give us a call at 907-883-5312. Shawn Bayless REFUGE MANAGER The Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Guide is published by the Alaska Geographic Association in cooperation with Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. ©Alaska Geographic Produced and Designed by: 2 The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant resources and their habitat for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans. Heading north up the Alaska Highway? Did you know that hundreds of thousands of birds fly a similar route known as the Tetlin Passage each spring? The Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge is situated within this natural corridor of the Upper Tanana River Valley. Each spring, from April through May, songbirds, swans, ducks, geese, shorebirds, sandhill cranes, and raptors funnel through this major migration pathway. Because it is a migration corridor for sandhill cranes with important nesting habitat for trumpeter swans, this region has received special recognition from the National Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area. Numerous birds of prey are commonly seen on the refuge. During the spring, fish-eating bald eagles and osprey often return to the same nesting areas along refuge waterways. After years of adding new material, eagle nests can span more than six feet in diameter. These habitats also support the highest density of nesting osprey in Alaska. Keep a close lookout for other commonly sighted raptors that nest here, including red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, golden eagle, great-horned owl, and northern hawk owl. In August, cooler temperatures and decreasing daylight prompt birds and visitors to move south. Trumpeter swans, the symbol of the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, begin leaving in mid-September. These departing flocks leave us with a sense of admiration for the many miles they will travel before their return next spring. Peregrine falcons favor river bluffs and cliffs for their nests. They make spectacular high speed dives reaching 200 miles an hour to kill prey, such as waterfowl and other birds. Once faced with near extinction, peregrine falcons have rebounded dramatically due to the banning of DDT in 1972 and protection under the Endangered Species Act. The local peregrine population has recovered from four nesting pairs to 24 in the last two decades. The olive-sided flycatcher is perhaps best known for its emphatic song: quick THREE BEERS! During the sh