Mountain top vegetation monitoring

in Atigun Gorge

Field Report

Merrill Jensen(all photos taken by Merrill

during the project)

Friends of Alaska National Wildlife RefugesJanuary 2014 Meeting

Project Participants:Janet Jorgensen, USFWS BotanistAl Batten, UAF Herbarium Collections Manager –

retiredHeidi Helling, USFWS Wildlife BiologistGreta Burkhart, USFWS Aquatic BiologistCharlotte Henson, VolunteerMerrill Jensen, Horticulturist and Volunteer

Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA)

The purpose of GLORIA is to establish and maintain a world-wide long-term observation network in alpine environments.

Vegetation and temperature data collected at the GLORIA sites will be used for discerning trends in species diversity and temperature.

The data will be used to assess and predict losses in biodiversity and other threats to these fragile alpine ecosystems which are under accelerating climate change pressures.

http://www.gloria.ac.at/

Atigun Gorge – monitoring site

The Haul Road north of Atigun Pass

Roadside attractions

USFWS Base Camp at Galbraith Lake

Reason #1 to head North

Whaaaa…..????

Loading packs with survey gear

Bugs? What bugs??

Arctic home for 5 days

The plot layout

A square meter of ground, a historic data set, and a missing plant

But what is it really?

Plot variability

Unwinding after a long day

Reason #2 to head North 11 pm… Wow…

Guarding the offspring

Assistant for a day

Off to high camp

High camp

The layout

Connecting the points

Alpine rock gardens

The challenge of terrain

What bugs???

The geological wonder known as the Atigun Syncline

Reason #3 to head North

Horned Lark nest

Tough duty, but someone has to do it…..

Hydrological survey

pH testing

Reason to head north #4

Saxifraga flagellaris

Arnica frigida

Papaver sp.

Saxifraga eschscholtzii

Silene uralensis ssp. arctica

Boykinia richardsonii

Heading Home. Reluctantly.

With thanks…

Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Questions?

North Slope Midnight sun