[APWG] Arctic National Wildlife Refuge - Links of interest

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

This message has been cross-posted.

Here are several links about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that may
be of interest to PCA members...

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Outdoor Life Network: Arctic national Wildlife Refuge

This coming Sunday evening, December 11 at 7pm ET/ 10pm PT, the cable
Outdoor Life Network will air a program on the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge as part
of its "Outdoor Investigations" series.  Consult  local listings for  times
in your area.

OLN Press Release:
http://www.olntv.com/nw/article/view/7662/?tf=OLNPressCenter_articles.tpl&UserDef=true


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ANWR, NATIVE AND INVASIVE SPECIES
http://arctic.fws.gov/faqs.htm

What threatened, endangered and invasive species are in the Arctic Refuge?
One of the factors that makes the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge a very
special place is that, as far as we know, there are no species that should
be here but are not, and no species that should not be here, but are. In
other words, no species of plant or animal is missing, and no outside
species has invaded the Refuge. The only endangered species that may reach
the Refuge is the Spectacled Eider. These birds, however, generally nest
further west, so even if they were not reduced in number it is very rare
for one to appear on the Refuge. There are no other species in the Refuge
that are either threatened or endangered.

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ANWR AND MEDICINALS
http://arctic.fws.gov/tkg2003.htm

Local Culture: Gathering to learn traditional ways
In 2003, the Shriijaa Khalii River Traditional Knowledge Gathering near
Arctic Village just off the southern boundary of the Arctic Refuge, taught
valuable lessons and left local you with lingering memories and a hunger
for more.

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ANWR "VEGETATION"
http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/ANWR/anwrveg.html

Vegetation on the Coastal Plain
Several tundra vegetation and landform types occur within the region,
including thaw lake plains, hilly coastal plains, foothills, and flood
plains.

On the tundra, microclimates which are responsible for much of the species
diversity in the region are dynamic. The growth of ice wedges causes soils
to be pushed upward exposing the vegetation to prevailing winds; the same
process deepens the troughts between polygons. Over time, plant species at
a particular site will change along with subtle changes in the
microclimates.

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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ANWR NATIVE PLANT: HARE'S TAIL COTTON-GRASS

Hare's tail Cotton-grass (Eriophorum vaginatum)
This sedge species is distributed from Alaska east to Labrador and south to
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. (
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/graminoid/erivag/distribution_and_occurrence.html
)

>Caribou (Rangifer tarandus)
Caribou feed on the flowers of cotton-grass, which is an important food
source for caribou before other plants have greened up.
(http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/2000/06/20.html)
Acccording to the Inuit, when the cotton-grass seed starts to fly, this is
the optimal time to make caribou skin into clothing.
(
http://www2.ville.montreal.qc.ca/jardin/en/premieres_nations/visite/conifere/caribou.htm
)

>Large Heath Butterfly (Coenonympha tullia)
This is the main foodplant of large heath butterfly larvae.
(http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/species/bdata/large_heath.html)

>In traditional medicine
Cotton grass is important in traditional Inuit medicine.
(http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1079620630)

>In mythology
Cotton Grass is the plant badge for Clan Henderson. (
http://www.scotclans.com/clans/Henderson/history.html)
Believed to be a charm, the plant badge is used as a form of identification
for a clan.(http://www.maclachlans.org/plant.html)