@USFWSAlaska

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Alaska Region. We are shared stewards of world renowned natural resources and our nation’s last true wild places.

 Alaska
alaska.fws.gov
Joined June 2009
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Due to the federal government shutdown, this account is not being actively updated. For more information, please visit: doi.gov/shutdown

Operations in the Absence of Appropriations | U.S. Department of the Interior

Operations in the Absence of Appropriations

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Straddling the Arctic Circle, Kanuti NWR is a hotspot for dragonflies and damselflies—26 species and counting! Most live underwater as predators before taking flight for just weeks, helping clear the skies of mosquitos. 📸 American emerald dragonfly by Bob Armstrong
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Hiking, fishing, hunting & camping are some ways to recreate on National Wildlife Refuges. No matter what you choose, make sure to take a few mins to clean your gear before heading out. This simple step helps prevent introduction of invasive species. 📷Katrina Liebich/USFWS
Four tents are set along along Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

ALT Four tents are set along along Canning River, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

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USFWS is accepting applications for the Tribal Wildlife Grants Program to help Tribes conserve culturally & traditionally important habitats and species. Proposals due by June 20, 2025. 🔗⬇️ 📷 Ophir Creek Water Quality Collection. Courtesy of Yakutat Tlingit Tribe.
A person in chest waders stands in a pond surrounded by tall woodlands. The person dips a scientific sampling collection device into the water.

ALT A person in chest waders stands in a pond surrounded by tall woodlands. The person dips a scientific sampling collection device into the water.

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fws.gov/press-release/2025-0…

Tribal Wildlife Grants Funding Announced | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

On March 28, 2025, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it is seeking project applications for its Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. Tribal Wildlife Grants are intended to help Tribes...

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What doesn’t rhyme with loon? Lead and not properly discarding fishing line. One sinker can kill a loon. They can ingest fish attached to a broken a line or attached tackle. They might mistake lead weights for small stones that they eat to help digestion. 📷 Pacific loon, USFWS
A pacific loon preens its feathers while in/on water.

ALT A pacific loon preens its feathers while in/on water.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
@USFWS10 Apr 2025
Loon rhymes with * SWOON * 😍 Meet the Red-throated loon in summer plumage! This bird breeds in Arctic lakes. They can be spotted along ocean coastlines in late fall to early spring. Unlike other loons, they can take off from land. 📷 USFWS
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Disturbances to its breeding environment like pesticides, oil spills, and net entanglement post risks to these sensitive aquatic birds. 🔗 Tour the last large city in North America where loons nest & produce offspring arcg.is/0uefPy

A Loons-Eye View of Anchorage

Tour the last large city in North America where loons nest and produce offspring

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Regulations for the 2025 Alaska migratory bird harvest took effect April 2. At the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council's recommendation, harvest of emperor geese is closed until their population increases to a level where harvest may resume. fws.gov/subsistence-springsu…
Three emperor geese in flight under a blue sky.

ALT Three emperor geese in flight under a blue sky.

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Emperor Geese in Alaska: fws.gov/node/263386

Emperor Geese in Alaska | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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Um, you have something in your teeth… 🐻😁 To understand bears and their behavior, a great place to start is their chompers! Here's a safe view into a bear's mouth. fws.gov/story/drilling-down-… 📸 USFWS
A portrait of a brown bear surrounded by green plants with green leaves sticking out of its closed mouth.

ALT A portrait of a brown bear surrounded by green plants with green leaves sticking out of its closed mouth.

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Learn more about how dragonflies and damselflies transition from aquatic nymphs to aerial hunters: fws.gov/story/dragons-and-da…

Dragons and Damsels | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

“Today I saw the dragonfly…He dried his wings: like gauze they grew; Thro’ crofts and pastures wet with dew. A living flash of light he flew!”—The Dragonfly, by Alfred Lord Tennyson

fws.gov
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
@USFWS3 Apr 2025
Kanuti Refuge in Alaska is a 1.6 M-acre wetland haven for 26 documented dragonfly species! More in store at Virtual Youth Fish & Wildlife Club on April 9: Dragons & Damsels Take Flight! ➡️🔗fws.gov/education-programs/v… Video Description: A damselfly eats a mosquito.
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Not your average songbird. Northern shrikes are feathered assassins, turning treetops into hunting perches. They use their bill to hunt other birds and small mammals, sometimes capturing their prey and grounding them with their strong feet to finish the kill. 📷 USFWS
Light gray bird perched on top of a tree branch. The bird's coloring has a black stripe over its eye and has its head turned to its left. There is dark green forest in the background that is out of focus.

ALT Light gray bird perched on top of a tree branch. The bird's coloring has a black stripe over its eye and has its head turned to its left. There is dark green forest in the background that is out of focus.

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Home tweet home 💕 In spring and summer, this Savannah sparrow lives among southwestern Alaska's Yukon Delta Refuge. Despite 50% annual mortality, these birds return to their birthplaces year after year. 🔗Help migrating birds like these lil' guys: fws.gov/story/migration-its-… 📸USFWS
A small bird with a brown head, yellow striped mask, orange beak, and white-brown spotted belly stands on top of bundled grasses.

ALT A small bird with a brown head, yellow striped mask, orange beak, and white-brown spotted belly stands on top of bundled grasses.

A ground nest among grasses and vegetation with 4 visible savannah sparrow chicks huddled together.

ALT A ground nest among grasses and vegetation with 4 visible savannah sparrow chicks huddled together.

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Get that bread-er.. *ahem*- get that fish because today is the official first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere! Make a splash! Aries season starts tomorrow! Be brave! Sink your claws into the flesh of oceans! 📸 USFWS
A brown bear leaps at a hidden fish in a stream.

ALT A brown bear leaps at a hidden fish in a stream.

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Are we there yet? Arctic terns can migrate 55k mi.+ yearly— the longest migration of any bird. Join 🌎 🪶Join the @usfws Virtual Youth Fish & Wildlife Club on Weds., 3/19 for "Marvelous Migrations." Perfect for nature-loving kiddos. Every week until 4/30! 🔗⬇️ 📸 USFWS
Two Arctic terns, small and medium sized birds with a grey feathered body and a full black cape that masks its eyes down to its orange pointy beak with orange feet both perched on a piece of driftwood. One bird stands with its beak closed while the other bird, further up the driftwood stick, opens its beak while it vocalizes down toward the other bird.

ALT Two Arctic terns, small and medium sized birds with a grey feathered body and a full black cape that masks its eyes down to its orange pointy beak with orange feet both perched on a piece of driftwood. One bird stands with its beak closed while the other bird, further up the driftwood stick, opens its beak while it vocalizes down toward the other bird.

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fws.gov/education-programs/v…

Virtual Youth Fish and Wildlife Club | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

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🍀Feeling lucky? Spot the brown bear in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Across Alaska, bears are emerging, so check your bear spray's safety features and carry it. Travel in groups and make noise in bear country. 📸 USFWS
An aerial view of a brown bear camouflaged among green tundra.

ALT An aerial view of a brown bear camouflaged among green tundra.

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🎂🥳 Today we celebrate 122 years of the National Wildlife Refuge System! Match your birth month with an Alaska refuge. Which one did you get? ⬇️🧵 📸 USFWS
A bird of sunset with. Text: your birthday month equals your species plus your Alaska national wildlife refuge 122nd birthday edition.

ALT A bird of sunset with. Text: your birthday month equals your species plus your Alaska national wildlife refuge 122nd birthday edition.

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Bull moose grow a new set of antlers every year after their 1st year of life. Growth begins in spring, and continues into late summer. The "velvet" covering the antler is very sensitive, and will help cool a moose down. A moose in his prime can grow up to a lb. of antler per day!
A bull moose eats vegetation with its tongue sticking out. Text: December moose Tetlin.

ALT A bull moose eats vegetation with its tongue sticking out. Text: December moose Tetlin.

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Food and fam. Pacific walruses have 100s of strong, sensitive whiskers that they use to search the seafloor for food. From the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea, they stick together through thick and thin with their several inches of body fat to help them survive sub-freezing temps.
A walrus mostly submerged in water with its head and long whiskers above the surface. text: pacific walrus togiak.

ALT A walrus mostly submerged in water with its head and long whiskers above the surface. text: pacific walrus togiak.

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Down to Earth! Rock ptarmigan are the sole bird species that spend their entire life on the windy, chilly tundra. Birds in Central & Northern AK sport white plumage from Oct. to mid-June. In addition to their striking black masks, breeding males sport fleshy & flashy red "combs."
A rock ptarmigan bird with white feathers, a black beak, and bright orange "eyebrows" on tundra. Text: October rock ptarmigan Yukon flats.

ALT A rock ptarmigan bird with white feathers, a black beak, and bright orange "eyebrows" on tundra. Text: October rock ptarmigan Yukon flats.

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