• 

  Spawning stocks and juvenile summer habitat of rainbow trout and steelhead, Gulkana River, Alaska

  Stark, Thomas Christopher (1999-05)

  The Gulkana River supports the northernmost population of steelhead and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in North America. The summer habitat of Gulkana River juvenile trout (i.e., steelhead and rainbow trout) was identified and described. Analysis of geomorphological features of stream reaches (stream entrenchment, bankfull width-to-depth ratio, sinuosity, channel material, and slope) in relation to differential use of habitat by juvenile trout indicated a strong preference for type C reaches (predominately riffle/run habitat) over type E reaches (predominately slow run habitat). A comparison of micro-habitats (riffle, run, pool, slow run) within those same reaches and distribution of juvenile trout indicated a preference for riffle and run habitat. Most type C reaches in the Mainstem were sparsely populated by juveniles throughout summer. The Middle Fork was devoid of juveniles in early summer. In mid- and late summer, coinciding with the arrival of spawning chinook O. tshawytscha and sockeye salmon O. nerka, most riffle/run reaches in the Middle Fork were occupied by juvenile trout. The steelhead spawning population has declined from an estimated 200-1,000 fish two decades ago to 20-50 fish during this study (1993-1995). Rainbow trout stocks are also apparently low. Monitoring of Copper River fisheries and Gulkana spawning populations and an investigation into other steelhead spawning populations in the Copper River basin are recommended
• 

  Lake productivity indices as estimators of carrying capacity for burbot and northern pike in Interior Alaska

  Simpson, Thomas David (1998-12)

  Two Alaska sport fish species, burbot and northern pike, were used to test the ability to estimate carrying capacity of fishes based on biotic and abiotic indices of lake productivity. Understanding the quantitative relationships between the potential fish productivity of freshwater lakes and physical, biological, or chemical characteristics could provide models sufficient for calculating a timely prediction of carrying capacity to evaluate the population status. This would provide a technique for allocating limited resources for fishery stock assessment as an aide in resource management of sport fisheries. The lakes covered in the study lie in an area spanning West 151°--142°/North 64°30ʹ--61°52ʹ. They are Fielding Lake, George Lake, Glacier Lake, Harding Lake, Hudson Lake, Jatahmund Lake, Lake Louise, Landlocked Tangle Lake, Moose Lake, Paxson Lake, Sevenmile Lake, T Lake, Tolsona Lake, Volkmar Lake, and West Twin Lake.
• 

  Seasonal habitat relationships of adult female deer on Kodiak Island, Alaska

  Selinger, Jeffrey S. (1995-12)

  Movements of adult female deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) were monitored using radio-collars (n = 21) in a region lacking old-growth conifer forest on Kodiak Island, Alaska, from 17 July 1990 to 8 July 1991. Mean distance between seasonal ranges for 7 deer that migrated from the study area during winter was 22 km (SD = 10.2 km), whereas < 5 km separated seasonal ranges of 14 deer that remained in the study area throughout the year. Mean movement date to winter range was 30 October (SD = 38 days), and to summer range, 29 May (SD = 18 days). Overall habitat use differed significantly (P < 0.001) between seasons. Habitats used more than available (P ≤ 0.01) were tall shrub closed in summer and tall shrub open in winter. Using the 95% adaptive kernel method (Worton 1989), mean summer home range (454 ha, n = 11, range 134 - 819 ha, SD = 227 ha) was larger (P < 0.001)than the mean winter home range (107 ha, n = 9, range 67-217 ha, SD = 56 ha).
• 

  Plant architecture and forage selection by moose

  Mallek, Edward Joseph II (1999-08)

  The effects of plant architecture on browse selection and the extent of use of Salix alaxensis and Salix plantifolia by moose foraging in winter in Interior Alaska were studied during 1997 and 1998. Three sampling techniques were employed to estimate forage availability and utilization. Sampling forage availability prior to use (in autumn) provided the best estimates of forage use in spring. In Salix plantifolia, selection of current annual growth (CAG) twigs was significantly related to basal diameter of CAG, diameter of nearest neighbor, distance to nearest neighbor, and number of leaders per cluster. In contrast, CAG selection in Salix alaxensis was related only to basal diameter. The proportion of CAG biomass removed from stems of either species was not related to any measured plant architecture variables. Because plant architecture affects browse use by moose, it is an important factor in determining food availability, and thereby in assessing moose habitat
• 

  Comparative habitat and diet selection of muskoxen and reindeer on the Seward Peninsula, western Alaska

  Ihl, Claudia (1999-05)

  Factors influencing choice of feeding sites, cratering microsites and diets of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and reintroduced muskoxen (Ovibos moschatos) were examined on the Seward Peninsula, western Alaska, during late winters of 1996 and 1997. Both ungulates foraged primarily in upland habitats with low snow depth, relatively high occurrence of lichens and low occurrence of graminoids. Both selected against snow depth when choosing feeding sites and against snow depth and hardness when selecting cratering areas within feeding sites. Diet selection differed between species. Reindeer selected mainly lichens while muskoxen selected more sedge and moss. Few behavioral interactions between species were observed, and none seemed to result in displacement of either species. Despite similar use of late winter feeding sites, competition between muskoxen and reindeer in the study area is not likely at the moment, but may occur if severe snow conditions or increasing densities of either species restrict available winter habitat
• 

  Estimation of aging accuracy and precision, growth, and sustained yield of coastal cutthroat trout in Southeast Alaska

  Ericksen, Randolph Peder (1997-08)

  This study was designed to validate and estimate accuracy and precision of ages determined from scales sampled from coastal Cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki clarki in Southeast Alaska; to model growth of these fish; and to evaluate the sensitivity of sustained yield estimates to aging error. Cutthroat trout scales sampled in Southeast Alaska did not always form an annulus during the first year, although the number of circuli up to the first apparent annulus was a good indicator that one was missing. Reader error generally resulted in significant underaging of older fish from scales. However, aging error models developed in this study significantly improved the accuracy of ages estimated from scales. Growth of cutthroat trout was best described by a Gompertz growth curve and was significantly different between the populations studied. Underaging of cutthroat trout resulted in underestimates of optimum levels of fishing mortality and yield.
• 

  Distribution and behavior of barren-ground caribou in relation to weather and parasitic insects

  Dau, Jim (1986-09)

  Relationships between weather and the activity of mosquitoes (Culicidae) and oestrid flies (Oestridae), and responses by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) to insect harassment, were examined near Milne Point, Alaska. Weather conditions were usually unfavorable for insects within 20 km of the Beaufort Sea, and were least favorable within 1-3 km of the eoast. Weather affected the occurrence more than the level of insect activity. Mosquitoes were rarely active within 1 km of the coast; maritime weather conditions had little effect on oestrids. Weather conditions and insect activity were more variable through time than through space： this necessitated models predicting: (1) the presence of insects, and (2) levels of insect activity when insects were present. Insect harassment caused caribou to travel rapidly to coastal areas at the expense of feeding and lying, and form large, mixed groups. Insect activity was most highly correlated with caribou rate of travel and behavior.
• 

  Nesting habitat relationships of four species of alcids at Fish Island, Alaska

  Lenhausen, William A. (1980-05)

  Tufted Puffins, Horned Puffins, Parakeet Auklets, and Pigeon Guillemots were studied at Fish Island, Alaska, 59°52, N, 147°25, W, to determine if nesting habitat relationships indicated nest separa- tion or competition. The timing of early stages of breeding and daily activity patterns overlapped broadly among all species. Aggressive interactions occurred among all species. Tufted Puffins nested in cliff edges and grassy slopes; all species used rocky slopes and cliff faces. Tufted Puffin nests in rocks differed from Pigeon Guillemot and Parakeet Auklet nests in having larger entrance height and area, and they were placed farther from the high tide line. These dif- ferences related to body size and take-off ability, and may be indica- tions of past competition for nest sites. Interspecific interactions and site use by more than one species indicated some competition may have occurred for certain sites. Overall, most evidence indicated competition had little influence on nest site use among species.
• 

  Seismic site response, liquefaction-induced lateral spreading and impact of seasonal frost on pile foundations in cold regions

  Zhao, Yue; Yang, Zhaohui (Joey); Ahn, Il-Sang; Dutta, Utpal; Shur, Yuri (2024-12)

  Permafrost sites are experiencing significant changes due to anthropogenic activities and climate change, leading to substantial variations in soil dynamic properties and increased seismic risks. The associated geohazards, including differential settlement, slope instability, and liquefaction of degraded, unconsolidated materials in seismically active warm permafrost regions, pose substantial threats to the built infrastructure. This study aims to assess the seismic site response of warm permafrost sites and analyze the impact of seasonal frost on liquefaction-induced lateral spreading and pile foundation behavior in cold regions. Northway Airport, Alaska, was used as the study site to characterize permafrost conditions, while the Slana River site and the newly constructed bridge along the Tok Cut-Off were selected as the prototype for investigating liquefaction-induced lateral spread and its impact on pile foundations. Geophysical testing methods, including Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectra Ratio (HVSR) method of ambient noise, and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), were used to map the shear wave velocity profiles. A one-dimensional equivalent linear analysis assesses site response across multiple seismic hazard levels, accounting for frozen and thawed conditions. Meanwhile, a three-dimensional finite element modeling approach, i.e., OpenSees, simulates ground liquefaction and the interactions between pile foundations and liquefiable soils under varying conditions of seasonal frost depth and soil properties. The results from this study show that, in degraded permafrost areas, changes in shear wave velocity (Vs) due to thawing significantly influence ground motion characteristics during seismic events. Seasonal frost depth and soil permeability emerged as critical factors in affecting liquefaction-induced lateral ground spreading, with lower soil permeability and greater frost thickness increasing liquefaction susceptibility and resulting in a larger amount of ground lateral spread. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that seasonal frost can substantially reduce ground lateral spreading. However, it can also increase internal forces such as shear force and bending moment in bridge pile foundations and form additional plastic hinges, complicating the seismic design of deep foundations. These findings highlight the need to understand comprehensively permafrost degradation-induced changes in soil dynamic properties in cold regions. This study proposes a framework for assessing permafrost degradation's impact on the seismic site response. It offers new insights for engineers and policymakers to develop effective strategies for constructing and retrofitting resilient infrastructure and mitigating the hazards in seismically active cold regions.
• 

  A range extension for Carex sartwellii in Interior Alaska

  Winterstein, Mark A.; Hollingsworth, Teresa; Walker, Donald; Ruess, Roger (2024-12)

  Mean annual temperatures and growing season length have been increasing in northern latitudes. This has impacted permafrost thaw and the water balance of northern regions, resulting in a pattern of drying lakes in the Yukon Flats, Alaska. As lakes dry, they expose lake sediments to colonization by terrestrial vegetation. Recent interest in the terrestrial response to climate change and its effects on ecosystem services led to the formation of the Yukon River Basin project. As a part of this project, we studied plant succession and diversity in the drying lake basins. In the course of our field work we encountered a sedge we believed to be previously undocumented in Alaska. Our documentation of Sartwell’s Sedge, Carex sartwellii, on nine drying lakes during fieldwork in the central Yukon Flats, Alaska, represents a range extension for this species. Previously, its range extended as far northwest as Yukon, Canada, with a reported, but lost collection, from Alaska in 1895. Two earlier collections from the Yukon Flats have been verified; one was misidentified as Carex praegracilis until 2007. Carex sartwellii’s assumed absence from Alaska and Yukon flora, misidentification of an earlier collection, and the remoteness of the Yukon Flats may have contributed to the rarity of its collection. In Alaska this species is morphologically similar to C. praegracilis, but can be distinguished using traits of the perigynia, leaf sheaths, and the production of true vegetative culms. This sedge was found extensively in alkaline drying lake basins, which are similar environments to those found during the Pleistocene. Many of the species that occurred with C. sartwellii in lake basin plant communities have been documented in paleo reconstructions of plants from the Beringian steppe. The Yukon Flats are botanically understudied as a region in Alaska and further research should focus on identifying these unique relict plant communities in the Yukon Flats and their distribution along historic Beringia into Yukon. This would likely lead to more collections of C. sartwellii and expand our knowledge of its distribution and ecology.
• 

  Extraction of rare earth elements from coal ash using supercritical CO₂

  Veerla, Uthej; Fan, Long; Ghosh, Tathagata; Arya, Sampurna (2024-12)

  The increasing demand for rare earth elements (REEs) as critical components in modern technologies has led to growing interest in their efficient recovery from alternative sources. Coal ash, a waste product generated from coal combustion, has been identified as a potential reservoir of valuable REEs with reported REE concentrations varying between 270 and 1480 ppm. In this research paper, we investigate the recovery of REEs from three coal ashes: anthracite, bituminous, sub-bituminous using environmentally benign supercritical fluid (SCF) carbon dioxide (CO2). Additionally, the effect of tributyl phosphate (TBP) and nitric acid (HNO3) as complexing agents is explored to enhance the extraction efficiency. The advantage of this option over conventional solvent extraction methods includes minimization of liquid waste generation, solute separation, and rapid reaction rates. Supercritical fluids (SCFs) can penetrate and transport solutes from different matrices due to its high diffusivity, low viscosity, and liquid-like solvating. CO2 provides a good option as an efficient solvent since it has the benefit of being easy to obtain and has a medium critical constant (Tc = 31.1oC and Pc = 7.38 MPa), as compared to other solvents. Additionally, CO2 is inert and stable (chemically and radio chemically), inexpensive, easy to supply at high purity, and it is environmentally friendly and widely used. The experimental work involved the optimization of process parameters, including temperature, pressure, and solvent-to-solid ratio, to ensure maximum REE recovery while minimizing environmental impact. The optimum extraction conditions for anthracite ash were determined to be 60°C, 1100 psi, 120 minutes residence time, 250 rpm agitation rate, solid to chelating agent ratio 1:10 and TBP to HNO3 ratio 1:1, with corresponding 80% extraction efficiency which is 230 ppm. The optimum extraction conditions for bituminous ash were determined to be 60°C, 1100 psi, 120 minutes residence time, 250 rpm agitation rate, solid to chelating agent ratio 1:10 and TBP to HNO3 ratio 1:1, with corresponding 49% extraction efficiency which is 290 ppm. The optimum extraction conditions for sub-bituminous ash were determined to be 60°C, 1835 psi, 120 minutes residence time, 250 rpm agitation rate, solid to chelating agent ratio 1:10 and TBP to HNO3 ratio 1:2, with corresponding 58% extraction efficiency which is 149 ppm.
• 

  Combining Alaska forage fish data from research surveys and predator diets to assess forage fish response to climatic regime shifts

  Turner, Lindsay; Cunningham, Curry; Arimitsu, Mayumi; Eckert, Ginny (2024-12)

  Forage fish play a crucial role in the marine ecosystems of Alaska through the transfer of energy from lower trophic levels to marine predators. Understanding and quantifying Alaskan forage fish responses to rapid climatic shifts is needed to inform adaptive management strategies under a warmer and more variable future in Alaska. However, data on the occurrence and abundance of forage fish in Alaska are limited due to the diversity of life history strategies and patchy distribution that make their capture in fisheries-independent surveys difficult. In this thesis, I address current gaps in the data available on forage fish through the publication of an Alaska Forage Fish Database (AFFD) comprised of data from trawls, beach seines, and the diets of predator consuming forage fish, collected by a variety of contributing agencies and organizations. This data compilation effort resulted in a database containing forage fish abundance data from 461,449 sampling events spanning the years 1953 - 2023. Using the compiled dataset, I then assess large-scale spatial and temporal patterns in the occurrence of Pacific capelin (Mallotus catervarius), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), and sand lance (Ammodytes spp.) in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Interannual trends in the encounter probability for each species, based on models fit to data from fisheries surveys, groundfish diets, and seabird diets, exhibit coherence in large-scale changes among observation types in the Gulf of Alaska (1972 - 2023) and Bering Sea (1980 - 2023). I compare the distribution of species’ encounter probability across decadal climate stanzas and demonstrate the differences in distribution of species during the 2014 - 2019 heatwaves compared to prior stanzas, as well as reoccurring distribution patterns in response to similar climatic characteristics among stanzas. Findings from this thesis facilitate an expanded understanding of forage fish population dynamics and spatial distribution in response to rapid climatic shifts.
• 

  Meaning as process and product: hybridizing metamodern hylosemiotics with postmodern and contemporary American poetry

  Shomler, Zeke; Coffman, Chris; Johnson, Eliza; Holt, Joe; Stanley, Sarah (2024-12)

  This thesis expands on Jason Storm’s theory of metamodern hylosemiotics by addressing contemporary American poetic strategies and their relationship to modernism and postmodernism, especially through Cole Swenson and David St. John’s definition of the “American hybrid.” In modifying Storm’s theoretical system, I offer a hybridized semiotics that locates meaning both in the information or “content” inferred through the act of reading and the related processes of interacting with the text. Through readings of poetry by John Ashbery, Terrance Hayes, Clark Coolidge, and William Stafford, I show that hybridizing semiotics is not only necessary for the consistency and viability of metamodern theory in response to the hybrid poetry we see today, but also provides a useful strategy for approaching poetry in general.
• 

  An investigation of raciolinguistic ideologies in Japanese rap battles

  Reynolds, Morgan; Shoaps, Robin; Marlow, Patrick (2024-12)

  This thesis interrogates what are normally implicit linguistic ideologies surrounding who is a legitimate speaker of Japanese and how it implicates a relationship between ethnicity, nationality, culture, and language. Using a corpus of recorded rap battles from YouTube in which one of the rappers is known to be of non-Japanese or partially non-Japanese heritage, discourse analysis demonstrates how race, foreignness and otherness are made relevant in disses of opponents’ rap skill. The history and characteristics of Japanese rap are outlined with an eye toward how the conventions of the musical genre reflect preoccupations with creating a distinctly Japanese form of an international musical style. Rap battles, as an improvisational, live competition, are a performative genre of verbal art—all participants offer their words up for evaluation by an audience. Drawing from Bauman’s theory of verbal art as performance, it is argued that rap battles are a place where Japanese social actors evaluate not only poetic form but also appeal to implicitly shared cultural values. The generic conventions of battles allow them to be a site where confrontation and identity work can be much more overt than in everyday and more formal types of social interaction. Analysis centers on rappers who are recognized as competent if not highly skilled and whose Japanese is indistinguishable from people who fit cultural ideals of Japaneseness, yet are known to be “Other”. It is demonstrated that disses make overt a cultural ideology in which Japanese identity is the result of an alignment between “native” linguistic fluency, nationality, ethnicity, and cultural competence. In this decidedly “Japanese” form of verbal art, rappers are able to draw upon and make explicit this logic to diss or negatively evaluate their opponent by drawing relationships between any of these dimensions of the model and rap performance.
• Centering community and joy through co-production: tracking the seasonal changes of Utqiaġvik’s spring whaling

  Pikok, Kimberly Kivvaq; Carothers, Courtney; Hauser, Donna; Adams, Billy; Black, Jessica; Brinkman, Todd (2024)

  Using mixed methods and multimedia approaches, I investigated the multigenerational perspectives and seasonal changes in Utqiaġvik’s spring whaling. As an Iñupiaq living in my home community of Utqiaġvik, it was important to me to center my community’s knowledge and Iñupiaq-led entities. I used various tools and resources such as conducting semi-directed interviews, hiring a local Iñupiaq videographer to take photos and videos of spring whaling preparations, and using observational data from the Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub. The interviews, conversations with local Iñupiat-led entities and whalers, and the observational data guided my research goals and objectives and, more importantly, determined what key whaling events to research and analyze. Here, I am combining these techniques and resources to address the seasonal changes of our spring whaling key events (e.g., breaking trail) in the context of coastal Iñupiaq communities of northern Alaska and how we can use observations from our Indigenous Knowledge holders to inform scientists and managers of what is happening during spring whaling. In my research, science communication and community engagement occurred concurrently. Therefore, my thesis presents two chapters and a video project, all using excerpts from the interviews and footage and photos from museum archives and the videographer. The two main objectives of this research were communicating the observations of seasonal changes of Utqiaġvik’s spring whaling and centering Inupiat voices and resources. This research embodies significant Indigenous Knowledge and centers hunter and whaler experiences. As an Iñupiaq resident of Utqiaġvik, I hope the research will uplift Indigenous Knowledge and center it in decision-making. Indigenous Knowledge is critical for understanding change in the Arctic.
• 

  Fine-scale spatial patterns of gelatinous zooplankton in the Northern Gulf of Alaska

  Kepner, Hannah E.; Hopcroft, Russell R.; Kelly, Thomas B.; Questel, Jennifer M. (2024-12)

  The Northern Gulf of Alaska (NGA) is characterized by high variability across spatial and temporal scales. In the NGA, zooplankton are a crucial link between primary production and higher trophic levels. Understanding the mechanisms that structure zooplankton assemblages is important to our overall understanding of ecosystem functioning. Nonetheless, thorough description of zooplankton abundance and distribution patterns is challenging due to the inherent variability and complexity of the marine environment. The study of gelatinous zooplankton is further complicated by the limitations of traditional plankton net sampling methods that are inefficient for the collection of high-resolution spatiotemporal data and often inflict damage on these fragile bodied organisms. In the NGA, and many other ocean systems, this has historically left gelatinous zooplankton under sampled and poorly studied in comparison to cooccurring crustacean zooplankton. To address these challenges, recent advances in imaging technology and computing power were leveraged by deploying an In Situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System Deep-Focus Particle Imager (ISIIS-DPI) in the NGA from 2022-2023. The ISIIS-DPI is a towed vehicle capable of collecting vast amounts of high-resolution imaging and oceanographic data. An analysis pipeline with convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture was employed to automate the identification of zooplankton images and expedite processing time, allowing for description of fine-scale distributional patterns of gelatinous zooplankton and their associations with surrounding biophysical drivers. Evidence is presented that ctenophore, hydromedusae, and siphonophore aggregations are concentrated around frontal features and track with the surrounding variability in their ocean environment. Several first records in the NGA of previously undetected species are also presented. These novel datasets demonstrate the previously underestimated prominence of gelatinous zooplankton in the NGA and improve our understanding of ctenophore, hydromedusae, and siphonophore abundance and distribution patterns in the context of their oceanographic environment. This work is the first adaptation of in situ imaging and machine learning technologies in the NGA and presents the opportunity to more accurately describe the role of gelatinous zooplankton in marine ecosystem function.
• 

  Spatial and temporal variability of carbohydrate compositions in cultivated Alaria marginata, Nereocystis luekteana, and Saccharina latissima

  Jardell, Cameron; Umanzor, Schery; Iken, Katrin; Stekoll, Michael (2024-12)

  Carbohydrates derived from Laminariales (kelp), including polysaccharides and sugar alcohols, present significant market opportunities for nascent mariculture industries. These carbohydrates can enhance crop biomass value through extractive processing, with applications in medicine, manufacturing, health supplements, and bio-plastics. The relative abundance and composition of carbohydrates in kelp can vary depending on species, life history, tissue type, season, and environmental conditions. In Alaska, mariculture of kelp focuses on three species: Alaria marginata, Nereocystis luetkeana, and Saccharina latissima. This study assessed the relative abundance of carbohydrates (glucan, mannitol, alginate, and fucoidan) in these species, as well as the sulfate content of fucoidan and the ratio of mannuronic to guluronic acids in alginate (M:G ratio) as proxies of chemical attributes for these carbohydrates. Samples were collected from commercial farm sites in the Kodiak Archipelago, Prince William Sound, and Southeast Alaska between April and June of 2023. Carbohydrate composition was analyzed using high- performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Composition varied among species, where on a dry mass basis, A. marginata had the highest average contents of fucoidan and alginate, while S. latissima had the highest average glucan content. Fucoidan was the only measured component to have consistent trends over time across sites for all species. Inconsistency in trends over time across sites for biochemical components was most notable in A. marginata. Seawater temperature was the most consistent environmental predictor across species, having a moderate, negative correlation the M:G ratio in all species and a moderate, positive correlation with fucoidan in A. marginata and S. latissima. Of the species studied, S. latissima harvested in June may have the highest potential for extractive processing in Alaska. This species had a balanced composition of valuable carbohydrates, high consistency across sites, and high potential yield from a relatively large fraction of solids in wet biomass combined with generally high wet mass growth. This study highlights the complex variability of carbohydrate compositions in kelp and provides the first detailed assessment of A. marginata, N. luetkeana, and S. latissima in Alaska.
• 

  Teaching Dena'ina language through Dena'ina culturally based reading practices

  Yes, Joel Isaak Łiq'a; Peter, Hishinlai'; Tuttle, Siri; Dunstan, Adam; Koskey, Michael (2024-12)

  The Dena'ina language is a well-documented Northern Dene Alaska Native language in south-central Alaska. The Dena'ina language is on the brink of going to sleep. The Dena'ina community strongly desires for the Dena'ina language to once again thrive in the community. Language-use within the community is a contributing factor to the health of the community. As Dena'ina tribes work towards bringing back the Dena'ina language, the community grapples with the role of reading and writing, both potentially harmful and aiding community language work. A Classroom-Based Action Research qualitative study was conducted to determine if reading instruction in the Dena'ina language can be culturally based and if the culturally based teaching method produces student growth. A Dene language instructor talking circle evaluated the cultural basis and considerations of the proposed teaching approach based on a sample demonstration. The Dena'ina cultural approach was defined as tying together an individual responsibility to meaningfully give back and contribute to the community, learning to listen while demonstrating understanding through action, and individual and collective response through a relationship to place. The Dene language instructor talking circle included nine participants who identified the presented Dena'ina language teaching approach as having a high degree of Dena'ina cultural basis. The significant cultural indicators are producing Dena'ina language speaking skills as student outcomes, utilizing Dena'ina songs, and utilizing color and visualizations that connect the teaching to the Dena'ina story Unhtsah Ninya Niteh Hja'idatl' When The Animals Divided Into Pairs. Student growth data was provided by a single college student enrolled in the Dena'ina Orthography course taught at the Kenai Peninsula College. The student participant displayed meaningful growth in vowel pronunciation. Bringing back the Dena'ina language was noted as being healing for the participants, their families, and the community.
• 

  Effects of juvenile mass on reproduction and calf survival in a low-density moose population

  Henslee, Sara R.; Crimmins, Shawn; Muehlbauer, Jeff; Kielland, Knut; Parrett, Lincoln (2024-12)

  Moose (Alces alces) are a valuable big game species in Alaska and serve as a critical food source for residents. Near Nome, Alaska, the local moose population has remained at low densities for decades, and there is strong public interest in investigating the cause behind the population's failure to increase in abundance. Compared to other moose populations in Alaska, the population of moose near Nome does not appear to be nutritionally limited or close to carrying capacity. I sought to explore how juvenile mass, a widely used metric to assess moose nutritional status in Alaska, influences reproductive output and subsequent calf survival rates in the moose population in Game Management Units 22C and 22D near Nome by estimating calving rates of collared known-age and known-mass female moose and then monitoring their calves. I found that female moose that were heavier as juveniles had a higher probability of calving for the first time at age 2 or 3 and a higher probability of twinning. I found low calf survival rates (18%) through the first year of life and did not find a significant relationship between any maternal or calf characteristics and calf survival. Overall, it appears that this moose population is defined by low calf survival rates but high reproductive rates and high survival after the first year of life. Additionally, the metric of juvenile mass and primiparity as indicators of nutritional status appears to be variable within populations among years and may not be a reliable management tool. Additional research is warranted to further explore the effect of environmental factors on driving variation in primiparity probability.
• 

  Climate variability, trends, and impacts on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta with insights into relationship-building to enhance climate science

  Hendricks, Amy Sakura; Bhatt, Uma; Polyakov, Igor; Frost, Gerald; Kettle, Nathan; Trainor, Sarah (2024-12)

  Climate change impacts in the Arctic and Alaska vary widely, providing opportunities to study regional complexities. This thesis, guided by insights from Yup'ik Elders from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, explores the significant impacts of climate change and examines four key topics: climate-vegetation connections, shifting hydroclimate regimes, the role of large-scale climate patterns in tundra wildfires, and fostering community relationships. The first paper investigates tundra vegetation productivity trends which have decreased in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta despite increasing temperatures during the growing season, contrasting with other Arctic tundra regions. Using available long-term climate datasets, a coherent multi-decadal pattern involving spring sea-ice concentration in the East Bering Sea, growing season temperatures, and tundra productivity is revealed. This finding highlights that low-frequency variability can obscure long-term climate relationships. The second paper examines moisture dynamics in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, revealing significant variability in moisture-related climatic factors. A comprehensive analysis of atmospheric data indicates a shifting hydroclimate regime in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, with decreasing large-scale precipitation, increasing convective precipitation and evaporation, and fewer synoptic storms. The study underscores that warmer conditions and changing precipitation patterns can alter vegetation and overall landscape vulnerability to climatic changes. The third paper delves into early-season climate drivers of tundra wildland fires in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. It establishes a baseline climatology for early fire seasons, connecting warmer temperatures and earlier snow-off dates with increased fire activity. It identifies May and June temperatures exceeding 15°C and snow-off dates before May 8 as key indicators for large fire seasons, emphasizing that lightning stroke counts crucially influence the area burned. Contrary to previous research, this study finds that May and June precipitation and spring sea-ice concentration are not primary drivers of tundra fires in the region. The findings suggest a future increase in fire frequency due to projected climate conditions. The fourth topic synthesizes perspectives on regional climate research, relationshipbuilding, and community engagement in Alaska. It discusses the importance of focusing on smaller regions for climate studies to build relevant, credible, and legitimate scientific endeavors with local communities. It emphasizes the value of cultural humility, self-reflection, and active community participation for effective climate science communication and relationship-building. This piece also addresses the systemic challenges of community work within academia and highlights the significance of volunteerism to enhance community-based climate research. Collectively, these papers underscore the intricate relationships between climate variables, tundra landscapes, and wildfire dynamics in Alaskan tundra regions, and the need for region-specific research approaches. The research concludes that community collaboration and culturally sensitive approaches are essential for impactful climate science.

View more