Habitat Use by Urban Muskoxen in Nome, Alaska

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's Indigenous students. Expanding the research capacity at these institutions expands the opportunities for students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be locally relevant, and encourages a faculty community to look beyond the traditional classroom for intellectual and professional growth.

This project at the University of Alaska Fairbanks–Northwest Campus aligns directly with that goal and will advance knowledge about a species of importance to local communities.

The project focuses on the habitat use of a population of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) using urban areas around Nome, Alaska. This population is an important food and fiber resource and valued for ecotourism and cultural significance. The location offers a unique opportunity to study free-ranging muskoxen near an urban area and investigate unexpected outcomes of mining reclamation.

The project hypothesizes that there is a difference in muskoxen forage species between disturbed, reclaimed areas near urban sites and undisturbed rural sites and that spring flora emergence occurs earlier in urban sites. The project aims to develop successional profiles for reclaimed mining areas, phenological records from normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and direct field measures, nutritional and mineral profiles of forage species, and GIS maps of muskox locations and habitats.

Benefits for Native Alaskan individuals and communities include information needed to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts associated with urban muskoxen that could result in recommendations, such as where to erect fences or modify vegetation to prevent muskox movement into critical areas and suggestions for mine tailing reclamation procedures. The project also aims to provide opportunities for Native Alaskan students to learn research techniques and skills in scientific communication.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.