Adventures on the Yukon and Andreafksy Rivers

For the first two weeks of August, GSS staff members Katie Engelmann, Michael Knudson, Emma Behling, and Klaus Friedli conducted two types of wetland identification field work based out of Saint Mary’s, Alaska, a remote village west of Anchorage. The field crew aimed to refine preliminary wetland mapping and identify conventions for the interpretation of the wide variety of wetlands in the area, and verify satellite imagery in relation to actual landscape ecology. 

Engelmann and Behling were joined by the regional coordinator for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Sydney Thielke, and primarily collected data through helicopter flight and roadside surveillance. Knudson and Friedli were joined by four staff from the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, including the Refuge Manager Boyd Blihovde, and divided into two raft crews to float the North and East forks of the Andreafsky River and collect data through riverside hikes.

The Yukon River is almost 2,000 miles long, and by helicopter one field crew was able to visit its discharge into the Bering Sea. The team measured salinity and tidal influence in a wide band of wetlands at the coastline and further inland to determine the extent of tidal influence and saltwater on wetland ecology. The helicopter crew was also able to visit several mud volcanoes in the project area, investigate the impact of recent wildfires on wetland ecology, and gain a better understanding of broader landscape shifts as permafrost thaws and basins fill with water or drain and become vegetated.

The float crews tried their best to stay dry, and keep track of the countless wildlife they saw up close. By raft, the crews gained a unique insight into a remote and incredibly protected area that makes up a large portion of the study area. Their experiences and observations were invaluable in refining mapping conventions and understanding the movement of water across the landscape.