Managing reindeer and wildlife on Alaska's Seward Peninsula

When reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) were introduced to Alaska's Sewa rd Peninsula between 1892 and 1902, other ungulates were not present and la rge predators were either absent or less abundant than after reindeer were established. During the next 100 years reindeer numbers and distribution in creased and declined precipitously on the Seward Peninsula: wildlife specie s repopulated this region through natural processes or translocations by ma n; the non-Native human population of Alaska increased dramatically and wil dlife management became an issue of national concern creating diverse publi c desires regarding resource use; and both range and wildlife became intens ively managed through complex, politicized processes. This paper provides a n historical overview of reindeer and wildlife abundance on the Seward Peni nsula during the 20th century and describes the effects of wildlife on the reindeer industry. Cooperative public processes have been initiated to brin g diverse public interests together; meld indigenous, scientific and local knowledge of resources; and supplement governmental wildlife management pro grammes. Even so, the Seward Peninsula reindeer industry has been severely impacted by wildlife, especially caribou (R. t. granti).