Skip to global NPS navigation
Skip to this park navigation
Skip to the main content
Skip to this park information section
Skip to the footer section






National Park Service Search Search
This Site
All NPS
 Open
Menu
Close
Menu
Explore This Park
Explore the National Park Service


Exiting nps.gov
  Cancel


Yukon - Charley Rivers
National Preserve
Alaska


Info
Alerts
Maps
Calendar
Fees


Alerts In Effect Dismiss
 more information on current conditions...
 Dismiss View all alerts


Contact Us
  Wolves
 Aerial view of a wolf and its tracks in the snowNPS/Matt Cameron

For thousands of years, the call of the wolf has echoed across the hills, mountains and valleys of the land known today as Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. As in the past, wolves continue to play a vital role in this intact ecosystem and are of such significance that Congress specifically calls for the protection of wolves in the legislation that established the Preserve.
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve was established, in part, to "maintain the environmental integrity of the entire Charley River Basin... in its undeveloped natural condition for public benefit and scientific study; to protect habitat for, and
populations of, fish and wildlife, including... wolves."

Spotting wolves during an aerial surveyA pack of eight wolves spotted during an aerial telemetry flight. NPS Photo

For over 20 years, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve has monitored up to twelve wolf packs that routinely utilize Preserve lands. It is the second longest wolf study in Alaska. The Preserve chose to study wolves in part because they are a good indicator of the health of the ecosystem. Wolves depend on healthy populations of large ungulate prey (such as moose and caribou), which in turn respond to vegetation, weather, and other environmental factors. In addition, one of the Preserve's mandates is to maintain opportunities for subsistence hunting and trapping within the boundaries of the Preserve. Monitoring the harvest of all large mammals in the preserve, including wolves, also helps the National Park Service fulfill its responsibilities as mandated by Congress.

Embed
Embed Video

Close
Copy
Visit our keyboard shortcuts docs for details
Duration:9 minutes, 1 secondWolf biologists study wolves in Yukon-Charley Rivers and Denali National Park & Preserves. Learn more about wolves in our National Parks:
www.nps.gov/yuch/naturescience/wolves.htm

As part of the State's Fortymile Caribou Management Plan, 2006-2012, the State of Alaska (Alaska Department of Fish and Game) has performed predator control in the Upper Yukon/Tanana Predator Control Area through aerial shooting of wolves. The State is not allowed to take wolves within the boundaries of the Preserve. However, all wolf packs that use Preserve lands, routinely travel outside the Preserve. A number of wolves, and in some cases entire packs, have been eliminated while outside the Preserve. The State's current Fortymile Caribou Management Plan, 2012-2018, calls for continued predator control for the foreseeable future in hopes of increasing the size and range of the Fortymile Caribou Herd and increasing the allowable harvest of caribou by hunters.
The National Park Service's mandate, on the other hand, is very different. Yukon-Charley Rivers manages the Preserve to maintain the natural processes and dynamics of this relatively undisturbed ecosystem.
Additional Links:
Central Alaska Network Wolf Research
Annual Wolf Research Reports
The Journey of Wolf 258
For Kids: It Takes a Pack to Raise a Pup

Related Wolf Pages
Sort By:RelevanceRecently UpdatedDate ReleasedTitle
Show1040 per page
Loading results...
Tags:
alaska wolf wolves
 Last updated: November 17, 2022
 Park footer Contact Info Mailing Address: 101 Dunkel St
Suite 110
Fairbanks,
AK
99701
 Phone: 907-459-3730 Contact Us
 Tools FAQ
Site Index
Español
 Stay Connected


This Site
All NPS 
  National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior
 Accessibility
Privacy Policy
FOIA
Notices
Contact The National Park Service NPS FAQ
No Fear Act
Disclaimer
Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
USA.gov Facebook
Youtube
Twitter
Instagram
Flickr