Monitoring
Izembek Refuge is home to both the Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Herd on the peninsula from Herendeen Bay to Isanotski Straight and the Unimak Caribou Herd on Unimak Island. We conduct aerial winter surveys in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to obtain minimum population counts of the two herds. Aerial surveys are the primary management tool for determining population size and composition, so annual efforts are important in ensuring that populations are healthy and to soundly regulate harvest. These herds are an important resource for both subsistence and sport users in the region, as well as the large predators and scavengers that live on the refuge.
