Spring Migration, 2006
26 x 13 inches, sewn beadwork on canvas
Collection - King County Art Collection - 4Culture
Location - Norm Malleng Building, Harborview Medical Center

I used radio tracking data to plot out several typical caribou migration routes onto a color relief map of a portion of the Yukon Territory and Alaska. Caribou vary their migration routes as necessary to find adequate food and to travel as quickly as possible.

The biggest threat that caribou currently face is from possible oil drilling in the 1002 lands of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The 1002 lands are the calving grounds for the Porcupine herd. Caribou are extremely sensitive during calving. The U.S. Interior Department predicts a herd decrease of over 40% if drilling is allowed.

Meanwhile, the Gwich'n people of the Yukon and Alaska survive on a diet that is predominantly caribou. Global warming also threatens for a number of reasons. I find the connection between mosquito predation and survival particularly interesting. With increased warmth should come an increase in mosquitos and an increase in the time that they are active in the arctic. Mosquitos are plentiful enough to interrupt caribou feeding during the short summer when caribou are trying to build up reserves for the long winter. Increased mosquito predation will lead to lower body reserves in the caribou and a lower survival rate over the winter for the caribou.