Uiii Lniiifi Kesuiiivcs — Binis 



3J 



Lagoon (Fig. 3) as a fall staging area for about 

 2 montiis. Aitiiough i/embek Lagoon is protecl- 

 ed as a national wildlife refuge and state game 

 refuge, it is near offshore oil leases in Bristol 

 Bay. Should oil development proceed, increased 

 aircraft activity over Izembek Lagoon could 

 resuh in a significant increase in distiubance 

 that could present brant from accumulating suf- 

 ficient body fat for their nonstop llight to win- 

 tering areas in Mexico. This lack of sufficient 

 body fat could result in increased mortality 

 (Wardetal. 1994). 



Bristol Bay Lowlands 



Estuaries on the north side of the Alaska 

 Peninsula (Fig. 3) provide critical migration 

 habitat for cackling Canada geese, Taverner's 

 Canada geese (S. c. taverueri). and emperor 

 geese, and nesting habitat for a unique group of 

 greater white-fronted geese. Part of this area is 

 protected in State Critical Habitat Areas man- 

 aged by the Alaska Depailment of Fish and 

 Game. At least 5,265 ha (13,000 acres) of 

 important habitat, however, is state land that 

 may be subject to resource development. 



Teshekpuk Lake Special Areas 



Up to 32,()()() Pacific black brant (25% of the 

 world population) and 30,000 individuals of 

 other goose species molt annually on 

 Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA) (Fig. 3) 

 on the Natiimal Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

 (Derksen 1978; King 1984). The area is man- 

 aged by the Bureau of Land Management, and 

 special regulations govern resource develop- 

 ment on the TLSA to minimize adverse impacts 

 to wildlife. Energy development in adjacent 

 areas, though, may result in increased aircraft 

 activity that could disturb molting geese and 

 reduce their ability to secure forage needed for 

 feather replacement (Jensen 1990). 



Interior Wetlands 



Greater white-fronted and Canada goose- 

 nesting and brood-rearing habitats occur in inte- 

 rior wetlands near the Yukon, Tanana, 

 Kuskokwim, Koyukuk, Susitna, and Innoko 

 rivers (King and Lensink 1971). National 

 wildlife refuges encompass much of the impor- 

 tant habitat, although some areas are managed 

 by the state of Alaska, private landowners, and 

 the Bureau of Land Management. At present, 

 there is relatively little human-related distur- 

 bance in these areas, although placer mining, oil 

 exploration and development, timber harvest, 

 and military training could affect some areas. 



Upper Cook Inlet 



About 100.000 geese and swans use Upper 

 Cook Inlet (Fig. 3) as spring migration habitat. 



Teshekpuk Lake 

 Special Area 



Arclic National 

 Wildlife Reluge 



In addition, this inlet is one of two nesting areas 

 of tule white-fronted geese. Development of oil 

 and gas. coal, timber, and mineral deposits has 

 either been proposed or is ongoing in Upper 

 Coiik Inlet and may affect coastal wetlands used 

 by migratory wateifowl. Most of the important 

 wateifowl habitats in this area are state game 

 refuges or Critical Habitat Areas managed by 

 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 



Alaska Coastal Forests 



Some nesting and brood-rearing areas of 

 Vancouver Canada geese (Fig. 3) occur in areas 

 of commercially harvestable timber (Lebeda and 

 Ratti 1983). Logging activities on U.S. Forest 

 Service land on the Tongass National Forest 

 could affect these habitats. In addition, timber 

 harvest on Native corporation lands may restrict 

 opportunities to transplant Vancouver Canada 

 geese into areas of suitable habitat or may limit 

 natural expansion of the subspecies range (King 

 and Derksen 1986). Use of tidal areas to store 

 harvested timber before shipping can affect win- 

 tering habitat of Vancouver Canada geese and 

 migration habitats of other waterbirds. 



Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 



As many as 300.000 lesser snow geese and 

 an unknown number of greater white-fronted 

 geese stage on the Arctic National Wildlife 

 Refuge (Fig. 3) before fall migration. During 

 staging, geese feed intensively and build fat 

 reserves for migration. Proposed petroleum 

 leases on the refuge would result in increased 

 aircraft activity that could disrupt feeding 

 behavior of geese, displace birds from feeding 



Fig. 3. Alaskan liabitats of special 

 importance to geese. 



