i{i;ixi)Ki;i! (;UA/1N(; i.N\i;sri(;Aii()Xs in ai.aska 



31 



iUTos for winter. \'oarl(»ii<:'. lliis re(|iiii('iiu'iit would boconic K) to (lO 

 iirres. The extensive reeoimaissaiu'e tlnis far conducted indicates 

 that 40 to 4i> acres a head will probably apply <ienerally to the Norton 

 Sound section and south, and 50 or GO acres for the Seward Peninsula 

 and noith. The Seward Peninsula, for example, now carries about 

 .s;5,(K)0 i-eindeer, and from computations of acrea<j:e and on a basis 

 of a (jO-acre reiiuirement. it has a future carryinji- capacity of -JOO.OOO 

 head. A GO-acre re<|uirement is fixed for the peninsula section at this 

 time to insure a safe basis foi- stockinji'. Latei'. if it should be found 

 that the ran<ie is not bein<i- fully utilized. followin<r careful inspection 

 of the indivi(huU allotments, a iiradual increase nuiy be made until 

 full capacity is reached. 



If, as indicated by the present studies, it may take a depleted lichen 

 ran<ie from la to W years to recover, the importance of carefully 

 pi-otectin^- the winter ranfres becomes readily apparent. Some system 

 of deferred and rotation ^razinji' must be devised, and suilicient aci'e- 

 aae provitled to make it practicable. I'nder a peiinit system, based 

 on an estimated carryin<>- capacity for each allotment, it would be 

 atlvisable first to proceed on the basis of GO acres a head, and then 

 later, should underutilization be found. <rradually to increase the 

 stockin<f to full capacity, as determined by careful and continuous 

 inspection. 



On the basis of a 40 to GO acre recpiirement. the total a\ ailable ran<ie 

 in Alaska suitable for <i-razin<r should suppoi't ;3.()()0.()0() reindeer. 

 'J'he coast section now occupied by herds should when fully stocked 

 carry 1,000,000 reindeer. 



MANAGEMENT 



The reindeer herds in Alaska are rapidly increasinjr in size, so 

 that better and proj^er methods of manajzement are more important. 

 Former methods of handling applicable to small herds are no longer 

 sufiicient ; better and modern methods to conform to the larg-er herds 

 nnist now be adopted. Under proper management and organization 

 the reindeer industry has a promising future, but a decided change 

 toward better methods must now take j^lace if full progress is to be 

 maintained. 



RANGE CONTROL AND REGULATION 



As a natural development of the growing use of the open range, 

 some s^ystem of range control and grazing regulation is certain 

 sooner or later to be established. Such a system, which is necessary 

 if a permanent industry is to be built u}). would contemplate the 

 division of range into allotments, as determined by natural units, 

 each owner being given a permit to graze a certain number of head 

 upon a certain unit. In the piesence of numerous small owners, this 

 ■will re(juire that reindeei' be held in cooperative herds and that the 

 owners organize into coopei-ative I'eindeer associations or livestock 

 companies. 



To avoid future difficulty it is undoubtedly best that Eskimo- 

 owned and white-owned herds be kept separate as far as practicable. 

 In instances of mixed ownership, where controversies arise, every 

 effort should be made toward readjustment, and the herds should 

 be separated and combined with others to obtain uniform ownership. 



