ducks that nest in the lower, boggy areas will suffer occasional 
nest mortality from trampling by reindeer, however, this should not 
be excessive in view of the wide dispersal of the reindeer in the 
summer nesting season and their restricted use of certain areas of 
the island. 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
At the present time, harvest of the reindeer on St. Matthew 
Island for food purposes is economically impractical. The inacces- 
sibility of the island, the absence of an available human population 
as a labor source and the lack of a demand for the meat contribute 
to this situation. Complete removal of the herd to alleviate future 
problems of over-population and range deterioration, while desirable, 
would involve seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Extreme logistical 
problems and the persistent summer fogs would render "clean up" of 
the last few animals a long and difficult task. 
In view of the fact the management of this reindeer herd is im- 
practical and there are no other range priorities planned for the 
island in the near future, it is recommended that the St. Matthew 
Island reindeer herd be used as an experiment in population dynamics 
and range ecology. Merely by following a laissez-faire policy with 
the herd, much valuable information of reindeer-range relationships 
will become available as the population builds to its peak and the 
expected crash decline follows. 
It is desirable that annual, or at least periodic, counts of 
the population be made to enable plotting of the trend in growth and 
pinpointing the peak of the cycle. The population decline may be 
rapid after the peak is reached. The reindeer herd on St. Paul Is- 
land showed a loss of 37 per cent in one year after the population 
high. Counts could possibly be accomplished through cooperation 
with the Navy or Air Force. Vertical photographic coverage of the 
reindeer when they are concentrated on the wintering areas would 
enable relatively accurate counts. The Navy makes periodic weather 
reconnaissance flights over this area and would have the best oppor- 
tunity to choose favorable weather for photographic purposes. Per- 
haps a Fish and Wildlife Service representative could go along on 
one of the flights and assist in the photographing. 
Following the peak of the reindeer population cycle on St. 
Matthew Island, the vegetative study plots and transects should be 
re-examined to evaluate the changes in the range which have taken 
place. Until this occurs, periodic checks of the range would be 
desirable. 
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