Field Reports
MOUNTAINEERING
McKinley record set
A record number of climbers this year have attempted to scale Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest peak, according to the National Park Service.
So far, 1,333 climbers this season have challenged the massive, white mountain in Denali National Park, with another 18 planning late-season attempts on the 20,320-foot summit.
The previous record of 1,305 was set in 2001, park officials said.
The weakened U.S. dollar has attracted many foreign climbers, said Denali National Park ranger Daryl Miller, noting that almost 45 percent of the climbers this year came from outside the U.S. Normally, foreign climbers make up 35 percent to 40 percent of the total.
Other incentives to climb McKinley:
•Climbers can enjoy their sport while avoiding the fighting and political unrest in the mountainous countries of Pakistan and Nepal.
•Milder weather in recent years has made the mountain slightly more climber-friendly and rescue rates have declined.
Associated Press
ENDANGERED SPECIES
Good year for lynx
Another good year is under way for lynx kittens in Colorado, with preliminary results showing more than 50 kittens were born the previous two years.
The elusive, thick-furred mountain cats disappeared from Colorado in 1974 due to trapping, poisoning and development but are being restored with transplanted lynx from Canada.
The Wildlife Divisions has released 166 lynx in southwestern Colorado since the recovery program started. About 60 of the cats have died; some were shot, hit by cars or killed by other animals.
The lynx, a federally listed threatened species, are similar in size to bobcats, with male cats averaging 24 pounds and females averaging 20 pounds.
Unlike bobcats, lynx have long, fluffy, gray to tan hair and big, widespread paws that allow them to walk on snow.
Associated Press
SEA MAMMALS
Orcas boost population
At least three killer whales have been born to Puget Sound-area orcas this season, boosting the resident population to 90 animals and continuing an apparent comeback, researchers say.
The calves, two first seen in June in L Pod and one spotted this month in J Pod, seem to be healthy and thriving, but the first year is always the greatest challenge, Stefan Jacobs of the Center for Whale Research.
The Puget Sound-area resident orca population dropped from 99 in 1995 to 78 in 2000, drawing national attention and pressure on the federal government to list the three Puget Sound pods – J, K and L – as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Combined with four earlier births, seven orcas have been born within the three pods since October, Howard Garrett of Orca Network said. “Going back over the records, we’ve never had more than six born in any calendar year,” Garrett said.
Associated Press
PREDATORS
Grizzly attack mysterious
A 300-pound grizzly bear that killed an Anchorage couple along a river in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge last month was a normal 9-year-old male with no signs of health problems, investigators said.
An examination at the University of Alaska Fairbanks found the animal was normal-sized for a male grizzly this time of year on the North Slope, said Cathie Harms, a spokeswoman for the Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks.
Authorities killed the bear after a rafter reported seeing the grizzly at the camp near the Hulahula River.
The campsite was clean, with food stored in bear-proof containers and an unused firearm in the tent.
Nearly 500 bear attacks, most in southern Alaska, were recorded in the state between 1900 and 2002 by the U.S. Geological Survey. Fewer than 60 have been fatal, according to the federal agency’s study.
“If bears really really really wanted to kill people, they could,” Harms said. “They have thousands of opportunities every year, but they don’t.”
Associated Press