Stewarding lands along the South Fork Koyukuk River - Central Yukon Field Office’s Multidisciplinary Team Float Trip

This summer, specialists from the Central Yukon Field Office (CYFO) were tasked with a challenge: conducting inventory on BLM-managed lands along the South Fork Koyukuk River (South Fork) in the remote backcountry of Interior Alaska. To overcome the difficulties associated with accessing these areas, the team geared up in mid-July for a six-day float trip down the South Fork.

The South Fork drains the foothills of the Brooks Range and eventually joins the Koyukuk River, passing through beautiful mountains, boreal forests and riparian areas. The goal of the trip was to collect a variety of scientific data to inventory and monitor aquatic, cultural, botanical and wildlife resources to better inform management of this area. But the matter of getting there took a bit of preparation – and packing!

Each member of the two teams along for the float, Team Archaeo-Ecology and Team Aquatics, selected their choice of boat based on the gear required to complete the team’s work.  Team Archeo-Ecology packed light, opting for pack rafts and an inflatable kayak as they brought only the necessary survey gear and dried backpacking meals for food. Team Aquatics packed a bit heavier, opting for inflatable canoes with rowing frames sturdy enough to float a bull moose. This made for a comfortable journey complete with lots of survey gear and coolers with pre-cooked meals that could be heated on a stove.

But regardless of their vessel of choice, both teams took their time checking and double-checking their repair kits for the inevitable patch-ups that come with floating. Along with boats and repair kits, the teams came equipped with pumps, paddles, water filters, safety equipment, clothing for all the elements, lifejackets and enough food and bear-safe food storage for six days. After they were all packed and prepped, specialists were dropped off via helicopter on the upper South Fork where they then took out about 60 miles downstream where the Dalton Highway crosses the river.

Team Archaeo-Ecology arrived with two areas of focus: archeology and ecology. Archeological cultural surveys focused on identifying and inventorying ancestral Indigenous camps and hunting sites, as well as historic Euro-American mining sites, along the river corridor. The South Fork, known as Neek’elehno’ in the Koyukon language, has been used as a travel corridor for thousands of years and the river is important to several federally recognized Tribes for cultural and subsistence practices.

Ecology surveys focused on botanical and wildlife data. The team searched shorelines and gravel bars for the invasive species white sweetclover (Melilotus albus), as well as for Yukon aster (Symphyotrichum yukonense), a native plant designated as a BLM Sensitive Species. Wildlife surveys included bees, raptor nests and bank swallow (Riparia riparia) colonies.

Team Aquatics surveyed stream cross sections to provide a better understanding of channel sizes and characteristics that are common in a location based on geographic location and watershed size. The team also utilized various methods of fish sampling to assess species abundance and diversity.

Conducting on the ground surveys in Alaska sometimes requires a bit of creativity, but the specialists on this trip did not shy away from unique travel arrangements needed to get the work done. The Central Yukon Field Office manages 12.5 million acres, and inventorying these lands and resources is essential for land use planning effectiveness. Trips like this one allow specialists from different departments within the BLM to learn about other’s resources and collaborate for more effective stewardship of BLM lands.