For Educators

Caribou Ecology and Yup'ik Culture Camp:

Togiak National Wildlife Refuge works in cooperation with Southwest Region School District, the Traditional Council of Manokotak, and the Boy Scouts of America to sponsor this camp. Students and elders from Dillingham and Manokotak attend.

Yup'ik elders and students share their knowledge of traditional uses of caribou and plants, and Yup'ik survival skills. Lessons at this camp focus on caribou, specifically the Nushagak Peninsula Caribou Herd. Students study vegetation and caribou ecology to learn what the caribou eat and how they fit into their surrounding ecosystem. Togiak Refuge staff work with students to conduct radio telemetry tracking of caribou through ground and aerial surveys.

Since 1996, participants in the camp have travelled to the Nushagak Peninsula, where they can access marine, beach, and tundra terrain. By camping in the caribou's range, students experience the environment in which caribou live. Campers also spend time "beachcombing" and discussing marine ecology and pollution

Last updated: July 24, 2008