{"id":11833,"date":"2015-11-15T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/?p=11833"},"modified":"2015-11-14T21:25:15","modified_gmt":"2015-11-15T02:25:15","slug":"anchorage-alaska-city-of-moose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/2015\/11\/15\/anchorage-alaska-city-of-moose\/","title":{"rendered":"Close Encounters of the Moose Kind"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now a century old, Anchorage has at various times during its short history proclaimed itself the \u201cAir Crossroads of the World,\u201d a \u201cCity of Lights\u201d and a place of \u201cBig Wild Life\u201d (the latter for the community\u2019s \u201cperfect blend of urbanity and wilderness\u201d). But I have long believed\u2014and yes, opined in my writings\u2014that Alaska\u2019s urban center could easily be called the \u201cCity of Moose.\u201d I\u2019m not the only one to publicly express this view. Earlier this year, former state wildlife manager Rick Sinnott, now a contributor to the Alaska Dispatch News<\/a><\/i>, went so far as to write a cover story<\/a> for the ADN<\/i>\u2019s Sunday magazine playfully promoting the City of Moose idea.<\/p>\n

The question of how to weave our urban lives with wild nature is one faced in different forms all around the world.<\/blockquote><\/figure>Not only do hundreds of moose inhabit the city\u2019s landscape, most of the 300,000 or so people who live here appreciate the ungulates\u2019 big, wild presence. Clear evidence of that was demonstrated in a study<\/a> conducted in 2009 for the Alaska Department of Game by a company called Responsive Management.<\/p>\n
\"Anchorage\u2019s
Anchorage\u2019s human residents share their city with hundreds of moose, who must negotiate assorted urban challenges. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A moose dines on the fruit of an ornamental shrub in an Anchorage yard. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the findings: \u201cWhile acknowledging that moose cause some problems, the large majority of Anchorage residents (87%) say that encounters with moose make life in Anchorage seem more interesting and special. A further indication of tolerance toward moose is that an overwhelming majority (94%) indicate that they have enjoyed watching moose in the Anchorage area in the past 2 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, not everyone likes having moose around. Some folks are angered by the animals\u2019 taste for ornamental plants and garden vegetables and would like their numbers thinned. Others, particularly parents with children, understandably worry about the dangers moose present. And a vocal minority argues that cities are for people, period, and moose shouldn\u2019t be allowed here (nor should any other big, wild animals that can inflict injuries be tolerated, most notably bears, or so the argument goes).<\/p>\n

\"A
A young moose takes up temporary residence in the yard of an Anchorage homeowner. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Inevitable conflicts between people and moose, some of which lead to injury or even death, show the challenges of living with wildlife\u2014and, more generally, wild nature\u2014in an urban community, even in a place where most residents feel a close connection to what might be called the \u201cnatural world\u201d and where people place great value on outdoors activities.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most of the city\u2019s human residents live in what\u2019s called the \u201cAnchorage Bowl,\u201d a roughly triangular piece of lowland bounded on two sides by the waters of Cook Inlet and on the third by the Chugach Mountains. That bowl is also year-round home to an estimated 200 to 300 moose, with winter numbers tripling, to between 700 and 1,000 animals, when they\u2019re driven out of neighboring hills by deepening snow and lured into the city by Anchorage\u2019s relative abundance of winter food, much of it in the form of fruit-bearing ornamental trees and shrubs.<\/p>\n

Though their density varies through the year, moose can be found throughout Anchorage in any season, even in the heavily commercialized downtown and midtown areas. In fact, I\u2019d wager that for much of the year there\u2019s no better locale in Alaska to see North America\u2019s largest member of the deer family. Many that inhabit the city prefer the parks, greenbelts and wooded lots of west Anchorage, including the Turnagain area, where I have lived since 2006 after more than a dozen years on the city\u2019s Hillside.<\/p>\n

\"A
A cow moose nuzzles its newborn calf; cows are protective moms and will aggressively defend their young, especially in the days immediately following their birth. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Cinnamon
Cinnamon colored, moose calves usually weigh 30 to 35 pounds when they\u2019re born in late May or early June and will weigh 300 to 400 pounds by the fall. Photo: Doug Lindstrand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One cow moose, often accompanied by a calf or two, inhabits pockets of woods near Anchorage\u2019s much-beloved Coastal Trail, where I regularly walk my dog. Occasionally a bull will amble down the street, munching as he goes. And it\u2019s not rare, especially in winter, to find moose bedded down in either my yard or those of my neighbors.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always felt confident that I could track down an urban moose or two on short notice, if asked to show off the local wildlife by visiting family or friends. That confidence was put to the test when my mother\u2019s two sisters visited us a few years after Mom moved to Alaska from the East Coast in 2002.<\/p>\n

As their early summer visit wound down, the three sisters agreed they\u2019d had a grand reunion. But neither of my aunts had seen much of the local wildlife. On something of a whim, my girlfriend and I took Mom and one of her sisters on a driving tour of West Anchorage in search of moose (the other sister had earlier headed to the hills east of town with her son, also to seek out moose).<\/p>\n

About four-five minutes later, we spotted a cow and two yearlings, grazing among a small grove of birches, about 50 yards off the road that leads to Kincaid Park. We parked along the shoulder to watch the animals and within minutes, several other cars pulled over and a dozen murmuring people lined the road, many armed with binoculars, cameras and video recorders. Clearly we weren\u2019t the only moose hunters out that night and I guessed evening expeditions like ours go on throughout the summer.<\/p>\n

\"Former
Former Alaska wildlife manager Jessy Coltrane watches a young moose that got \u201cstuck\u201d inside a fenced area and will need help finding its way out. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pleased but not fully satisfied, we headed for a birch-spruce forest near Anchorage\u2019s international airport. Leaving pavement for a dusty gravel road, we slowed to a crawl. Within a few minutes, a young bull appeared in a meadow behind some birch trees. Approaching to within 25 feet of our parked car, the yearling nonchalantly picked leaves from atop a willow. Later we spotted a mature cow browsing among the birches, likely the young bull\u2019s mom. Engine off, we watched silently for several minutes. Both moose gorged on greens, unconcerned by our presence.<\/p>\n

Nearly 10 pm, with the light dimming, we headed back. Still, we didn\u2019t stop looking. About 5 minutes from home I noticed two shadowy forms beside heavily traveled Northern Lights Boulevard.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore moose,\u201d I shouted to the others. \u201cAnd this time there\u2019s a little one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little indeed. A tiny, chestnut-colored calf the size of a small pony stood beside its mother in an open, grassy area. We pulled over to the shoulder and, our windows wide open, paused nearby the pair. Because cow moose are notoriously protective of their young, I watched for any signs of upset. But this one showed no evidence of being the least bit agitated. She lifted her head slightly and looked our way, then calmly resumed her grazing.<\/p>\n

We lingered less than a minute. Then in deepening darkness we finished our tour, more impressed than ever by the city\u2019s abundance of people-tolerant moose.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/strong><\/p>\n

For all the remarkable tolerance they show\u2014especially given our species\u2019 sometimes foolish, stubborn, or mean-spirited behaviors\u2014even urban moose remain wild animals. If pushed too far, or surprised by a close encounter, they\u2019ll sometimes respond aggressively, especially when already stressed by circumstances.<\/p>\n

Cow moose with newborn calves can be every bit as dangerous as bears. In 2012, for example, one protective mom injured two young girls playing in their yard. Following that attack in Eagle River (a community that\u2019s part of the Anchorage municipality, just north of the city), local wildlife manager Jessy Coltrane told a reporter that the girls \u201cdidn\u2019t do anything wrong. It was one of those accidental chance encounters.\u201d Coltrane (who has since taken a job outside Alaska) further explained that cows are especially protective of their young the first two weeks after their birth, when the newborns are most vulnerable. \u201cAfter that, they run like the wind and mom isn\u2019t as aggressive in defending them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A moose pauses while crossing an Anchorage street; moose-vehicle collisions are especially a concern in winter driving conditions. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Though
Though most Anchorage residents love sharing their city with moose, conflicts are inevitable, for example when moose and outdoors enthusiasts meet along trails. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mature bulls, which can weigh 1,000 pounds or more, are nearly as dangerous during the autumn rut, when they stop eating and fight each other for mating rights. The battles can take a substantial toll, leading to exhaustion, injuries, and agitated animals, and what we humans might call short-tempered behavior. And then there\u2019s winter, when extreme cold or deep-snow conditions may lead to stressed-out moose that sometimes attack a person with little or no apparent provocation.<\/p>\n

Dogs, of course, add to the stress in all these circumstances, and lots of Anchorage residents have dogs that they take walking, running, biking, skiing, and mushing. Though Anchorage has leash laws, many people allow their dogs off leash when using local trails. Some of those loose dogs end up harassing moose\u2014and in turn are attacked. Fish and Game has estimated that moose injure 50 to 100 dogs each year, with a small number killed. In my estimation, it could be a lot worse; from what I\u2019ve observed, in most situations Anchorage moose show remarkable tolerance of dogs as well as people.<\/p>\n

Injuries to people are uncommon. Coltrane, the former wildlife manager, once estimated that moose harm five to ten people each year in the Anchorage area. Rarely are those injuries life threatening. But in 1993 and 1995, Anchorage residents were stomped to death by agitated moose. One fatal wintertime attack was caught on video and made national news when a cow moose with calf, apparently feeling cornered, trampled a man trying to enter a university building. It turned out that the moose had earlier been bombarded by snowballs, no doubt increasing its agitation and defensiveness.<\/p>\n

Recognizing the fact that close encounters between people and moose can lead to harm (not only in Anchorage, but anywhere people and moose are likely to cross paths), the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has created a \u201cLiving with Moose\u201d advisory<\/a> that includes a section on \u201cSafety in Moose Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Up
Up close and personal: portrait of a moose standing beside the window of an Anchorage home. Used with permission of Alaska Department of Fish and Game<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though local media tends to emphasize the dangers of moose attacks, the primary danger that Alces alces<\/i> presents to people is in moose-vehicle collisions. Alaska, it turns out, has one of the world\u2019s highest rates of moose-vehicle collisions per mile driven. The danger is greatest in winter, when visibility is poorest, streets are often slick with ice and snow, and large snowfalls can prompt moose to seek the relatively easy traveling conditions offered by plowed streets (or packed trails). Besides the winter peak, moose are most frequently hit by cars following the calving season.<\/p>\n

In Anchorage alone, an average of 150 moose are annually hit by vehicles. Almost always, the moose suffer fatal injuries. People are rarely killed, though two people died<\/a> this past October in Anchorage, when on consecutive days their vehicles (one a car, the other a motorcycle) struck moose. More commonly, vehicles are \u201ctotaled\u201d and human occupants injured, sometimes seriously. To minimize the danger, the state presents a series of safe-driving tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether they result from stompings or vehicle collisions, moose-caused injuries almost inevitably lead to calls for moose hunts within the Anchorage Bowl. Limited hunts are already allowed on the military\u2019s neighboring Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) and in the Chugach Mountains, but so far there\u2019s been no widespread support for an in-city hunt.<\/p>\n

The most recent calls for moose hunts in Anchorage proper have been tied to increased recreational use at West Anchorage\u2019s Kincaid Park, most notably single-track biking. A particularly strong push was made in late 2014, when resident Ira Edwards officially proposed a Kincaid moose hunt to the Alaska Board of Game.<\/p>\n

In a response to Edwards\u2019 proposal<\/a> and a story about it by Rick Sinnott, I wrote<\/a> a commentary that explained why a Kincaid moose hunt was an awful idea. Among my main points: rather than \u201ctroublemaker\u201d moose, human actions\u2014and especially bad judgment\u2014have largely contributed to the upswing of moose-human conflicts at Kincaid, whether in organized events or other, informal recreational activities.<\/p>\n

To further borrow from my commentary, I noted:<\/p>\n

We are supposedly the more intelligent species, yet we sometimes behave in remarkably foolish, ignorant, or stubborn ways.<\/p>\n

To repeat: the problem at Kincaid Park isn\u2019t trouble-making moose. The animals should not<\/i> be hunted for public-safety reasons, Edwards\u2019 chief rationale for starting a hunt there. And if a persistently dangerous moose is identified, authorities should remove it, not sport hunters.<\/p>\n

Sinnott\u2019s story also makes it clear that there\u2019s been no upsurge in moose at Kincaid. In fact, based on F&G studies, it\u2019s more likely moose numbers have dropped since the mid-1990s.<\/p>\n

Nor is there any evidence that moose have become more aggressive. Based on my own experiences\u2014I visit Kincaid many times throughout the year\u2014I\u2019d wager Kincaid moose are as habituated to people as they\u2019ve ever been, if not more so. . . .<\/p>\n

Though neither the number nor behavior of moose has changed substantially, what has<\/i> shifted at Kincaid is the human element. As Sinnott wrote, \u2018Nowadays the park crawls with people most of the year.\u2019<\/p>\n

Actually, \u2018crawls\u2019 isn\u2019t the best word choice. Many of the people who recreate at Kincaid are moving fast: runners, soccer players, skiers, and especially cyclists. The explosion of single-track trails and those who use them are the single biggest change that\u2019s contributed to Kincaid\u2019s so-called moose \u2018problem.\u2019<\/p>\n

Those trails have greatly fragmented what remained of Kincaid\u2019s already diminished woodlands. Thus it\u2019s now harder for moose to avoid us humans and that in turn means more encounters. More conflicts.<\/p>\n

Those who say we must have either a moose preserve or a moose hunt are creating a false choice. We can have both moose and human recreation. But people need to take more responsibility for their actions, they need to pay more attention to\u2014and show tolerance for\u2014our wildlife neighbors.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s more, but you get the idea.<\/p>\n

To its credit, the Board of Game refused to take action on the proposal, arguing<\/a> it had no authority to make such a decision.<\/p>\n

Future attempts to open Anchorage to moose hunts seem inevitable, especially as increased recreational use and fragmented habitat heighten the likelihood of moose-human encounters and conflicts. The question\u2014even in outdoors- and wildlife-loving Alaska\u2014is whether we humans, again, supposedly the more intelligent species, are willing to make the smart decisions and compromises necessary to harmoniously share the landscape with moose\u2014or bears, or other wild species.<\/p>\n

On the surface, the challenges may appear larger when dealing with sometimes agitated\u2014or traffic ignorant\u2014thousand-pound animals, but the question of how to weave our urban lives with wild nature is one faced in different forms all around the world. Moose simply make the challenges more obvious.<\/p>\n

Bill Sherwonit<\/strong>
\nAnchorage<\/p>\n

On The Nature of Cities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now a century old, Anchorage has at various times during its short history proclaimed itself the \u201cAir Crossroads of the World,\u201d a \u201cCity of Lights\u201d and a place of \u201cBig Wild Life\u201d (the latter for the community\u2019s \u201cperfect blend of urbanity and wilderness\u201d). But I have long believed\u2014and yes, opined in my writings\u2014that Alaska\u2019s urban […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":11843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[300,273,298],"tags":[43,401,34,23,100],"coauthors":[185],"class_list":["post-11833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essay-art-and-awareness","category-essay","category-essay-people-and-communitites","tag-awareness","tag-biodiversity","tag-experiencing-nature","tag-north-america","tag-wildlife-people-interactions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11833","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11833"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thenatureofcities.com\/TNOC\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=11833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}