The agreement, signed last February by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and the Traditional Council of Togiak (Council), provided for the early fall transfer of as many live reindeer as possible off Hagemeister Island. The Council subsequently arranged for the live animals to be cared for at a State-owned prison facility in Palmer as part of a Native Alaskan prisoner training program called Project Hope. The agreement further called for the remaining reindeer to be harvested as a food source and distributed to Togiak-area residents.
On August 27th, the Service began a 7-week reindeer round-up on Hagemeister that concludes today. A total of 289 live reindeer were flown to the Palmer facility, and six fawns have been delivered to Togiak. Most of those animals were rounded up and herded into temporary corrals where they were examined, inoculated, and held for shipment. Nearly half, 139, were captured by a net gun fired from a helicopter. A DC-3 delivered the last 24 reindeer bound for Palmer at 8:30 p.m. last night.
As of this morning, a total of 95 reindeer have been harvested on the and delivered to area families as a food source. The estimated 30 remaining on the are expected to be harvested and delivered today in the final day of operations. Fewer than a dozen of the harvested carcasses were not delivered, because either they were considered unfit for human consumption or they were grabbed by foxes while awaiting shipment.
"We are extremely happy with how this operation has gone, especially under the potentially hazardous weather conditions on this remote coastal as winter approaches," said Walter 0. Stieglitz, Alaska Regional Director of the Service. "Weve met all three of our goals: First, weve taken a major step forward to restoring the damaged eco-system of this to its natural state. Second, weve made the best use possible of the reindeer as food source and training aid for Project Hope. And most important, weve done it safely--the people involved are finally coming home safe and sound."
Hagemeister is a 67,000-acre island, approximately 25 miles southwest of Togiak, and is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. It is currently under temporary management by the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge.
FWS
