Arctic Alive! Interactive Online Educational Program

2003-2004 Eider Journey

Come join us on Eider Journey!

Eider Journey is your chance to learn more about the threatened species, Steller's Eiders, and the northern communities that they journey through. Follow the eiders along their migration and witness researchers and communities working together towards their preservation.

To learn more about this project, just download any of the listed files and activities.

You can also join the researchers and students online at: http://arcticalive.zeroforum.com/zerouser?cmd=login

Once you register, just click on "Follow Eider Journey Here!".

More About the Project

The Eider Journey project builds upon a partnership between U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northern Alaska Ecological Services, North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough School District, National Science Foundation (Polar Programs), and the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States (ARCUS). Eider Journey is a comprehensive education and stewardship program that addresses issues of conservation and management of wildlife populations, in particular the threatened North American breeding population of Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri).

A male Steller's eider in breeding plumage. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Ecological Services)

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A female Steller's eider. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Ecological Services)

The North American population of Steller's eiders nests from Barrow to inland on the Colville River, with the Barrow area still being the center of abundance and primary nesting location in northern Alaska. In addition, very small numbers of Steller's eiders still breed, at least occasionally, on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. This breeding population has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Each fall, the Steller's eiders migrate from Barrow southwest to Izembek Lagoon, located in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, and surrounding areas to molt and over winter. Izembek Lagoon is one of the largest eelgrass beds in the world which provides habitat for the small invertebrates eaten by the eiders.

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Steller's eider migration map. (Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Ecological Services)

At issue is the destruction or intrusion of people into eider nesting habitat. The only known regularly occupied nesting area of Steller's eiders in Alaska is near Barrow, among the largest of rural communities in Alaska. The community of Barrow is currently expanding into eider nesting habitat. In Cold Bay, the concern is not necessarily development within the refuge or State Critical Habitat areas, but the protection of the shallow and biologically productive waters which are vulnerable to oil spills and other pollution from vessels traveling through the Bering Sea.

It is becoming increasingly important for local communities to become aware of the species' status, and develop a protective attitude toward the local eider population. The most effective means for promoting the importance of the species is through local partnerships and by developing an education program that reflects local needs and community issues.