Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge

10/01/2025

Due to the federal government shutdown, this account is not being actively updated.
For more information, please visit:

Operations in the Absence of Appropriations

03/06/2025

Make way for ducklings! And goslings! And cygnets! They're all on the way for the Alaska Junior Duck Stamp contest! There’s still time for K-12 students to enter, so choose a North American waterfowl species, dive into research, and bring your discoveries to life with art and writing. 🔗Visit the comments for a link to the entry form and contest rules. The postmark deadline for entries is March 15.

🎨 Evangeline Frost - Junior Duck Stamp 2023

02/28/2025

Reminder, hunt reports due! Yukon Flats families and hunters with federal subsistence permits to hunt moose in GMU 25D West, thank you for turning in your hunt reports. If you still need to turn in your hunt report, please do so, and even if you didn't hunt or harvest a moose, you must still turn in your hunt report within 15 days of the end of the season on February 28th, which is today.

Please mail hunt reports to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge,101 12th Avenue, Rm 264 MS 575, Fairbanks, AK 99701, United States. If you have questions or need more information about federal subsistence moose permits for Unit 25D West, please contact the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge at [email protected] or call 1-800-531-0676.

💛 Thank you again Yukon Flats families and hunters! Hunt reports are valuable records about the continued importance of moose for food and as part of the subsistence way of life. Your hunt reports also help determine the level of moose permits in future years. Photo of a winter sunrise on Canvasback Lake by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

02/27/2025

At this time of year, moose in the refuge have been eating willow, birch, and aspen twigs...since last fall! With spring right around the corner now, they are probably anticipating the bounty to come of spring green vegetation! During spring and summer months, moose feed on forbs, plants in shallow ponds, and the leaves of birch, willow and aspen. Moose are the largest member of the deer (Cervidae) family. Cows mate in the fall and typically give birth to calves in the spring (late May or June). Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

02/26/2025

The American marten (Martes americana) lives in the refuge and is a member of the weasel family, Marten can live more than 11 years, but due to the harsh conditions in Alaska, their lifespan is typically shorter, averaging about 4–6 years. Martens have sharp, non-retractable claws which they use for climbing and holding prey. Large furry paws allow marten to travel easily over deep snow. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

02/14/2025

💖 Valentines Day in the refuge is a day to celebrate...cuteness overload! Photo, two red fox babies by USFWS.

02/11/2025

A silver fox for your Saturday. The silver fox is a variation of the red fox species, which comes in a variety of colors. The striking black-silver phase occurs more frequently in northern and northwestern Alaska.

Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge

📸 Lisa Hupp/USFWS

02/06/2025

Beaver: I'm the biggest rodent in North America
Porcupine: And I'm the ✨second✨ biggest.

Weird flex but ok! American porcupine have short legs, move slow, but they have strong grip, and a stabilizing tail for climbing trees. The average weight of an adult is 20-25 pounds and they have around 30,000 quills made of keratin for defense against predators like wolverine, coyote, wolf, and lynx.

📸 Porcupine climbing white spruce in riparian forest in Kanuti National Wildlife Refuge by Ronan Dugan/USFWS.

02/04/2025

Level up, frog fans, toad lovers, and salamander champions! New side quest just dropped! 🐸 Hop in for some fun on Wednesday, February 5 for an online presentation open to all (but geared to ages 8-12) about America's amazing amphibians.

Virtual Youth Fish and Wildlife Club is an online space to meet other fish and wildlife friends and interact with professionals in the field. We have a great line up of weekly topics through Wednesday, April 20. Join right from your lily pad!

🔗 Link in the comments.
📅 On deck: Wildlife Valentines!

📸 Not an NPC- a wood frog, James Lyon /USFWS

02/03/2025

Snowshoe hare tracks look like stitches on a quilt. Lynx prey mostly on hare and are tied to their population growth and crashes. Photo from the Lynx Project at Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. Credit; Lisa Hupp/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

01/30/2025

01/28/2025

POV: Waiting for the year’s first Virtual Youth Fish and Wildlife Club!

Join us Wednesday, January 29, for the start of our Spring 2025 Virtual Youth Fish and Wildlife Club (YFWC)! The first session of 2025 will be about backyard birds + DIY toilet paper roll bird feeder activity! We’ll learn about how to attract birds to your space, how to keep them safe, and how to turn your bird sightings into science! 🐦‍⬛

🧶 Recommended supplies: a clean toilet paper (paper towel) roll, peanut butter or some similar alternative, birdseed, string, scissors, bamboo skewer, and a butter knife!

YFWC aims to tap into youth curiosity and wonder, foster appreciation for nature and culture, engage young people informally with science, and teach proficiency in outdoor skills. Programs are geared towards youth ages 8-12 but all are welcome, including the younger kiddos and curious adults.

🔗 ⬇️ How to join and this season’s schedule in the comments!

Photo: USFWS