The caribou love the pipelines

I've heard that the caribou don't walk under the pipeline, anyone know the veracity of that statement?

So Bill, how was my answer inaccurate?

 

They also like the gravel roads and "pads" as they are less prone to insects. They also apparently like it under the pipeline (warmth in winter and shade/less mosquitos in summer). In addition, the pipeline is underground in some sections apparently, to account for the initial concerns that caribou would not pass under it. In any case, the caribou numbers have risen over the years and in no way seem threatened by the pipeline's existence.

Here are caribou grazing under it.

 

Fewer mosquitos in the shade??? Otherway around. That's good about the caribou. They're probably benefiting from warmer temps in the high latitudes.

 

I read they preferred under the pipeline due to fewer insects. Could be that because the local temps are relatively low in the northern lattitudes, the bugs prefer being in warmth of the sun vs. in hotter, lower lattitudes where they prefer the shade. Regardless, as the picture shows, the caribou don't seem to mind it under there, bugs or not.

 

One suspects the caribou wouldn't mind a few trees too.

 

Well, the caribou numbers having risen probably has more to do with Alaska's aerial wolf/predator hunting program, supported by the governor and rammed through by the legislature on behalf of the special interest groups even though the people of Alaska have decidedly voted to ban aerial wolf hunting. Twice. This controversial 'sport' is being brought back to eliminate predators to increase caribou and moose so there is more for hunters to shoot, ignoring sound science on why this is a bad idea (too many caribou and moose will decimate the landscape). These hunters are largely not subsistence hunters, but rather non-resident trophy hunters.

Here is a 10 minute video posted one year ago, so it is unpolitical in nature, but it makes the point nonetheless. Using 1950's technology and ignoring the science learned on eco system, herd and predator control in the decades since aerial wolf hunting was used for these purposes is just a really dumb idea.

If you search, I'm sure you can find lots of politically tainted videos and sites on this topic, but probably not a good place for that here in the Environmental forum.

 

Yeah, if you're shelling out dosh to rent a helicopter to go hunting (for something that you're not going to eat) then yeah, you're probably not a subsistence hunter.