The Chena River Flood Control Project offers many exciting and interesting opportunities to study biodiversity.  My project is home to many large mammals that are predators like Grizzly Bears, Black Bears, and Gray Wolves. Other predators and/or omnivores are the Coyote, Red Foxes, Arctic Foxes, We are also home to large prey animals like Moose, Cairbou, and Mule Deer which are very rare (read about them on the link to Alaska Dept Fish and Game).  The mule deer in Alaska are far from there normal range of the Yukon Territory in Canada. The recent uptick in mule deer in the area is believed to be caused by global warming. Small mammals make the Fairbanks area home as well.  Some of these animals are Snowshoe Hares, Ground Squirrels, Red Squirrels, House Mouse, Arctic Shrew, and the Red Backed Vole.  Many birds make Alaska their home and some are even permanent residents like Ravens, Ptarmigan, Ruffed Grouse, and the Sharptail Grouse.  Part-time feathered residents are Bald Eagles, Canadian Geese, Trumpeter Swans, Goldeneye Ducks, Bufflehead Ducks, Mergansers, Northern Flicker,  and Boreal owls.  The varieties of Fish that we have in our rivers are Chum Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Burbot, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char, Whitefish, Arctic Grayling and many others.  The project is also home to what seems like billions of mosquitoes, and knats.  Other insects that live in Alaska and on our project are dragonflies, wasps, hornets, beetles, spiders and many species of butterflies and moths.  For a complete list of the biodiversity in Alaska visit their website.  ADFG's has a wealth of information on Alaska wildlife.

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     We have Grizzly bears that sometimes cross through our project and Black bears in addition to wolves.  I have seen two different lone wolf individuals and found the tracks of a wolf pack in our project.

Moose is the species which is most likely encountered but sometimes Caribou and Mule Deer as well. 

The Moose Creek Dam and Chena Levee was created because of a devastating flood in 1967 that displaced 7,000 people from Fairbanks, Alaska.  The new ecosystem the dam created is also worth studying.  Another reason to choose the Chena River Flood Control Project is it is just one hour from Denali!!!! 

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