Straddling the Arctic Circle, Kanuti NWR is a hotspot for dragonflies and damselflies—26 species and counting! Most live underwater as predators before taking flight for just weeks, helping clear the skies of mosquitos. 📸 American emerald dragonfly by Bob Armstrong

Hiking, fishing, hunting & camping are some ways to recreate on National Wildlife Refuges. No matter what you choose, make sure to take a few mins to clean your gear before heading out. This simple step helps prevent introduction of invasive species. 📷Katrina Liebich/USFWS

USFWS is accepting applications for the Tribal Wildlife Grants Program to help Tribes conserve culturally & traditionally important habitats and species. Proposals due by June 20, 2025. 🔗⬇️ .📷 Ophir Creek Water Quality Collection. Courtesy of Yakutat Tlingit Tribe.

Disturbances to its breeding environment like pesticides, oil spills, and net entanglement post risks to these sensitive aquatic birds. 🔗 Tour the last large city in North America where loons nest & produce offspring

What doesn’t rhyme with loon? Lead and not properly discarding fishing line. One sinker can kill a loon. They can ingest fish attached to a broken a line or attached tackle. They might mistake lead weights for small stones that they eat to help digestion. 📷 Pacific loon, USFWS

Emperor Geese in Alaska:

Regulations for the 2025 Alaska migratory bird harvest took effect April 2. At the Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management Council's recommendation, harvest of emperor geese is closed until their population increases to a level where harvest may resume.

Um, you have something in your teeth… 🐻😁.To understand bears and their behavior, a great place to start is their chompers! Here's a safe view into a bear's mouth. 📸 USFWS

Learn more about how dragonflies and damselflies transition from aquatic nymphs to aerial hunters:

RT @USFWS: Not your average songbird. Northern shrikes are feathered assassins, turning treetops into hunting perches. They use their bill….

RT @USFWS: Home tweet home 💕 In spring and summer, this Savannah sparrow lives among southwestern Alaska's Yukon Delta Refuge. Despite 50%….

Get that bread-er. *ahem*- get that fish because today is the official first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere! Make a splash! Aries season starts tomorrow! Be brave! Sink your claws into the flesh of oceans! . 📸 USFWS

Are we there yet? Arctic terns can migrate 55k mi. yearly— the longest migration of any bird. Join 🌎 🪶Join the @usfws Virtual Youth Fish & Wildlife Club on Weds., 3/19 for "Marvelous Migrations." Perfect for nature-loving kiddos. Every week until 4/30! 🔗⬇️. 📸 USFWS

🍀Feeling lucky? Spot the brown bear in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Across Alaska, bears are emerging, so check your bear spray's safety features and carry it. Travel in groups and make noise in bear country. 📸 USFWS

Bull moose grow a new set of antlers every year after their 1st year of life. Growth begins in spring, and continues into late summer. The "velvet" covering the antler is very sensitive, and will help cool a moose down. A moose in his prime can grow up to a lb. of antler per day!

Food and fam. Pacific walruses have 100s of strong, sensitive whiskers that they use to search the seafloor for food. From the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea, they stick together through thick and thin with their several inches of body fat to help them survive sub-freezing temps.

Down to Earth! Rock ptarmigan are the sole bird species that spend their entire life on the windy, chilly tundra. Birds in Central & Northern AK sport white plumage from Oct. to mid-June. In addition to their striking black masks, breeding males sport fleshy & flashy red "combs."

The scientific name for the polar bear is Ursus maritimus, or “sea bear.” Because polar bears spend most of their life on the sea ice, they are classified as a marine mammal. Polar bears are specially adapted to thrive in an environment dominated by sea ice.