Occurrence and Behavior of Wild Dogs in Newly Established Agricultural Areas

• Main Author: Gipson, Philip S.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 1983
• Subjects: Environmental Health and Protection; Canis lupus; Alaska
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/gpwdcwp/272; https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/gpwdcwp/article/1272/viewcontent/8_Occurrence_and_Behavior_of_Wild_Dogs_in_Newly_Established_Agricultural_Areas.pdf

The 1976 Alaska State Legislature initiated a program to make substantial amounts of state land available for agricultural development. Approximately 150,000 acres (60,729 ha) were used for agriculture in Alaska during 1982. The state's goal is to have 500,000 acres (202,429 ha) in agricultural production by 1992. The largest agricultural development to date is the Delta Grain Project which opened approximately 60,000 acres (24,291 ha) of wilderness lands to barley production. Agricultural developments have far reaching impacts on native and feral wildlife. Wild dogs have responded positively to land clearing and the removal of wolves (Canis lupus) from newly settled lands.