Katmai National Park Butterfly Surveys, 2011. Brooks Camp and Lake Camp.

摘要

Since 1975, the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) has held a Fourth of July Butterfly Count. The count was designed to determine what butterflies are common or rare in a geographical region. Data are evaluated to identify variations in abundance, range shifts and species that may be declining. In 2010, 477 surveys were performed in 47 states and the District of Columbia (NABA, 2011). Species lists for surveyed and surrounding areas are created with information collected during these yearly counts. Three surveys were done in Alaska in 2010, including the Anchorage, Fairbanks and Tok regions (NABA, 2011). All results are available to the public and scientific communities for further study and can be found at the NABA website (www.naba.org). No known survey has ever been performed at Katmai National Park though Dick Russell, formerly from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, has studied the butterfly populations of the Bristol Bay area for a number of years (Russell, written communication, 2010). The primary objective of this study was to gather baseline data on the diversity and abundance of butterfly species at Brooks Camp and Lake Camp in Katmai National Park (KATM). This information would be added to the NABA national database and used in subsequent years to monitor butterfly populations. A secondary objective was to determine if the Alaskan Orangetip butterfly (Anthocharis sara alaskensis) occurs in suitable habitats, particularly the Brooks Camp area, within KATM.