Moose in the Gates of the Arctic survey area are up nearly half since 2015

A National Park Service update posted by Interior in March put the survey area estimate at 1,308 moose, up from 883 in 2015. A federal contract will fund on-call fixed-wing flights over Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve for 2026 moose surveys, in a roadless expanse where wildlife biologists rely on aircraft to reach survey country.

Interior awarded the work to 40-Mile Air, Ltd. of Tok for $30,000, against three bids, for the Park Service's Alaska regional office. The award began Aug. 21 and runs through July 31, 2027. The flights are recorded as operating from Kobuk, at the park's southwest edge.

The survey also came up in a Federal Subsistence Board work session document in July.