Blacktail Deer Foundation Pint Night Juneau: Recap and Citizen Science Opportunities

by Lillian Thorington, AK BHA Intern Spring

Overview of BDF in Southeast Alaska.

One of the most interesting parts of interning with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (BHA) has been my involvement with the Pint Nights. If you’ve never attended one, you are missing out! Pint Nights are hosted at local breweries, and tonight’s event took place at Forbidden Peak. We always hold a raffle, and have a speaker to present on an important topic. Tonight our speaker was Scott Leorna, Alaska Regional Conservation Coordinator with the Blacktail Deer Foundation.

Left to Right: Noah Kessler, Lily Thorington, & Liz Fruchtnicht, UAS student volunteers at the BHA table.

The Blacktail Deer Foundation focuses on conservation of black-tailed deer and their habitat. This Pint Night's presentation focused on the Sitka black-tailed deer—a subspecies of Mule Deer native to southeast Alaska. Sitka black-tailed deer are smaller and stalkier than other mule deer. Their deer population is being threatened by habitat degradation and fragmentation, but the Blacktail Deer Foundation aims to mitigate the population loss by improving habitat conditions to support more deer on the landscape and contributing to vital research to better understand these important and cryptic deer.

Scott Leorna showing current project areas.

Change in forage variability and hunting quality following clearcut logging.

Presentation slide shared by Scott Leorna.

During the pint night many people were interested in getting involved with the Blacktail Deer Foundation, and luckily there are plenty of ways to get involved! Scott shared that as a part of their collaborative research efforts with the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and Oregon State University they collect Sitka black-tailed deer droppings to inform an on-going deer diet study, and volunteers are invited to collect scat samples and contact scientists at the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station and Oregon State University for mailing or drop-off instructions.

The attentive crowd at the BDF Pint Night at Forbidden Peak.

This project uses plant DNA in the deer pellets to understand how diet shifts seasonally and across different habitats and life stages. Researchers have analyzed data from 1,000+ Sitka black-tailed deer across the Tongass National Forest. Volunteers are encouraged to help collect samples.

For those interested in supporting conservation efforts, the Blacktail Deer Foundation offers opportunities to get involved, including membership and volunteer options. They support a range of projects aimed at conserving and enhancing the habitats of black-tailed deer. To learn more about their work and how you can contribute to citizen science and habitat conservation, visit their website: https://www.blacktaildeer.org/.

Red Spruce kitchen staff love BHA's Pint Nights!