U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Interning with a team of seasoned, award-winning reporters from well known publications, it's hard not to see myself as just a fledgling journalist here at InvestigateWest. When I think about the people they know, the sources they've spent time with -- it can be just as intimidating as it is inspiring.

But I often remind myself that I've been interviewing people for a while now, too -- since I first served on my high school newspaper more than seven years ago. Since then, I've shared coffee with government officials, watched the sunset with a Northwest tribal chief and even Skyped an Australian scientist.

So when I recently encountered a barrage of barriers while trying to arrange a conversation with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official, I was flabbergasted. How had I reached elusive authors, but couldn't seem to get a call back from a government employee -- one who had served in that position for decades, no less?

As part of InvestigateWest's continuing examination into the condition of the Pacific Flyway, we've been attempting to connect with people from the Wildlife Service's Migratory Bird Management Division. That includes Tami Tate-Hall, the agency's migratory bird permit coordinator in Portland, Oregon. From the day I sent the first e-mail to Tami, to the day I received the interview three days ago, nearly a month passed by. It started with an e-mail -- which was never returned -- and turned into multiple unreturned phone calls. Finally, I contacted Joan Jewett, a Wildlife Service public information officer, to help arrange the interview. But even she was reluctant!

Wildlife researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey found almost 200 dead walruses on the northwest coast of Alaska yesterday, reports Dan Joling of the Associated Press. Most of the walruses appear to be young, but age and cause of death won't be known until researchers can get on the ground to investigate.

The researchers were on their way to begin a tagging project to determine walruses foraging habits while on shore. Walruses can only swim so far, and in the past used sea ice as a diving platform, getting most of their food off the ocean floor. The recent retreat of sea ice has forced the walruses to choose between staying on sea ice in regions too deep to dive for clams, or stick to the shore. Researchers fear staying on shore could exhaust food within the walrus' swimming range, resulting in a population crash.

The yearling and calf walruses could have been crushed by a group stampede, or be suffering from changes in the species' behavior due to climate change.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service veterinarians are working to reach the site to determine the cause of death, as well as check other regions along the coast where walruses congregate to see if deaths are occurring at other sites.

- Emily Linroth