The large moose mural created by Fort Yukon School students during the 2007-08 school year. Photo by Jordan Metzgar/CATG.

Staff of Yukon Flats Refuge, the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments (CATG), and the Yukon Flats School District worked with students and staff from the Fort Yukon School to create a large painted mural about moose.  The mural project directly involves the local community in education efforts related to moose management in the Yukon Flats region of Interior Alaska.  Specifically, the mural addresses the importance of hunting only bulls and leaving cows so the local moose population is more likely to grow.  Moose numbers in the area are too low for local residents to meet all their subsistence needs. 

The mural was designed and painted by students of Fort Yukon School and is prominently displayed in the school’s cafeteria.  The mural depicts a cow, calf, and bull moose standing next to a lake in a natural Interior Alaska setting.  The tall trunks of two birch trees frame the scene.  The Gwich’in Athabascan words for cow (“dizhuu”), calf (“ditsik”), and bull (“ch’izhir”) moose accompany each animal.  A slogan contest selected the educational message that appears on the mural: “Leave the Cow Moose, Leave Our Future Healthy.”  CATG and Refuge staff reviewed numerous entries from students and awarded prizes for first, second, and third place.  The winning slogan was submitted by 5^th grader Frederick James.  CATG and Refuge staff also presented moose education activities and talked with students about moose biology, ecology, and management.  Students worked closely with school art teacher Brenda Jones to complete the project.  The moose mural community masterpiece now serves as a permanent reminder of the crucial part that local residents play in managing the moose population. 

Contact Education Specialist Shannon Nelson (907) 455-1823 for more information.