Located in northeastern Alaska, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is the most northern and one of the largest Refuges (19.8 million acres) within America's National Wildlife Refuge System. The Arctic Refuge is home of the calving grounds of the 130,000 strong Porcupine Caribou Herd.

The coastal plain comprises only 10 percent of the Arctic Refuge. Yet from May to July, it is the center of biological activity on the Refuge. For centuries, animals from the Porcupine caribou herd have used the coastal tundra to calve, obtain nourishment, avoid insects, and escape predators.

The calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd include the northern foothills of the Brooks Range and the arctic coastal plain from the Tamayariak River in Alaska to the Babbage River in Canada. The most often used calving area, however, is on the Refuge coastal plain between the Katakturuk and Kongakut Rivers. Commonly, one-half to three quarters or more of the calves are born within this area.

This map depicts the Core Calving Areas, Extent of Calving, Post-calving Nursery Area, the entire Herd Range, and the Spring Migration Routes.

Sources for Caribou Calving Data are from the Alaska Science Center; (Griffith, Brad)

Movement Corridors are modified from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;

Herd Range and Post-calving movement from theInternational Porcupine Caribou Management Board.

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