"Nushagak peninsula"

Westfall thanked his training with the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association to help him maximize his odds for survival.

Lichens are a critical food source for the caribou herd that lives on the Nushagak Peninsula. But as the caribou thrive, they are depleting the food they depend on.

The Togiak National Wildlife Refuge announced last week that the Nushagak Peninsula federal subsistence caribou hunt will close when 218 caribou are taken, rather than the original maximum harvest limit of 300. So far, 23 caribou have been reported harvest.

The Nushagak Peninsula herd caribou hunt opened Aug. 1 for both state and federal hunts, and there’s a little more hunting opportunity this year than in the past.

The state will likely open its own hunting period on non-federal lands in the same area to try and maintain the herd size.