The Chirikof Island Project
Dr. Catherine West directs the Chirikof Island Project, which is funded by the National Geographic Society, Boston University, and the Smithsonian Institution. The goal of this project is to use the animal bones in archaeological sites to understand how the island’s ecosystem has changed over the last 2000 years in response to human hunting, climate change, and the introduction of exotic animal species. In collaboration with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, we hope to inform contemporary landscape conservation on the island.