Moose kills driver; ADFG wants your moose sightings

A Wasilla driver crashed into a moose crossing a road in the Valley community, killing the driver.

Alaska State Troopers took the report just before 4 a.m. on Friday. A vehicle, a 2004 Nissan sedan, was found crashed near the intersection of Pittman Rd. and Greensward Dr. in Wasilla.  The driver was declared dead at the scene and has not yet been identified by authorities.

It’s a tragic reminder that especially late in winter, moose are more likely to be in roadways searching for food and an easier way to travel than deep snow.  So drivers need to be especially vigilant.

Moose survey in Anchorage

And this weekend, Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists want Anchorage residents to report moose sightings for three days starting Friday.  The Department is conducting its third year of a survey that uses DNA taken from city moose to estimate moose numbers in the Anchorage Bowl.

When residents report a moose, department personnel drive to the area and collect a DNA sample with a dart.

Genetics samples identify individual moose and generate the count, as an alternative to aerial counts that are not allowed over the city.

Moose sightings Friday morning through 5 p.m. Sunday can be reported online at www.adfg.alaska.gov , by phone at (907) 267-2530, or by text at (907) 782-5051, and should include the number of moose, time of sighting, and moose location.