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Photo by John Wagner

Photo by John Wagner

The Schmitz family is taking care of steer, sheep and turkeys, and soon they will be adding another animal to their brood.

Kelly Schmitz, 14, will be one of the first non-Natives in the state to own Alaska reindeer since 1937. Anyone can own reindeer as long as the animals come from out of state; the Reindeer Industry Act of 1937 restricted ownership of Alaska reindeer to only Native Alaskans. Alaska reindeer come from the stock that was imported into the country in the late 1800s.

Schmitz and four other youths will be the first to raise Alaska reindeer and show them in a new reindeer category during the 2009 Tanana Valley State Fair as part of the new Market Reindeer Project.

George Aguiar, a research technician at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Reindeer Research Program, said the project was made possible through the combined efforts of several organizations.

Legal and risk management departments at the university, the Alaska Future Farmers of America and the state’s 4-H club spent a year developing the project together.

Aguiar said reindeer are classified as livestock but do not have their own official category at state fairs.

“I thought it was a good idea because reindeer do so well in this climate,” he said.

Other traits unique to reindeer include a breathing system that warms air before it enters the animal’s lungs and the ability to eat only 1.5 percent of their body weight in the winter, a trait not seen in traditional livestock.

Aguiar said the project’s formation was made possible by the healthy calf crop, which allowed the reindeer program to donate five steers to the students.

After securing the reindeer, the project had to get permission from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to give the reindeer to non-Natives. Aguiar said the BIA granted permits to the project because it was for educational purposes.

The next year will be educational for the five participants. Aguiar said each participant comes from a different livestock background, so their experiences will all be different.

“Each situation is very unique from the next,” he said. “It will be very interesting to see what happens.”

The five participants were chosen based on factors such as large livestock experience, ability to commit 15 months to raising the reindeer, age and, most importantly, reindeer facilities. Project representatives inspected each of the participants’ existing reindeer areas or plans to build.

“You have to keep the livestock in and the predators out,” Aguiar said.

One of the participants with an existing reindeer area is Schmitz, whose family has owned a reindeer for the past four years.

Kelly has been involved with 4-H for the last six years, and she and her mother, B.J., said it has been a great opportunity to socialize.

“I have met some of my best friends through 4-H,” Kelly said.

Kelly said she hopes her reindeer does well and sells at the 2009 fair.

At the 2008 fair, Kelly will be showing steer, sheep and a turkey.

B.J. said her daughter has gained a lot of knowledge and experience by working with various animals throughout the years.

“She’s very qualified,” B.J. said.

Aguiar is hosting information sessions at the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station for the participants and their families to teach them about specific reindeer care before giving out the reindeer in mid-August.

“There is specific husbandry for specific animals,” he said.

More than 20 calves were born during April and May and are too young to be separated from their mothers. Aguiar said this time is used to decide which calves will be used for the project by testing their temperaments.

Reindeer were domesticated in Eurasia thousands of years ago.

The animals were first transported to Alaska by Rev. Sheldon Jackson as a food source for Native Alaskans in 1892. They are recognized as a livestock series by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The project will run for 15 months and culminate with the first reindeer category judging at the 2009 fair.

Then the reindeer, like all other judged livestock, will be auctioned off and slaughtered.

Aguiar said the purpose of the university’s reindeer program is to promote the reindeer industry, and he also wants to promote the idea of reindeer as livestock.

He said there is a demand for reindeer because it is a tender meat with high protein and low fat.

“They should be acknowledged as livestock,” Aguiar said. “They are bred to be a meat animal.”