The Thin Line Between Alaska and Canada
Marked by metal cones and a clear-cut swath twenty feet wide, Alaska’s border with Canada is one of the great feats of wilderness surveying.
Author: Ned Rozell
Village Move Intensifying in Summer 2019
The relocation of an Alaska village is happening fast this summer, after many years of planning and work.
A Sleepless Walk Under the Midnight Sun
Mark Ross, a naturalist at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks, invented the cross-country, solstice-celebrating AlaskAcross—a nonstop 60-mile hiking traverse in northern Alaska, from Lost Creek to Eureka.
Monitoring a Mystery Bird in Yakutat
On sandy barrier islands between mountains and the sea, two different birds that look alike lay their eggs side-by-side. Biologists here are learning more about the less-common, more mysterious one.
The Sound of Silence in Russell Fjord
While the tides stopped in Russell Fjord, the meltwater from glaciers did not. During the five-month closure, water within Russell Fjord and the connected arm of Nunatak Fjord crept upward.
How Many Alaska Glaciers? There’s No Easy Answer
Not long ago, a glaciologist wrote that the number of glaciers in Alaska “is estimated at (greater than) 100,000.” That fuzzy number, maybe written in passive voice for a reason, might be correct. But it depends upon how you count.
Ruddy Ducks Among Many Moving Northward
Every spring, millions of ducks touch down on Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, a spread of muskeg and dark water the size of Maryland. These days, more ruddy ducks seem to be among them.
Breath of Clams Leads to Big Picture
Brittany Jones’s goal is to find out the respiration rates of five species of clams. But why should anyone care about clam breath?
Warm Spring May Result in Gentle Breakup
Following the warmest March Alaskans have ever felt, forecasters are predicting a mellow transition from ice to water for most big rivers in the state.
Innoko is a Long River Short on People
The fifth-largest river in Alaska, after the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Tanana and Porcupine, the Innoko is now at a historic low in human population.