Tag archives for Alaska
Ancient Traditions and Modern Tech at Work in Russian Mission, Alaska
Posted by Jon Waterhouse of National Geographic Fellows Program in Explorers Journal on April 13, 2013 
Side-splitting laughter with the Elders and enthusiastic sessions with the school kids make the team’s trip to Russian Mission, Alaska unforgettable.
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Dolly Varden trout can expand their organs to more than two times their regular sizes, a new study says.
Healing Journey 2013: Science and Culture Along the Yukon
Posted by Jon Waterhouse of National Geographic Fellows Program in Explorers Journal on March 25, 2013 
Follow along as Jon Waterhouse leads a “Healing Journey” from St. Mary’s, Alaska along the Yukon River by plane and snowmachine to study the river, snow, and ice, and celebrate indigenous cultures and traditions along the way.
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Every week, embark with host Boyd Matson on an exploration of the latest discoveries and interviews with some of the most fascinating people on the planet, on National Geographic Weekend. Please check listings near you to find the best way to listen to National Geographic Weekend, or pick your favorite segments and listen now below! Episode: 1309 – Air Date:…
Geography in the News: Iditarod, The Race of Arctic Champions
Posted by Neal Lineback of Maps101.com and Maps.com on March 3, 2013 By Neal Lineback and Mandy Lineback Gritzner, Geography in the NewsTM and Maps.com THE PULL OF THE IDITAROD, 2013 One of the world’s most grueling races, Alaska’s Iditarod Dog Sled Race, began today, March 3rd. The history and geography of this magnificent race excite followers all over the world as the race is one of the…
From Alaska With Love: Aid Helps African Clinic Recover From Fire
Posted by Jon Waterhouse of National Geographic Fellows Program in Explorers Journal on January 18, 2013 
A fire devastates a nearly completed medical clinic in Africa, but an outpouring of support from Alaska and elsewhere aid a quick recovery and have a more-than-material impact on the community.
Quantum Correlations: Chasing Ice Review: Prepare for “Glacier-Less National Park”
Posted by alevine on December 15, 2012 By Alaina G. Levine Like Ice? Recognize its importance to the health of the planet and the very existence of humankind? Then prepare to be horrified and generally freaked-out by a new documentary that shows in shocking detail how fast our glaciers are retreating, melting and disappearing. It’s history in the making, says James Balog,…
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Kachemak Bay in Lower Cook Inlet lies 125 miles south of Anchorage. It’s been statistically documented as one of the world’s richest and most biologically diverse marine ecosystems, and has been properly called the “Jewel in Alaska’s Coastal Crown” because of its remarkably rich terrestrial and marine resources. Yet since the expansion of…
Posted by Earlier this year, it seemed almost a foregone conclusion that Royal Dutch Shell would begin drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s North Slope. Since then, a litany of factors including difficulty handling its drilling rigs, failure to secure Coast Guard approval of a key spill response vessel, and the lingering presence of…
Paddling 600 Miles Through Alaska
Posted by Jon Waterhouse of National Geographic Fellows Program in Explorers Journal on September 7, 2012 
Paddling 600 miles through Alaska from Northway to the village of Tanana, explorer Jon Waterhouse and his team have been on a mission to study the river and learn from its native inhabitants.
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Greetings, NewsWatch readers: this is Tim Binder, the Vice President of Collection Planning at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. For many years, I’ve been involved with beluga whale conservation research in the field and here at home. Today I’d like to invite you to join me on a research expedition to the shores of Alaska. Beluga…
Justin O’Neill produces NG’s weekly radio program, National Geographic Weekend, with host Boyd Matson. Hear it on on SiriusXM satellite radio, subscribe to the iTunes podcast, or get the show streamed to your smartphone with the Stitcher Radio app. On this week’s edition of National Geographic Weekend, NG fellow Barton Seaver tells host Boyd Matson about a recent trip…
The Story of the National Geographic Society’s Youngest Founder
Posted by Cathy Hunter on August 3, 2012 
Robert Muldrow II, a geologist, was the youngest man among the National Geographic Society’s founders. He won long-lasting fame (of a sort) by having a glacier named after him. In the 1890s, he was one of the earliest explorers of Mt. McKinley–now Denali–in Alaska.
William Dall: National Geographic Founder and Pioneer of Alaskan Exploration
Posted by Cathy Hunter on June 15, 2012 
Despite William Dall’s reputation in scientific circles of the day, his memory is now largely forgotten, but his legacy lives on in the wealth of plants, animals, and places bearing his name: Ovis dalli, the majestic Dall sheep, as well as the Dall River, a tributary of the Yukon, and hundreds upon hundreds of mollusks.
Protecting the World’s Great Bird Nursery
Posted by Wildlife Conservation Society on June 13, 2012 Originally one of four Naval Petroleum Reserves, the NPR-A encompasses 23.5 million acres, including most of western Arctic Alaska. Handed over to the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the 1970s, the NPR-A was also recognized by Congress for its exceptional wildlife values. At that time, the Interior department created so-called Special Areas to be given “maximal protection” when balancing energy activities. Teshekpuk Lake was one such area.
Alaska Commemorates Centennial Anniversary of Novarupta Volcano Eruption
Posted by Nicole Glass on June 6, 2012 
This month marks the centennial anniversary of the eruption of the Novarupta Volcano in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska — the largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century. On June 6, 1912, the giant eruption blackened the skies with smoke. With an eruption ten times the force of Mount Saint Helens in 1980, mountains collapsed…
The Valley of 10,000 Smokes Celebrates its 100th Anniversary
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on May 24, 2012 In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Valley of 10,000 Smokes Contributing Editor Jordan Schaul explores the history of this great volcanic event, which shaped part of Alaska’s landscape. It may sound like a fictional destination in an Indiana Jone’s film, but the Valley of 10,000 Smokes is the real deal. Here in the…
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We have the knowledge that can contribute to finding solutions to the crisis of climate change. But if you’re not prepared to listen, how can we communicate this to you? — Marcos Terena, Xané leader, Brazil. The precipitous rise in the world’s human population and humankind’s ever-increasing dependence on fossil fuel-based ways of living have…
Bristol Bay
Posted by International League of Conservation Photographers on October 18, 2011 
Bristol Bay is America’s last, clean seafood resource. Now that’s a funny place to put a mine. An eye-witness account of the unique beauty and economic value of the region by Photographer Robert Glenn Ketchum.
Drumbeats Echo Along the Yukon as The Healing Journey Arrives in Ruby, Alaska
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on September 23, 2011 
Children, adults, and Elders of more than 70 tribes and First Nations along the Yukon River have gathered to celebrate their culture, educate the new generation, and tackle difficult issues around nuclear power, dwindling salmon, and water rights. NG Fellow Jon Waterhouse reports as part of his 2011 Healing Journey.
The Healing Journey Continues…
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on August 18, 2011 
NG Fellow Jon Waterhouse’s Healing Journey brings him and his team along the Yukon River to meet people living more closely connected to nature, and to inspire kids to learn those ways and keep them alive, all while taking hi-tech scientific readings on the health of the river. Follow his journey here on Nat Geo NewsWatch.
Trading Rush Hour for the River
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on August 10, 2011 Two visitors join NG Fellow Jon Waterhouse’s “Healing Journey” and experience the life of people along the Yukon River as few outsiders do. See how they were inspired and refreshed by the sights, smells, and human relationships in the region.
Posted by In this video interview at the Seventh International Congress of Arctic Social Sciences (ICASS VII), held recently in Iceland, Sven Haakanson, executive director of the Alutiiq Museum, talks about how 7,500 years of history, language, and arts are being “repatriated” to Kodiak’s indigenous people.
Healing Journey 2011: Back to Alaska
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on July 26, 2011 
Jon Waterhouse was told by native elders and tribal leaders around the Yukon watershed to “go out, take the pulse of the river.” Four years later, he returns to do more hard science and cultural renewal.
Captured Polar Bear Cub — Brief Update
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on May 25, 2011 The polar bear cub that is being hand-reared at the Alaska Zoo is now on exhibit. The cub was being considered for a reunion with its mother and sibling after the pair was located on sea ice off Alaska’s northern coast. Unsure that its mother, who was intially radio-collared, would accept the cub and given the cub’s…
