Be the boo.
A lone caribou stands alone at Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Photo by Nathan Luebbe (www.sharetheexperience.org)
Warmest, or should we say, coldest wishes to you on this International #PolarBearDay. Did you know that the US Geological Survey (USGS) leads long–term research on polar bears to help policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat? Information on the status of polar bear populations is important in order to better manage these top predators. Photo at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska by Randy Dykstra (www.sharetheexperience.org).
Today, the Obama Administration moved to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, releasing a conservation plan and calling on Congress to designate core areas of the refuge – including its Coastal Plain – as wilderness, the highest level of protection available to public lands.
The 19.8 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska is widely considered one of the most spectacular and remote areas in the world. It is home to the most diverse wildlife in the arctic, from caribou and polar bears to gray wolves and muskoxen. Lagoons, beaches, saltmarshes, tundra and forests make up the remote and undisturbed wild area that spans five distinct ecological regions, and the refuge holds special meaning to Alaska Natives – having sustained their lives and culture for thousands of years. Learn more at www.DOI.gov.
Top photo: Mother and polar bear cub at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Middle photo: Moonrise over the Brooks Range.
Bottom photo: Northern Lights dance above the refuge.
My Public Lands photographer Bob Wick, just spent time on Bureau of Land Management Lands (BLM) in Alaska. Here’s what he had to say about this photo:
“Attached is my first photo of the midnight sun from Taylor Peak above the 40 Mile Wild and Scenic River near Chicken AK. The 40 Mile is actually 390 miles long and is the longest federally managed wild and scenic river. I’m still south of the Arctic Circle so the sun sets from about 12:30 AM till about 3 AM, but it stays like dusk outside. Colin, the BLM employee I am with (& who is in the pic) is from Fairbanks & said they don’t even try July 4th fireworks there as its too bright to see them.”
Oolah Valley in Gates of the Arctic National Park offers hidden delights to the intrepid hiker willing to explore off the beaten path.
Photo: National Park Service
Happy Birthday, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge! The iconic refuge, home to polar bears, moose and caribou, was established Dec. 6, 1960. In 1980 the federal government expanded it to its current 19.6 million acres, almost half of which are wilderness.
Photo: Last Lake on Sheenjek River, Arctic Refuge, by Steve Hillebrand/USFWS
Early morning mist along the Noatak River in Gates of the Arctic National Park.
Photo: National Park Service
The summer is quickly waning in Gates of the Arctic National Park. The leaves are starting to change a little farther north, but in the southern Brooks Range they are enjoying the last few beautiful days of summer.
Photo: Andrew Ackerman
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