The Wilderness Blog

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Ecologist Wendy Loya helps agencies plan for future change

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Alaska is ground zero for global warming. Temperatures here are rising faster than anywhere else in the world, and the kinds of things scientists have been warning about for years — hotter and drier summers, more wild fires, insect outbreaks, and unusual weather patterns — are already posing some unprecedented threats for the state’s natural resources. more

American Rivers at Risk: Alaskan land swap sets dangerous precedent

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It’s “break-up” here in Alaska, that time of year when the ice and snow that has covered our lakes, rivers, and trails all winter breaks up and begins to melt away. I complain about muddy trails, but I am willing to endure wet feet in order to watch — and listen to — my favorite streams and rivers coming to life. I am reminded of a quote by Henry David Thoreau: “Who hears the rippling of rivers will not utterly despair of anything.” more

Migratory birds take long flight to Alaska

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It’s a long airplane flight from Baltimore to northern Alaska. But what if you were a tundra swan? This time of year, these birds head off from their wintering grounds in the Chesapeake Bay, flying about 4,000 miles to their breeding grounds in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other spots across Alaska’s Arctic coastline. Typically, they fly through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota, stopping at national wildlife refuges and other suitable spots. more