The Nature Conservancy in Alaska - Summer 2008 Alaska Trips

Explore Alaska in 2008!

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge- Rafting the Marsh Fork/Canning River
June 21-July 2, 2008

The Brooks Range arcs across northern Alaska from the Bering Sea to the Canadian border. The eastern end of the range, the south side, and the lands north to the ocean form the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is a truly spectacular wilderness area of towering, raw mountains, drained by busy glacial rivers that weave north through the softening foothills and across the vast, rolling coastal plain to the Arctic Ocean. The caribou herd attracts an array of predators such as grizzly bears, wolves, wolverines and golden eagles. A pleasing variety of birds sing through the 24 hours of daylight on their breeding territories. Musk oxen often graze on the coastal plain, Dall sheep dot the mountainsides, and a multitude of tiny flowers flourish in the brief summer. An intricate chain of life maintains an exquisite balance in this land of extremes. The treeless north side of the Brooks Range is the destination for this 12-day raft trip.

For more trip information or questions, please contact Wilderness Birding Adventures at wildernessbirding.com.

Alaska’s Walrus Islands
July 5-9, 2008

Out of northern Bristol Bay arises a cluster of seven steep volcanic islands known as the Walrus Islands. One of those, Round Island, is one of only four locations in Alaska to serve as a terrestrial home for male walrus each summer. After the walrus have been at sea feeding for several days straight, they head for Round Island to haul out and rest. These haul-outs are important habitat for the Pacific walrus population during the ice-free summer feeding season. Anywhere from a few to a few thousand male walrus may be seen lounging on the beaches on any given summer day, grunting, groaning, “strumming”, climbing over each other and lying packed like enormous sardines on a rocky beach. A population of endangered Steller’s sea lions also use the island as their summer home, along with thousands of seabirds returning to this island each summer to breed. Round Island, part of the Walrus Islands Sate Game Sanctuary, is the destination for this 5-day camping trip amid the tall green grasses, lush wildflowers and busy seabird nesting cliffs of mid-summer.

For more trip information or questions, please contact Wilderness Birding Adventures at wildernessbirding.com.

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