基奈峡湾国家公园的尖顶湾，阿拉斯加 Cove of Spires in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska (© Sekar B/Shutterstock)
基奈峡湾国家公园的尖顶湾，阿拉斯加 Cove of Spires in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska (© Sekar B/Shutterstock)
Protecting Alaska
On this day in 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which converted massive tracts of Alaskan wilderness into protected land. That single act 40 years ago doubled the size of the entire national park system. Alaska's eight national parks cover more than 54 million acres. The Cove of Spires, shown here, is just one of the dramatic glacial landscapes that you can experience in Kenai Fjords National Park. Located near Seward, Alaska, the park is home to 38 glaciers which cover over half the park's area in ice—though climate change has reduced that drastically over the last decades.
秋季迁徙时正在游过科伯克河的驯鹿，阿拉斯加 Caribou swimming across Alaska's Kobuk River during fall migration (© Michio Hoshino/Minden Pictures)
秋季迁徙时正在游过科伯克河的驯鹿，阿拉斯加 Caribou swimming across Alaska's Kobuk River during fall migration (© Michio Hoshino/Minden Pictures)
Caribou on the move
Each fall a quarter million caribou come together to form the Western Arctic Caribou Herd, a group that makes an epic migration through northwest Alaska. In great numbers they move south from their calving grounds in the Utukok River Uplands to their winter range on the Seward Peninsula. Fall is also the time when scientists attach radio collars to members of the herd, to track their location and health, and to gain information that will help conserve the species. When spring arrives, they'll complete the trip again in reverse, covering a total of 2,000 miles each year, give or take.
One of the best spots to see the herd on the move is where the great masses of animals cross this river, the Kobuk, at Onion Portage. The name of the portage derives from an Inupiaq (Inuit) word meaning 'wild onions' for the many wild onions that grow here. But the native Inuit people don't come here just to forage for onions. For millennia, the caribou crossing has drawn native peoples who rely on caribou meat, a tradition that continues to this day.
锡特卡的港口，阿拉斯加 View of the harbor in Sitka, Alaska (© Blaine Harrington III/Alamy)
锡特卡的港口，阿拉斯加 View of the harbor in Sitka, Alaska (© Blaine Harrington III/Alamy)
Sitka shines on Alaska Day
In honor of Alaska Day, we're in the harbor of Sitka, Alaska, the former capital of Russian America in the early 19th century, when it was called Novo-Arkhangelsk. It was here on this day in 1867 that officials of the Russian Empire formally transferred the Territory of Alaska to the United States in a sale for $7.2 million, or just around 2 cents per acre. It seems an astonishingly small price today, but at the time, opponents called it 'Seward's Folly' after then-Secretary of State William H. Seward, who negotiated the deal. Few Americans moved to the 'Last Frontier' at first, but in the 1890s, when gold was discovered in the Yukon and Alaska, a rush of prospectors and others began a wave of settlers in the territory. Ever since, Alaska, with its vast natural resources and staggering beauty, has been a prized American domain and an enduring symbol of American wilderness.
北太平洋弗雷德里克海峡中的座头鲸冲出海面，阿拉斯加 North Pacific humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound, Alaska (© Tony Wu/Minden Pictures)
北太平洋弗雷德里克海峡中的座头鲸冲出海面，阿拉斯加 North Pacific humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound, Alaska (© Tony Wu/Minden Pictures)
Summertime in Alaska
Humpback whales are famous for breaching—leaping out of the water in a spectacular display of size and power. Even though they can weigh more than a house and stretch to 50 feet in length, they still manage aquatic acrobatics that are amazing to behold, as the picture on our homepage captures so beautifully. Scientists don't know why some whales breach but speculate it's a form of communication or a mating display. Or maybe they're just having fun.
Our homepage image comes from Frederick Sound in Southeast Alaska, one of the best places to see humpbacks in July. The whales return to the area in summer to dine on krill, herring, and other delicacies in the cool waters. But as fall approaches, they'll start their long journey south to spend the winter in tropical environs, as would any sensible mammal with the means to travel.
Exit Glacier at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska (© Nathaniel Gonzales/Alamy)
Exit Glacier at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska (© Nathaniel Gonzales/Alamy)
Wild and beautiful Alaska
In honor of Alaska National Parks Day, we're traveling to Kenai Fjords National Park—home of the awe-inspiring Exit Glacier seen here. The park sits at the edge of the North Pacific Ocean where frequent winter storms dump the snow that feeds this land of ice. The Harding Icefield crowns the park with at least 38 flowing glaciers—one of which is Exit Glacier. Exit Glacier is known for being one of the most-visited of Alaska's glaciers, likely because it’s accessible via the Seward Highway. In mid-November, the road to the glacier closes due to heavy snowfall, so visitors can only get there via snow-friendly transportation like dogsled or cross-country skis.
Kenai Fjords is just one of Alaska's eight national parks, which together boast the nation’s largest glacial system, incredible wildlife viewing, and North America’s tallest peak. These parks exist in part because of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which President Jimmy Carter signed into law on this day in 1980. It converted massive tracts of Alaskan wilderness into protected land, doubling the amount of national park land in the state. For that, we are grateful. Alaska may be cold, but it sure is beautiful and worth protecting.
