#Inland Alaska

[godallaswriter]

An Unknown Alaska

[druidicentropy]

A-Mi-Kuk

An fabled creature from Inuit mythology is called A-Mi-Kuk. The Bering Strait in Alaska is where this monster is known to exist. The A-Mi-Kuk is described as a massive, heavy, slimy, moist-skinned creature that has four human-like arms and hands in place of legs, which it uses to both walk on and seize its prey. It is also rumored to be able to emerge from underground burrows in inland lakes. It is said to feed primarily on fisherman and those who are stupid enough to take a sea bathe, but it also eats a lot of fish and saltwater birds.

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Great Blue Heron

Photo: Dan Roach

"Widespread and familiar (though often called 'crane'), the largest heron in North America. Often seen standing silently along inland rivers or lakeshores, or flying high overhead, with slow wingbeats, its head hunched back onto its shoulders. Highly adaptable, it thrives around all kinds of waters from subtropical mangrove swamps to desert rivers to the coastline of southern Alaska. With its variable diet it is able to spend the winter farther north than most herons, even in areas where most waters freeze. A form in southern Florida (called 'Great White Heron') is slightly larger and entirely white."

- Audubon Field Guide

[typhlonectes]

Salmon Run in Alaska

At Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska, salmon are the lifeblood of a fertile coastal ecosystem. At Brooks Falls, the salmon must run a gauntlet of hungry bears, wolves, birds and other fish-eaters before spawning further inland. Every summer, sockeye salmon return from the ocean, where they have spent two or three years, and travel up rivers, lakes and streams to return to the headwater gravel beds of their birth to deposit their young before dying. A sockeye salmon fresh from the sea in July contains around 4,500 calories, while a spawned-out salmon in September may only have half that many. Bears feast on them and turn into the chonky celebrities of #FatBearWeek! The last few documented salmon runs have shown high numbers — in 2019, they reached a record-breaking 62.3 million, and in 2021, they broke that record again with almost 65 million sockeye. The 2022 salmon run was strong and healthy, with approximately 50 million sockeye. Right now, there are enough salmon to go around, but scientists continue to monitor and collect data to understand what kind of impacts heat and weather patterns will have on future runs. Learn more about sockeye salmon in Katmai. Photographs by F. Jimenez, Russ Taylor, Anela Ramos and Lian Law / NPS

via: U.S. Department of the Interior 

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Why Forests Need Salmon

(Originally posted at my blog at https://rebeccalexa.com/why-forests-need-salmon/)

One of my favorite fall activities is to check local streams for salmon runs. Here in the Pacific Northwest, and extending north into Alaska, we have seven species of anadromous Salmonidae: chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), coastal cutthroat trout  (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii), and steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). My favorite run is the chum salmon that run up Ellsworth Creek in southwest Washington each fall, but I’m honestly just happy to see any migrating salmon. And as I hike through stands of ancient western red cedar (Thuja plicata), I like to think about the many ways in which these and other forests need salmon for their ongoing health.

Anadromous fish are those that are born in fresh water, spend much of their adult lives in salt water, and then return to fresh water to spawn. Some, like Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and some populations of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) are iteroparous, meaning they can make this journey multiple times in a lifetime. Pacific salmonids, on the other hand, are semelparous, meaning that they spawn once and then die shortly thereafter. (From here on out I am going to use “salmon” as a general, casual term referring to both the Oncorhynchus species, and the steelhead and cutthroat trout.)

Pacific salmon were originally freshwater fish that inhabited lakes and slow-moving rivers. Somewhere around 25 million years ago, the climate cooled significantly, with average temperatures dropping almost twenty degrees F. We’re not sure at what point after this the salmon began expanding into brackish estuaries and then the Pacific Ocean itself, but when they did they found rich sources of food unlike what they had access to in fresh water. Over time, they evolved a life cycle that let them be born in the relatively safe shelter of freshwater streams, and then go out to the ocean to feast on the banquet found there when they were large enough to have a better chance of survival.

Eventually salmon runs could be found in streams as far inland as eastern Idaho, eastern British Columbia, and the southern two-thirds of Alaska (with some Alaskan runs even crossing over into Canada!) And until the arrival of European colonizers, these streams consistently provided indigenous people all along the Pacific coastline an incredibly important source of food, cultural and economic trade, mythos, and more. Unfortunately, the newcomers overharvested the salmon, dammed and destroyed streams and other habitat, and of course spearheaded the causes of anthropogenic climate change.

Indigenous people fish for salmon at Celilo Falls on the Columbia River. As the single longest continuously inhabited community in North America (over 15,000 years!), this location was a home and hub of cultural activity for many indigenous tribes and communities across the region before it was flooded by the completion of the Dalles Dam in 1957.

All these factors have led to a precipitous decline in the size of both salmon runs, and the salmon themselves. This isn’t just detrimental to indigenous communities, though. It also threatens the health of forests all throughout the salmons’ range.

A forest isn’t just made of trees. It’s composed of entire plant communities, fungi (including mycorrhizal species), and the animals, bacteria, and other living beings that share space with them. When salmon travel up and down the waterways as fry, and then later to spawn as adults, they have a direct impact on that ecosystem.

Salmon fry are an important source of food for larger fish, amphibians, birds, and other beings that seek food in the water. In fact, part of why salmon lay so many eggs (over 5,000 in the case of chinook!) is because most of the fry that hatch will never make it to adulthood. But adult salmon aren’t safe from predation on their return trip to their birthplaces. In fact, they are caught and eaten by a wide variety of animals from bears to eagles, wolves to osprey, sea lions to bobcats.

Bears are of particular interest here. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are well-known for gorging on summer and fall salmon runs to build up massive amounts of fat in preparation for winter hibernation. (Katmai National Park even celebrates their bears during Fat Bear Week every October!) You can watch video feeds of several bears hanging out in their favorite fishing spots by waterfalls and in the flow of the river.

Imagine that you are a young bear, perhaps recently forced to independence by your mother who is now focused on your younger siblings. You have to not only start catching fish without her protection from bigger bears, but you also need to make sure those stronger bears don’t steal your catch. What’s the best thing to do? Run far away into the woods to eat your salmon in peace, then leave the remains among the trees and head back for more.

If the fishing is good, bears will often eat only the fattiest parts of the salmon like the brains and skin, and then leave the rest behind for scavengers. The nutrients in the salmon then disseminate throughout the forest, whether carried in the digestive systems of animals, or broken down in place by decomposers. This helps make the nutrients available to the plants, particularly trees which may store massive amounts of nutrients in their trunks; when the trees die, they essentially become a food pantry for younger beings like new seedlings, fungi, and so forth.

Now–what’s so special about the nutrients in salmon? Well, remember that these fish spend years out in the ocean. And the ocean has an entirely different balance of nutrients floating around in it compared to what’s found in fresh water or on land. The salmon are essentially the only way these ocean-borne nutrients can make their way into the forest in any meaningful amount, and they do so on a regular basis each year. The trees near salmon runs fished by bears may be 300% larger than usual, and salmon also provide nearly three quarters of the nitrogen in the forest. That’s a pretty impressive contribution!

This isn’t just about how forests need salmon; it’s a reciprocal relationship. While the salmon’s immediate habitats are aquatic, these streams, rivers, and other waterways are directly affected by what happens on the land around them.

Every waterway has a watershed–an area of land from which precipitation drains into that waterway. These watersheds nest within each other; the watersheds of small streams are nested within the watersheds of the rivers the streams feed into. That water carries things with it, from soil to pollutants. So the health of the land has a direct impact on what is found in the water.

But it goes beyond what’s washed downstream, and into how it’s washed down. In a healthy forest, for example, the soil is able to absorb a significant amount of precipitation that falls throughout the year, keeping it from simply cascading down hillsides to create flooding and landslides. Water is also stored in the various living beings in the forest; again trees are often the champions with their great size, but smaller plants help with water retention quite a bit as well, both through internal storage and preventing evaporation from soil. A forest that is badly damaged, such as through a clearcut or wildfire, won’t hold water as well. This can lead to floods, landslides and other erosion, and increase the impact of summer droughts as the land simply can’t store as much water, or for as long.

All of this affects the salmon directly. If the watershed is no longer holding and releasing snowmelt, rain, and other water in a controlled manner, this can lead to flooding in waterways which can wash away salmon eggs and fry. Increased erosion buries the gravel that salmon lay eggs in with silt, smothering the eggs so they never hatch. When a riparian zone–the land along a waterway–is stripped of vegetation, the water loses crucial shaded areas that keep temperatures cool. Salmon easily overheat when temperatures rise even a few degrees. And drought can dry up smaller streams, stranding and even killing young salmon while preventing adults from reaching their spawning grounds.

While not every single salmon run exclusively travels through forests, many of them do. And many spawning grounds are found in forests, or at least areas with significant tree cover in riparian zones. Salmon must have healthy forests in order to continue to survive, and the loss of these forests is just one of many factors contributing to their severe decline.

Thankfully, I am far from the only person concerned about the safety of our wild Pacific salmon. There are numerous organizations working to protect and restore salmon habitat through dam removal, preservation and restoration of aquatic habitat and surrounding land, regulations on salmon fishing, and educating people about sustainable seafood options (or just not eating seafood at all.) And even habitat restoration efforts that aren’t directly in salmon-inhabited waterways still have a positive impact on the forest ecosystem as a whole.

We know that forests need salmon, and salmon need forests. To protect one is to protect the other, and long may they both thrive.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[pleistocene-pride]

Vulpes lagopus also known as the arctic fox, white fox, polar fox, or snow fox is a small species of fox native to the polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere where it dwells throughout Greenland, Findland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Alaska, and many Arctic islands. Being the only land mammal native to Iceland. Arctic foxes mostly inhabit tundra, taiga, and pack ice but can also be found in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska. The color of the fox's coat also determines where they are most likely to be found. The white morph mainly lives inland and blends in with the snowy tundra, while the blue morph occupies the coasts because its dark color blends in with the cliffs and rocks. The arctic fox is a generalist omnivore which typically eats any small animal they can find, including lemmings, voles, other rodents, hares, birds, seal pups, fish, insects, and shellfish in addition to berries, flowers, seaweed, carrion, and bird eggs. Arctic foxes are themselves eaten by eagles, wolves, wolverines, red foxes, and bears. Arctic foxes survive winters and food scarcity by both hoarding food in buried caches and storing large amounts of body fat. Reaching around 18 to 27inches (46 to 68cms) in body length with typically 12inch (30cm) long tail, and 3.1 to 20.7lbs ( 1.4 to 9.4kgs) in weight, the arctic fox is a small canine with a generally compact body shape, long fluffy tail, short muzzle and legs, and short, thick ears. It sports numerous adaptations to the extreme cold such as fur covered foot pads and dense multilayered pelage, which provides excellent insulation. To prevent heat loss, the Arctic fox curls up tightly tucking its legs and head under its body and behind its furry tail. There are two genetically distinct coat color morphs: the white morph has seasonal camouflage, white in winter and brown along the back with light grey around the abdomen in summer. The blue morph is often a dark blue, brown, or grey color year-round. Both morphs sport distinct summer and winter coats. Arctic foxes form monogamous pairs during the breeding season (from April to May) and they stay together to raise their young in complex underground dens. Occasionally, other family members may assist in raising their young, forming larger socially dynamic packs. These larger packs are particularly common in areas where the arctic fox overlaps with the red fox. After a 52 day pregnancy a mother arctic fox may give birth to up to 25 young. The young emerge from the den when 3 to 4 weeks old and are weaned by 9 weeks of age. Under ideal conditions an arctic fox may live up to 14 years.

[todaysfish]

Okay, mis petite amores, today’s fish is a little less flashy, but still - they glow. In this post you will learn about fish candles, overland grease trails, and a theory on the state of Oregon.

I would like to introduce you to Thaleichthyes pacificus, also known as the eulachon (you-luh-con, in the lower 48; hooligan in Alaska; oolighan in Chinook Jargon)Also known as the candlefish.

These are tiny smelt - but they are also extremely fatty fish.

With up to 15% of their body weigh being fat tissue, if you dry one out and string it on a wick, YOU CAN LITERALLY BURN IT LIKE A CANDLE.

They’re anadromous, like salmon, so they live in the ocean during most of their lives but spawn in freshwater rivers - though they’re rather less predictable.

Indigenous communities on North America’s Pacific coast included eulachon as part of their diet, and often processed them for oil - which is done by letting them rot in a hole in the ground for about a week before adding boiling water and skimming the oil off the top.

Eulachon oil was so widely traded between coastal tribes and inland tribes that the trade routes were called grease trails.

In fact, one archaeologist argued in a paper that the name of the state of Oregon was derived from the Chinook Jargon word - oolighan.

A few distinct population segments of eulachon are threatened or endangered, so at this point I would not in good conscience recommend setting any on fire.

[odinsblog]

Billionaire fossil fuel mogul David Koch died August 23, 2019. Though he will rightfully be remembered for his role in the destruction of the earth, David Koch’s influence went far beyond climate denial. Ronald Reagan may have uttered the famous words, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem” back in 1981—but it was David Koch, along with his elder brother Charles and a cabal of other ultrarich individuals, who truly reframed the popular view of government. Once a democratic tool used to shape the country’s future, government became seen as something intrusive and inefficient—indeed, something to be feared.

“While Charles was the mastermind of the social reengineering of the America he envisioned,” said Lisa Graves, co-director of the corporate watchdog group Documented, “David was an enthusiastic lieutenant.”

David Koch was particularly instrumental in legitimizing anti-government ideology—one the GOP now holds as gospel. In 1980, the younger Koch ran as the vice-presidential nominee for the nascent Libertarian Party. And a newly unearthed document shows Koch personally donated more than $2 million to the party—an astounding amount for the time—to promote the Ed Clark–David Koch ticket.

“Few people realize that the anti-American government antecedent to the Tea Party was fomented in the late ’70s with money from Charles and David Koch,” Graves continued. “The Libertarian Party, fueled in part with David’s wealth, pushed hard on the idea that government was the problem and the free market was the solution to everything.”

In fact, according to Graves, “The Koch-funded Libertarian Party helped spur on Ronald Reagan’s anti-government, free-market-solves-all agenda as president.”

Even by contemporary standards, the 1980 Libertarian Party platform was extreme. It called for the abolition of a wide swath of federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the Federal Election Commission, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Federal Trade Commission, and “all government agencies concerned with transportation.” It railed against campaign finance and consumer protection laws, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, any regulations of the firearm industry (including tear gas), and government intervention in labor negotiations. And the platform demanded the repeal of all taxation, and sought amnesty for those convicted of tax “resistance.”

Koch and his libertarian allies moreover advocated for the repeal of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other social programs. They wanted to abolish federally mandated speed limits. They opposed occupational licensure, antitrust laws, labor laws protecting women and children, and “all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates.” And in true libertarian fashion, the platform urged the privatization of all schools (with an end to compulsory education laws), the railroad system, public roads and the national highway system, inland waterways, water distribution systems, public lands, and dam sites.

The Libertarian Party never made much of a splash in the election—though it did garner almost 12 percent of the vote in Alaska—but doing so was never the point. Rather, the Kochs were engaged in a long-term effort to normalize the aforementioned ideas and mainstream them into American politics.

(continue reading)

[americangeophysicalunion]

Hello from Utqiagvik, Alaska in late February of 2024! This picture was taking during my year-long biennial Arctic Geophysics undergraduate research class. The students in this class choose their own research area dealing with the sea ice, and then I work with them to build - to MacGyver! - their own microcontroller-based sensors to collect data to address their research question. Most students are there for one of two weeks, with half the class the first week and half the second. One or two of the students are there for both weeks, depending on their particular project. The trip is in late February/early March, when the sea ice is thickest.

This picture was taken one evening when the aurorae put on a particularly spectacular display. We were staying in a dormitory located off the northern end of the grounds of the former Naval Arctic Research Laboratory (NARL), which is itself just north of Utqiagvik. This had fewer street lights than the main NARL grounds, and afforded amazing views of these celestial fireworks. This picture shows one of my students on top of a snow/ice pile just behind (inland side of) the building, caught up in the moment of seeing this phenomenon. He had no idea that I was behind him for this picture, and I was fortunate to capture him howling with his rock hammer in his "hammer of the gods" moment. His unbridled joy is apparent at viewing our sun's deadly particle stream being turned into these harmless and beautiful high-atmosphere light displays by a happy conspiracy of Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere, and leaves an indelible impression. 

In addition to experiencing these bucket-list auroral marvels, my students get the chance to do research under difficult conditions in an extreme environment, so often surprising themselves at what they can accomplish. So many of them refer to this experience - both the research and living in that beautiful area - as "life-changing," and I can honestly say the same thing myself.

Dr. Rhett Herman, Professor of Physics, Radford University, Radford, VA, USA.

[mymiraclebox]

Miracle Boxes - The Mage Generation

These are the first iteration of the Miracle Boxes, created by the Mage himself thousands of years ago. These consisted of twelve Miracle Boxes, each with ten kwamis, which the Mage entrusted to people during his travels around the world. Thanks to the use of the Panda Miraculous, the Mage lived much longer than most humans, making his travels across the world last several hundred years.

The Mage Box - Wandering Panda Crow Unicorn Rabbit Beaver Dove Horse Owl Parrot Scorpion

The Mage Box was the Miracle Box that the Mage personally looked after. He kept the Miraculouses of great power with him, along with ones that helped him in his travels around the world. The Mage would stay in different lands for decades at a time, and choose a close companion from these areas to become a Guardian of one of the boxes he carried. These Guardians were assigned to care for these kwamis, and to watch over a vast region.

The Successor Box - South Asia and West Asia Ladybug Black Cat Qilin Frog Bee Butterfly Fox Peacock Swan Turtle

This Miracle Box was the first the Mage trusted in the hands of another, which was his apprentice. He and apprentice left their home land (in what is now modern Tibet). They both headed south, with the apprentice heading west when they parted ways, while the Mage went east as he began his travels around the world.

The Island Box - Oceania and Southeast Asia Wolf Platypus Pterosaur Tuatara Binturong Blackbuck Coral Kangaroo Komodo Dragon Thylacine

This Miracle Box's Guardian was originally from what is now modern India, who was a traveling companion with the Mage as they went east together. When they parted ways the Mage went north, while she promised to take the Miracle Box south. This Guardian spent much of her time in Southeast Asia, and eventually headed down towards Australia and into the Pacific Islands.

The Coastal Box - East Asia and North Asia Dragon Cobra Dog Goat Monkey Mouse Ox Pig Rooster Tiger

The Mage entrusted this Box to a family who lived along the coast. The range this Guardian and Miracle Box looked after was along the coast of eastern Asia, but did stretch inland as well. The Mage spent a long time with this Guardian and their family, before deciding to pursue stories about a land that laid across the ocean.

The Northern Box - North America Thunderbird Bear Cougar Deer Goose Otter Rattlesnake Raven Salmon Woodpecker

The Mage didn't know what he'd find across the ocean, but he stumbled into a land much bigger than he imagined. His journeys started up in what is now Alaska, down through what would become Canada and the United State. Like many Miracle Boxes before the new Guardian had a vast region with many different cultures for them and their kwamis to look after.

The Central Box - Central America Firefly Raccoon Feathered Serpent Spider Axolotl Bison Coyote Eagle Falcon Shark

Of all of the Mage's travels, it was in Central America where he stayed the longest. This was because ended up adopting a daughter, who he went on many adventures with. The Mage entrusted the last Miracle Box with an Alpha Duo to her, who he stayed with to watch over, along with his grandchildren in time. He continued south shortly after his great-grandson became Guardian, knowing that he couldn't stay there forever.

The Southern Box - South America Grim Snail Crocodile Dolphin Isopod Jaguar Jellyfish Llama Locust Moth

The Mage struggled to bond with others as he headed into South America, pained with his extended life and the lost of love ones that comes from it. In time he befriended a lone traveler who lived a similar lifestyle than him, who he entrusted to become a Guardian. They parted ways when the Mage headed south across the ocean, where he encountered the frozen wasteland of Antarctica.

The Jungle Box - Southern Africa Dinosaur Penguin Elephant Gorilla Jackal Okapi Ray Rhinoceros Squirrel Zebra

The Mage did not remain within Antarctica for long, with the inhospitable environment and lack of human life. He headed north up into Madagascar, where he spent a considerable amount of time before he traveled to the mainland of Africa, which turned out to be much bigger than he had excepted when first traveling to the continent.

The Desert Box - Northern Africa Griffin Dragonfly Camel Chameleon Cheetah Giraffe Hippopotamus Hyena Ostrich Secretarybird

He did not select a guardian for this box for a long time, not until his arrival in ancient Egypt. This was the first place the Mage had truly settled in for many years, but he did eventually head east across the Sahara. The Mage's travels in Africa ended in what is now in Morocco, where he then headed up into the Iberian Peninsula.

The Peninsula Box - Europe Kelpie Aurochs Ant Crab Gecko Hedgehog Ibex Lion Mouflon Seahorse

Europe was yet another region that took the Mage a long time to select a Guardian for, and often retraced his paths in locations he had been in before during this search. In the end he trained up several potential Guardians, but only entrusted the box to one, leading to conflict for the box after he left.

The Arctic Box - Northern Europe and Northern Asia Phoenix Lynx Moose Narwhal Octopus Polar Bear Seal Sheep Stoat Wolverine

The Mage settled a lot more often as he journeyed northward, still very nomadic in where he would travel, but would often stay in settlements for long periods of time, especially during harsh winter months. The Mage loved the world and his travels, but he was tired, especially after living for so long. He entrusted this Miracle Box to a woman the kwamis loved to become their Guardian.

The Mountain Box - Central Asia and the Tibetan Plateau Yeti Red Panda Bat Elk Pangolin Quail Scarab Snow Leopard Tortoise Vulture

At the end of his centuries long journey, the Mage found himself rapidly approaching his homeland. When heading across the mountains he found a Guardian for the last Miracle Box with him. He did not spend long here as he did in other regions of the world, being so close to home. And after such a long journey the Mage for ready to rest.

---

The Mage's apprentice was long dead by the time he returned to his homeland, but he was able to meet those who were protecting the Successor Box in his apprentice's place. Satisfied with the system he had in place and the kwamis that lived across the world, the Mage decided that he was ready to rest after living for so many years.

Still he knew the greed of humanity, and decided that the two Soul Gems along with the Miraculouses of the Panda, Crow, and Unicorn should be hidden away. They were to be hidden away in the Mage Box, so the other seven kwamis he had once looked after he decided to spread across the world, to unite with other Miracle Boxes out there.

After this he hid away the powerful Miraculouses and the Soul Gems, before officially retiring to his homeland under the care of the Guardians of the Successor Box. While he never told a soul where his Miracle Box was hidden, he did entrust the current Guardians with the knowledge of the location of one Soul Gem, before he passed away of old age.

---

The True Generation of Miracle Boxes

The Order Generation of Miracle Boxes [TBA]

[eurekavalley]

It's tough to watch Northern Exposure in 2024 (thanks Amazon Prime!) without questioning the indigenous representation to some degree, so the results of some googling under the cut.

Back in the 90's, the show was received probably not so differently than it would be today. The large number of Alaska native characters was viewed positively - Marilyn the receptionist and Ed the film buff being the most prominent, with several other recurring and side characters. However, the casting treated native groups as interchangeable, and sometimes so did the onscreen representation, like when they had Elaine Miles wear her own regalia from the 'lower 48' as Marilyn's. In this great 2020 interview with Nerds of Color, Elaine Miles also talks about some of the strange expectations from the producers, like how they wanted her to enunciate in a very unnatural way in the first season, and how she originally tried to stay out of the fray when it came to the writing but eventually felt like she had to take all the feedback and hate mail she was receiving to the producers.

Another issue was that the culture was portrayed in a very vague way early on in the series, and once it was specified that it was Tlingit and not one of the other native groups in Alaska, it didn't fit the location of the town, which is reachable by bus and car on the road system, and on a river and not the ocean. It does seem possible that the writers planned some details before realizing the town would need to be on the road system, as the Juneau area feels much more like Maurice's supposed "Alaskan riviera" than inland Alaska does.

The show uses a lot of surrealist storytelling and it's hard to know how much license is being taken when that lens is put on the native culture, with ghosts, spirits, shamans, etc., as other cultures do get some of the same treatment by the show. The raven iconography and mythology that figure so largely in the town pageant at Christmas are in fact an important part of Tlingit culture.

There were some criticisms about characterization, especially how Marilyn's stoicism fit stereotypes about native Americans. It is also pointed out that the surreal and fantastical approach did not show the more difficult sides of life for native people, or their more complicated and difficult relationships with white people.

[rabbitcruiser]

Teslin Lake, YT (No. 4)

George Johnston (trapper) (1884–1972), trapper and photographer, founder of "Teslin Taxi." He captured the life of the inland Tlingit people of Teslin and Atlin in numerous photos taken between 1910 and 1940. Johnston also brought the first car to Teslin; it was a 1928 Chevrolet. He built a 3 to 5 mi (4.8 to 8.0 km) road for his "Teslin taxi" since the Alaska Highway had not been built yet. In winter, he put chains on the car, painted it white, and drove it on frozen Teslin Lake. The '28 Chevy has been restored and is now on permanent display at the George Johnston Museum in Teslin.

In 1995 the Teslin Inland Tlingit negotiated and signed a land claims agreement with the federal government, under which they re-established their own government and became self-sustaining. The Teslin Inland Tlingit now enact their own legal and political framework for government-to-government relations with Canada and the Yukon.

Source: Wikipedia

[madsmilfelsen]

hii i love the lost dogs saga i was wondering what did the tattoos of the last fic look like?

Oh I love this question— okay so Rust is simply three lines around his wrists, not too bold, you probably wouldn’t even realize he had a tattoo given he’s always wearing his and Sugar’s hair ties

Sugar has finger tattoos that honor the sea goddess Sedna— her father (for varying reasons depending on who is telling the story) cut off her fingers with an ulu and from her blood all of the sustenance that sustain us is born— I’d like to get mine this summer when I’m in Alaska not at all because She might drown my ass after I die if I don’t. Here is my friend Tristan featured in an article for Anchorage Museum: https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/exhibits/identifying-marks-tattoos-and-expression/

Tattooing is a skin sewing (or skin stitching) practice done by women and experiencing a really beautiful revival at the moment but picking up more traction by 2012— it signifies cultural belonging and pride (and at this point she’s so fucking homesick— she had never even left Alaska before going to Louisiana)

Sugar has one wrist complete by the time Rust wakes up— I wanted hers to be simple mainly because I don’t think she has a lot of experience doing stick poke so it’s something she’s learning and developing and has Rust to practice but also a bit slow— starting at the top of the wrist is a dashed line (stitches), a solid line underneath (her love for her grandmother and the work she did to maintain cultural knowledge in Sugar when her son dropped the ball, hence complete circle), symbolism is different per tribal groups— the Y’s in my culture (Alutiiq) represent harpoons because we’re seafaring peoples but Sugar is Athabaskan and more inland so branching from the solid line are a different set of tools, but also her purpose, direction, and the need to trust in herself to do the right thing when she has the tools to do so (her smarts, life experiences, and her relationship with Rust)

[na-bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Glaucous-winged Gull

Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

"The typical large gull of the northern Pacific Coast, nesting mainly from southern Alaska to Washington. Common all along the Pacific Coast in winter, it very rarely strays any distance inland. Part of a complex of closely related forms, it interbreeds freely with Western Gull at the southern end of its range, and often with Herring Gull and Glaucous Gull in Alaska."

- Audubon Field Guide

[tastesoftamriel]

So... I've seen a couple asks (and maybe your own answers??) comparing real world places to places in Tamriel (ex: Finland, Eastern Skyrim, I think, from your last ask).

If you don't mind, what real world continent/country do you think would best fit each country in Tamriel?? Do you understand what I mean?? I ask that last bit, because this doesn't make full sense to me even :']

Hi! That absolutely makes sense to me in terms of what they look like geographically (if I have interpreted this right). I am fairly well-travelled but I haven't been to a large portion of the US, South America, Eastern Europe (besides Serbia) or Africa, so I will answer this as best I can based on what I know from experience/have seen on documentaries (I hope this list isn't controversial omg)!

Coastal High Rock: Cornwall, Scotland, and Wales

Inland High Rock: Southeast England, southern France

Wrothgar: Alaska, Colorado, Canada

Northern Skyrim: Iceland

Western Skyrim: US mountain regions (e.g. California, Colorado), Norway, Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Eastern Skyrim: Norway, Finland, Northern Sweden

Southern Skyrim: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland

Coastal Hammerfell: Turkey, Morocco

The Alik'r: Algeria, Tunisia, Arizona

Northern Cyrodiil: Switzerland and Alps

Central Cyrodiil: Italy (Rome and surrounds)

Southern Cyrodiil: South Africa, Queensland (Australia)

Black Marsh: Indonesia, Philippines, Fiji

Northern Elsweyr: Myanmar, Mongolia, Australian Northern Territory

Southern Elsweyr: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia

Valenwood: Brazil, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea

Vvardenfell: Hawaii

Solstheim: Svalbard (Norway)

Summerset: Greece, coastal Italy, Portugal, Croatia

Let me know if there's anywhere I missed! Hope this list doesn't cause mass strife, please no kill! ~Tal

[rebeccathenaturalist]

How to Identify Buffleheads

Click here to learn more about the How to Identify article series. Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/how-to-identify-buffleheads/

Name: Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

Range and typical habitat(s): Breeding range primarily in boreal and taiga habitats in western Canada and south-central Alaska with smaller breeding populations in surrounding areas; winters along both the Pacific coastline all the way from Alaska and Canada to northern Mexico, and inland in the southern half of the United States plus parts of the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes regions, and northern Mexico. Migratory routes may additionally take them through other areas of United States and Canada not mentioned above.

You’re most likely to find them around water, whether quiet coastal areas or inland freshwater lakes, bays, and other waterways. Like other waterfowl they prefer places with plenty of vegetation around the water’s edge for shelter. Lakes are their preference during breeding season.

Two adult male buffleheads

Distinguishing physical characteristics (size, colors, overall shapes, detail shapes) and behaviors: The short version is: the bufflehead is a small duck with a big head. To be more detailed about it, they are generally about 12-16 inches in length, smaller than most other duck species in the same range, with a wingspan a little less than two feet across. The dark-colored bill is comparatively small, making up less than half the total length of the head, and the pointed tail is similarly compact. The upper bill has a concave curve down from the forehead to the tip. In flight the wings have distinctly pointed ends and the tail is spread into a wedge shape, with a quick, constant wingbeat.

It is the coloration that sets these birds apart, though. Males in breeding plumage are quite stunning, with an iridescent green-purple head that has a large white patch just behind the dark eye. The back is black, and the sides and belly are bright white, with a dark gray tail. The wing, when open, is dark with a prominent white band across the upper wing. The feet are bright pinkish-orange.

Females have a very dark gray to black head with a much smaller white patch behind the eye, a dark back and wing with gray sides, tail, and belly. Rather than a full white band, her gray to black wings have one smaller white patch apiece on the upper side, and dark underneath. Female buffleheads’ feet are dark gray to black. Immature males are similarly colored. Young ducklings, when still in down, are black with white patches on their cheeks.

Adult female bufflehead

Buffleheads are diving ducks, and make many short dives in search of aquatic invertebrates, fish eggs, and plants. In fact, they’re very rarely ever seen on dry land, and spend most of their time on the water eating, resting, or preening. They tend to live in small groups during non-breeding months rather than the large flocks of some other waterfowl. They may linger in their breeding grounds later than many other ducks before heading south or to the coast for winter.

During breeding season buffleheads are generally monogamous with their partners from previous years, and they are cavity nesters, dependent on holes in dead trees made by woodpeckers. These small ducks especially prize holes made by northern flickers (Colaptes auratus) as they are too small for larger ducks to fit into but are perfectly bufflehead-sized. They may also make use of similarly-sized nest boxes. Larger ducks may aggressively force buffleheads out of prime nesting sites, and goldeneyes (Bucephala spp.) may even injure or kill the smaller buffleheads in fights over nests.

Courtship displays include the male soaring over the female, then coming to a spectacular sliding landing on the water’s surface, followed by some energetic head bobs. Once mates have established a territory, they defend it aggressively from other buffleheads.

The female bufflehead will lay anywhere from  four to seventeen eggs with plain, cream-colored shells. These hatch after thirty days of incubation, and once the youngest duckling has spent a day in the nest the female and all the ducklings jump out of the box and head straight for the water. Meanwhile, females that were unsuccessful in breeding spend time looking for potential nesting sites for next year.

Other organisms it could be confused with and how to tell the difference: Buffleheads are most commonly mistaken for their larger Bucephala cousins, the common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) and Barrow’s goldeneye (Bucephala islandica). Both species of goldeneyes, as their name suggests, have yellow eyes instead of the dark eyes of the buffleheads, and are larger overall. Male common goldeneyes lack the white head patch and instead have a smaller white patch in front of the eye, while females lack any white facial markings at all. When folded, the male common goldeneye’s wing has small white patches divided by thin black lines. The female common goldeneye has an orange tip on her beak, and her head is a lighter, ruddier brown than that of the female bufflehead. Both common goldeneye sexes have orange legs.

A pair of common goldeneyes, female (L) and male (R)

The Barrow’s goldeneye is similar to the common, but the male Barrow’s white face patch is larger and more oval in shape compared to the common’s round patch. The white wing patches on the Barrow’s male are smaller, and there is a small black hook shape at the shoulder. Female Barrow’s have an entirely orange beak except for a tiny bit of black at the tip.

A pair of Barrow’s goldeneyes, female (L) and male (R).

The hooded merganser also looks somewhat similar to the bufflehead, but is much larger, reaching over nineteen inches in length. The male hooded merganser in breeding colors does have a black head, but the white patch on the large crest behind the eye is much larger than in the bufflehead, and the black lacks the purple-green iridescence. His sides are reddish-brown and he has prominent white stripes on his black wings. The female hooded merganser lacks white markings on her face and has a yellow beak. Her head is a lighter grayish brown with a larger crest, and her body is also a lighter gray than that of the female bufflehead. Both merganser sexes have yellow rather than dark eyes.

A pair of hooded mergansers, female (L) and male (R)

Another species that is markedly larger than the bufflehead is the harlequin duck. The male does have a black head, but he has a large white patch in front of his eye and two small ones behind it, with a white stripe on top of his head. His body is gray and he has prominent rust patches on top of his head and on his sides, and a white stripe on his back. The female harlequin duck is a plain brownish-gray with a large white patch in front of the eye and a much smaller one behind, and her underside is light gray with darker gray spots.

A pair of harlequin ducks, male (L) and female (R)

Further Reading:

All About Birds: Bufflehead

Audubon Field Guide: Bufflehead

Ducks Unlimited: Bufflehead

eBird: Bufflehead

Aquarium of the Pacific: Bufflehead

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