Circumpolar Newsings
Alaska fights to reverse polar bear listing 
(Dan Joling/AP, 15 November 2009) -- ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell says he has the best interest of polar bears at heart, but he doesn't intend to let the federal government's expanded protection for bears get in the way of the state's continued prosperity. Like his predecessor, Sarah Palin, the governor is suing the federal government to overturn the listing of the iconic symbol of the Arctic as a threatened species, a move made last year that he believes could threaten Alaska's lifeblood: petroleum development. "Currently some are attempting to improperly use the Endangered Species Act to shut down resource development," Parnell says. "I'm not going to let this happen on my watch." As Alaska North Slope wells dry up, the state is turning to potential offshore discoveries to refill the trans-Alaska pipeline and ensure the long-term prospects of a $26 billion proposed natural gas pipeline. Protections for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act could thwart that, Parnell says, adding that they're not needed. "Alaskans have an excellent track record of both developing our natural resources and protecting our wildlife," says Parnell, who replaced Palin when she resigned in late July. That's a position critics dispute after the 10.8-million gallon Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, a 200,000-gallon North Slope pipeline spill in March 2006, and the state-funded killing of more than 1,000 wolves and hundreds of black bears since 2003 to increase moose and caribou populations.
Posted 15 November 2009; 9:25:05 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Alaska, Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Economic and Commerce Issues, Flora and Fauna, Laws and legal, November09, United States
A photographer's polar obsession
(NPR, 13 November 2009) --Today on All Things Considered, host Melissa Block speaks with National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen about his new book, Polar Obsession. Listen here. How many people can say with nonchalance, "I've had good friends of mine ... eaten by grizzly bears"? Paul Nicklen can, for one. He's a National Geographic photographer who was raised in Canada's Arctic and has spent the past 20 years documenting extreme polar regions. Nicklen had a unique childhood. He grew up in a small and remote Inuit community on Baffin Island with no radio, no TV and no telephone. His idea of fun included lying in blizzards until his body went numb, building sleds and tending pet seals. It was a secluded youth -- and to anyone else, a bit extreme. But to Nicklen, it was as idyllic as childhood gets. "I was taking care of dog teams by the time I was 5," he tells NPR's Melissa Block. "It's just a completely different world, and ... I fell in love with it." So it makes sense that his idea of fun today includes many of the same things: extreme temperatures, exploration and animal friendships. After a brief stint at the University of Victoria to earn a biology degree, Nicklen made a prompt return to Canada's Arctic, where he began a career as a nature photojournalist. "As I got to be older, as a biologist and photojournalist," he says, "I realized that these are the tools I can now use to protect the place that I fell in love with as a kid."
Posted 15 November 2009; 7:12:37 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Books, Blogs and Publications, Circumpolar News, Internet Resources, November09, Tourism / Perspectives
Documenting the Cupigg civilization [radio]
(KYUK – Bethel via APRN, 12 November 2009) -- The village of Mekoryuk is furiously trying to learn all they can from
their two remaining elders. The village, located on Nunivak Island in
the Bering Sea is home to the only living Cupigg civilization in the
world. And their elders are the only remaining Cupigg people to live
before western civilization was established on the Island. [download the mp3]
Posted 15 November 2009; 2:43:11 AM. ann-20091112-05.mp3 Permalink
Tagged: Alaska, Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, Communities, Indigenous Issues, North America, November09, United States
Failed Japanese singers must perform at Point Barrow
(Victoria Barber/Arctic Sounder, 12 November 2009) -- A weekly Japanese variety show called "Hexagon" is coming to Barrow this week to perform at the northernmost point of the United States. Hexagon is a quiz show in which 15-20 contestants—actors and actresses, singers and comedians—compete. Mina Matsumoto, who is coordinating for the show, said that trip north was the result of a failed bet. During the show three of the comedian contestants formed a group called "Subera-zu," and released a CD in Japan. Apparently the CD bombed and while American TV stars are allowed to shuffle off into obscurity un-noted (or given reality shows), these contestants must go to Point Barrow to film their song at "the coldest area in the United States" as a penalty. "One typically wears a swimsuit (while performing), but I don't know if they'll wear it," Matsumoto said. Barrow, and Japan, will have to wait to find out.
Posted 15 November 2009; 2:33:23 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Alaska, Arts and Artists, Circumpolar News, Conferences, meetings, and gatherings, Cultural Matters, International, Movies, video and TV, North America, November09, United States
Iceland holds national meeting
(IceNews, 14 November 2009) -- A group of 1,200 Icelanders considered statistically representative of the population are being brought together today for the first time in an attempt to “harvest the wisdom of the crowd”. The group of people aged 18 and over were picked randomly from the national registry to be invited to attend the event at Reykjavik’s Laugardalsholl arena, along with 300 representatives of organisations and institutions. They will be asked to name the values Icelandic society should be based upon, as well as their vision for Iceland’s future and possible ways of action to rebuild the country’s economy and society. The results will be freely available to anyone who wants to take part in the rebuilding effort. The event is a privately-organised grassroots event, although a week ago the government decided to invest ISK 7 million in the project. Other funding comes from businesses and individuals. Similar groups are regularly sampled for polls and surveys; but never before have they been brought together in person in this way. Organisers, many of whom have strong political and business links, plan to work with all present to formulate a 52-week national recovery plan with a tangible goal for the nation to achieve every week. The motto of the National Meeting organised by a group calling itself The Anthill is, “a date with the future”.
Posted 15 November 2009; 2:30:20 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Conferences, meetings, and gatherings, Iceland, November09, Social Issues
Eurasia highest volcano spills lava down slope
(RIA Novosti, 15 November 2009) -- PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY - A lava flow has started to come down the slope of Eurasia's highest volcano, the Klyuchevskoy, on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, a local volcanologist said on Sunday. The Klyuchevskoy, which lies 220 miles north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world and reaches an altitude of 15,584 feet. It erupts about every 2 years. "A small flow of lava has started trickling down the south-eastern slope of the Klyuchevskoy after magma has filled its crater to the brink," said a researcher at the Far Eastern Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. He also said the volcano continued to throw red-hot rocks to a height of 200 meters (over 650 feet). The current eruption started in August after several months of relevant inactivity. Unlike many others, it started slow, but its intensity is rapidly growing. Seismological stations near the Klyuchevskoy register hundreds of small tremors in the area every day. The volcano is dangerous only to tourists at this point, although lava flows and high-altitude ash emissions could soon threaten air traffic in the region. The Klyuchevskoy started a new active cycle with an eruption on February 15, 2007. Volcanic ash from that eruption stretched over 500 km above the Bering Sea at the height of 8.2-8.7 km. There are more than 150 volcanoes on Kamchatka, 29 of them active.
Posted 15 November 2009; 2:23:41 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Environment and Landscape, Far East Russia, North Pacific, November09, Russia
email to: agra...@yukoncollege.yk.ca
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