Hidden Alaska: Bristol Bay and Beyond - Hardcover

Atcheson, Dave

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1426207700 ISBN 13: 9781426207709

Publisher: National Geographic, 2011

Synopsis

A stunning visual story of a place of wonder and mystique for every American, this book features what is legendary and beloved about Alaska, a land of magnificent wilderness and beauty, virtually untouched by human ambition. It also focuses on the key point of interest in the state today: endangered Bristol Bay, which faces potential mining of the world's greatest deposits of copper and gold. Its pristine waters are the worlds' biggest salmon spawning grounds. If the gold is mined, the ecosystem is destroyed —but the impoverished locals have work for the next half-century. After that, the salmon and the mines are gone. Melford, paired with noted environmental storyteller David Atcheson, addresses the dilemma by bowling us over with the beauty and importance of the place for all time. Underwritten by the Renewable Resources Coalition, the book will be distributed among its more than 5,000 members.

About this title

Review

From Hidden Alaska
Click on the images below to open larger versions.

Clouds scrape by the snow-covered Iliamna Volcano, which last erupted before Europeans settled in the area. (p. 98)	The wilderness of Chikuminuk Lake and Wood-Tikchik State Park displays an untouched nature that has mostly vanished from the lower 48 states. (p. 100)	Corporate interests have proposed a massive mining operation to unearth the rich deposits of gold, copper, and molybdenum under the land in this region. (p. 150)	"We love our fish," says Ina Bouker, a Yupik and teacher from Dillingham who opposes the mine. "The salmon always run. But if their habitat is destroyed, they will not come back." (p. 144)

The eerily majestic northern lights, or aurora borealis, blaze above Twelvemile Summit on the Steese Highway. (p. 76)	Commercial fishermen pull in a drift gill net at dusk on Bristol Bay. In an average year more than 40 million salmon travel through the bay to their spawning grounds. (p. 122)	Although brown bears are normally solitary creatures, they congregate at places like Brooks Falls in the summer to catch and eat spawning salmon. (p. 127)	A male salmon rests on his long voyage back to the waters of his birth. These migrating salmon die shortly after breeding. (p. 129)

About the Author

Dave Atcheson has lived on the Kenai Peninsula since 1985. He has worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and has written for Alaska Magazine, Fly Fishing Quarterly, Outdoor Life, and other publications. He lives in Sterling, Alaska.

Michael Melford has photographed for National Geographic magazine, Traveler, and National Geographic books for nearly 3 decades.

Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1426207700
• ISBN 13: 9781426207709
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 160