In Arctic Alaska we have two fish species that look very similar, Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) and Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma). To add to the confusion (and I’m as guilty as anyone), Dolly Varden are commonly referred to as char. If that wasn’t bad enough, char is a large group of fish that includes Arctic…
This is a fantastic video about safety in bear country from the leaders in the field. We recommend you watch it in advance of your trip to the arctic. It will be a good supplement to the in-person training and information you will receive from your guide. Arctic Wild provides a pepper spray canister, holster,…
I spent the last week, the last week of April, working on the frozen Chukchi Sea, helping train a group of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society who are studying eider ducks. Their goal is to count the hundreds of thousands of King and Common Eiders that migrate past Barrow each spring to update the…
On the very edge of the earth, where the coastal tundra melts into the Chukchi Sea in a watery tangle of streams, bays, lakes and lagoons is a world of austere beauty, vibrant with life. Kasegaluk Lagoon is rich beyond compare in Arctic Alaska. The long list of descriptors for the area only hints at…
It has been a couple of years since I last saw a snowy owl and I miss being startled by a distant white object, I’ve taken for a snow patch suddenly taking wing and gliding low over the tundra. Snowy Owls are arcticophiles and I enjoy the years when they seem abundant across northern Alaska….
On my recent trip to the Antarctic Peninsula I was fortunate to see an old friend. It is always a pleasure to see other Alaskans traveling the world, and seeing these Arctic Terns in the southern hemisphere was a highlight of the trip. Like most naturalists in Alaska, I admire Arctic Terns for their tenacious…
I just purchased 14 books. Not 14 different books but 14 copies of the same book and it wasn’t even a mistake. University of Chicago Press just released “Land of Extremes” by Alex Huryn and John Hobbie, and I wanted copies for all our guides and for our trip libraries too. It won’t be…
By Michael Wald Co-Owner and Guide Each region in Alaska has a prime season, when traveling conditions, wildlife, and weather all align for the optimal experience. I was recently asked how I would plan the ultimate Alaska summer if my goals were to see wildlife at its peak abundance in the most remote and wild…
BearWise Training April 26 & 27, 2012 By Ron Yarnell With more than 40 years of guiding experience in grizzly country, I know a thing or two about bears, so when Marin Kuizenga, with Polar Field Services Inc, said she had room for three Arctic Wild guides in a bear safety workshop, I was a…
By Michael Wald Co-Owner and Guide The first day of spring can be measured in many different ways. We are a full 2 weeks into spring today, if we use the astronomical measure of the equinox. After 30 feet of snowfall this winter here in Haines, Alaska, we may be half-way into summer before the…
Another study was released last week showing that common sense and knowledge of animal behavior are more important in avoiding injury from bears than are firearms. As an Alaska guide service that has taught hundreds of people appropriate behavior in Bear Country we are glad to see data supporting our belief that keeping your eyes…
By Dan Ritzman- Arctic Wild Guide, Conservation Leader and Lover of Caterpillars. I have spent a good part of the last 2 decades talking to people about what makes the Arctic great. I have given hundreds of lectures, and toured any number of decision makers and media types around the Arctic and I always endeavor…
I love arctic Alaska, but there is a bird in the news that displays unmatched devotion to the tundra. The northern wheatear looks like a cross between a robin and a shrike, and we see them on high rocky ridges throughout the Brooks Range. Their distinctive call and undulating flight are nearly ubiquitous in the…