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Alaska ~ Beyond Your Dreams

Alaska Northstar ~ People, Culture, Brilliant Skies, Wilderness and Wildlife

Featured Work

Boardwalk Winter Blues by DJ LeMay

D200 18-200mm VR lens / 18mm 1/320 F/9 ISO 100 /
Mountain Views by solo75

Soft morning light shines on the Chugach Mountain Range near Matanuska Glacier in Alaska. 35 mm Pentax film camera / 28 mm Pentax lens / Kodachrome 64 film / scanned at 4800 dpi
Mountains and sea - sunset & alpineglow by cascoly

Mountains and sea – sunset & alpineglow, Lynn Canal, Alaska
"Aurora Dreaming" by Skye Ryan-Evans

A gentle piece by Giclee Artist Skye Ryan-Evans. This scene of a lone Polar Bear silently gliding through Arctic waters while an Aurora Borelis shimmers behind him, is serene and unforgettable! Designed as a poignant anti-global warming , anti-oil drilling and anti-hunting statement. 25% of proceeds from sales of this item go to support Defenders of Wildlife, in their valiant efforts to lobby for the proper protection of these magnificent creatures of the ice.
North Pole Christmas in Ice ~ Alaska North Star Winter Scenics by Sharon Mau

From my collection: / Heaven In It’s Midst Copyright © Sharon Mau 2009 / All Rights Reserved This is a beautiful larger than life ice sculpture photographed in 2007 at the Santa Claus House in North Pole Alaska Featured Art 23 December 2008 Statues and Such Christmas in Ice / Ice Alaska Shooting Date/Time 09 December 2007 16:41:06 / Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi / Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/80 / Av( Aperture Value ) 5.6 / ISO Speed 400 Here in Interior Alaska on this evening, the temp was minus -35.5F and remained subzero for several months. The ice sculptures remain perfect although they will have additional snow through spring breakup in Interior Alaska in late April or early May the following year.
Just Watching Over You... by Rick & Deb Larson

© Deb Larson Camera: Sony A799; F-Stop: f/9; Exposure: 1/640 sec.; ISO-Speed: 200; Focal Length: 500mm. Taken in the wild off Homer Spit, Homer, Alaska.
Portage Glacier by EvaMcDermott

Portage Glacier Alaska 1983 Mamiya 645 Ektachrome transparency film
Close up of a Glacier #1 by Liz Wear

This was taken on the inland passage cruise in Alaska in Glacier Bay
Just Going Back To My Fishin' Hole by Rick & Deb Larson

FEATURED IN BEARS OF THE WORLD GROUP ON 9-05-2009. © Deb Larson SONY A900; f/5.6; 1/160 sec.; ISO-800; 400 mm; 4-5.6 70/400 SSM Sony Lens. Straight from camera. 8-17-2009 dawned as another beautiful day, which was a VERY welcome sight (after having quite a few days of rain) especially for those who lived in or along the flooded areas, from the Skilak Lake area south to the mouth of the Kenai River. Since the water was about 5 or more feet above the top of the boat launch here at Riverbend (the campground where we spend most of our time during the summer months) we decided we would take a little drive and check out some of the other flooded areas. This shot was taken at the Isaac Walton State campground just off the Sterling Highway, Sterling, Alaska where the Kenai River meets the Moose river … doesn’t look like we are going to find many dry spots here for someone to put up a tent. After leaving the Isaac Walton campground, we continued North to Fueding Lane, which would lead us into the Kenai Keys area. It wasn’t long before we realized that we couldn’t get there from here as the road was under water. We turn back and figure we’ll continue heading North and take the Skilak Lake road and check out Skilak Lake. Now, to explain the flooding … a glacial damn located in the mountains above Skilak Lake gave way, dumping into Skilak Lake which in turn flooded the Kenai River south of the lake. We found the lakes to be pretty high, walked around a bit then continued on our way. We were almost to the end of Skilak lake road (had maybe another 4.5 to 5 miles to go), when we came across this young grizzly. We had been wondering how the bears were making out with the water so high since they didn’t have access to the (fresh fish) or the many filleted out carcasses that litter the banks of the Russian and Kenai Rivers during the summer months. We spoke to some people who had been watching this bear for a while, they said he kept going into the culvert that ran under the road, then would come out with a fish, eat it and then go back in … they also stated that a couple of hikers had scared off a large boar that had been in the area shortly before we came along. So sure enough there he goes back towards the edge of the culvert, he stops for a moment as if to let us take another shot or two then disappears into the culvert. It was really amazing to be standing there in the road, above the very culvert that this young bear had entered, and be able to listen to the noise that seemed to echo from inside the culvert as this young bear thrashed around trying to catch himself another fish. It doesn’t take long … and here he comes … with another fish dangling from his jaws. He heads off to the edge of the woods where he lays down his fish, looks around, then proceeds to devour it (you could actually hear the crunching of the fish bones as he bit into his much prized meal … and as we stood, watched and listened some of the bystanders turned to the person next to them and asked if they could also hear the that crunching noise). Once he was done, he started back out into the open, paused and looked around (you have to wonder what is going through his mind) as if he wanted to make sure that everyone was able to get some great shots of him. He then starts back towards the small creek and his fishing pool (inside the culvert) when we hear this loud thundering noise coming down the road, the noise startles him and he quickly flees back into the edge of the woods (one would have to wonder if he felt he was invisible once he crossed that line from full view to partial view). He stands silently, waiting and watching as he tries to figure out just what is making that loud noise, and there appears a tour van loaded with people towing a trailer loaded down with kayaks … they stop for a couple minutes to check out the bear … then proceed on their way. Once he sees that the loud vehicle has managed to escape his area, he figures it is safe to come back out and carry on with his fishing expedition. He nears the edge of the stream, stops for a few moments as if to make sure that it was safe to enter the stream … once he was back in the water, he stood still allowing for some more photos to be taken … then before we knew it, he was headed back into the culvert … to seek out another prize fish which he could make disappear in a matter of minutes. At this point Rick felt it was time to move on … while I wished that we could have stayed a little longer to watch and enjoy one of God’s creatures in the wild, doing what comes natural to them. We were so glad to see that even a young bear can come up with a safe and clever way to put food in his belly without having to resort to visiting the nearest dumpster (or someone’s outside garbage bins) and thereby becoming a nuisance bear. ~ We give thanks to this young bear for providing us with another adventure filled day … on the Kenai Peninsula ~ Rick’s favorite image from my recent bear shots. /
AL-TI-TUDE .... by Rick & Deb Larson

FEATURED IN IMAGEWRITING ON 9-06-2009. © Rick Larson CANON 1D MARK III; f/13; 1/20 sec.; ISO-100; 260 mm; Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo Filter; Canon 4.5 – 5.6 100/400 L IS zoom lens. This shot of the South side of Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) was taken on Friday 9-04-2009. It was taken from the Petersville Road area in Trapper Creek, Alaska. It is a rare sighting to see all of McKinley exposed to full view, sometimes you might just see the very peak, or a portion of the middle and sometimes (which is most of the time) you just don’t see the mountain at all. It is proabably easier to count the number of days that it is in full view then the number of times it is not. (Rick had initially wanted to go up to Hatcher Pass – via the Willow route – which allowed us to see that McKinley was in full view … at that point plans changed – as I wanted to chase after photos of McKinley – so we found ourselves heading farther North to gather more shots of this rarely viewed mountain). “McKinley aka Denali which is Athabaskan for ‘The Great One’ is one of the many peaks located in the Alaska Range which runs east to west across the southcentral area of Alaska, thus creating a devide between the tributaries of the Yukon River system and those that drain south into the Pacific Ocean. The Alaska Range is part of the Pacific Ring Of Fire – the Denali Fault runs along the southern edge of the range – there are no volcanoes located in this mountain range – McKinley is approximately 20,320 feet, it is the tallest peak in North America, and is large enough to create it’s own localized weather which is more severe here than anywhere else in the world.” Above info was gathered via the internet on 9-05-2009 from Peakware – World Mountain Encyclopedia and Alaska range – Wikipedia.
Gull and Glacier by Rene Hales

Taken outside of Whittier, AK USA. Used textures and photoshop for processing. /
Why must you leave me? by Jan Timmons

Playing with my new glass. Ideas for a better play on words in the title? Nikon D200 and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4, 50mm, f/1.4

Recent Work

Lilacs by Vickie Emms

Photographed at the University of Alaska Botanical Gardens, Fairbanks, Alaska. Canon EOS 50D; Canon 17-85 mm lens /
In the Attitude of Silence by Sharon Mau

From my collection: / Reflections of Beauty / Clouds and Sky Reflections / Chena River Lakes / North Pole Alaska As you view this beautiful reflection you may understand why I love this lake so much. The water is teeming with fish and wildlife, it is virtually crystal clear, pure and pristine and on calm days in summer, which are frequent, it reflects the sky like a mirror. It may be difficult to imagine that in deep dark winters, this lake is frozen and you may see people actually driving their trucks out onto the lake to set up tents, build a fire, carve deep holes in the surface and ice fish. This is Chena River Lakes , a beautiful 260 acre lake near North Pole Alaska. Copyright © Sharon Mau 2009 / My images do not belong to the public domain. / Reproduction is strictly prohibited / All rights reserved “In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in an clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.” Galileo Galilei Italian astronomer & physicist (1564 – 1642) Chena (pronounced Chay – na) Lake Recreation Area is a 260 lake covering more than 4 miles of the fresh water of the beautiful Chena River and also fed by the glacial waters of the mighty Tanana River. / / With over 2,100 acres to explore and enjoy, Chena Lake Recreation Area has activities for all visitors. Chena Lake Recreation Area covers over 2,000 acres and has two distinct personalities; the Lake Park, with a 260 acre lake the River Park, covering 4 miles of the Chena River. Lake Park hosts three volleyball courts, one horseshoe pit, a playground, multiple day use picnic sites with tables and fire rings, two covered pavilions, two changing room/warm up buildings, two designated swimming areas with sandy beaches, a boat rental, two fishing docks (one handicap accessible), a lake boat launch, potable water stations and restrooms. River Park is stretched along 4 miles of the south bank of the Chena River and hosts one volleyball court, one horseshoe pit, one covered pavilion, one changing room/warm up building, a 4.5 kilometer self guided nature trail, river boat launch, potable water stations, restrooms, and multiple day use picnic sites with tables and fire rings. During the winter months Chena Lake Recreation Area offers groomed classical cross-country ski trails with a 2km, 4.5km, and 7km loop as well as a multi-use trail with a 3.8, 5.5, 6.5, 9.5 and 12 mile loops for snow machining, ski-joring, dog mushing, walking, running, etc. Chena Lake also offers four ice-fishing houses No motors are permitted on the lake, only kayaks, canoes and paddle type boats. It is a beautiful place to photograph clouds and sky reflections and also a winter wonderland when the lake freezes. Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi / Shooting Date/Time 05 September 2007 16:18:38 !
White Wolves in December by Lisa Weber

Totem wolf symbols belong to those who truly understand the depth of passion that belong to this noble creature. The Wolf is a representative of deep faith, and profound understanding. Those who have the wolf as their totem animal are naturally eloquent in speech, and also have knack for creative writing. / / All artwork is created by using Bryce, Poser, CS3 Software. Image copyright © 2009 Lisa C. Weber. Copying and displaying or redistribution of this image without permission from the artist is strictly prohibited.
Salmon Fishing Alaskan Style by Barbara Burkhardt

Fish were jumpin. From a day at Kenai River Ferry, Alaska – August 15th 2009 Nikon D90 / NIkkor 70-300mm
The Restless Wind of the Inlets by Sharon Mau

Rain clouds and sky reflections / Chena River / Tanana River Valley / Alaska North Star Borough / / “What is it about this twilight hour? / Even the sound of a barely perceptible breeze pierces the heart”. _poetry by Izumi Shikibu / Translated from Japanese by Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani / Copyright © Sharon Mau 2009 / My images do not belong to the public domain. / Reproduction is strictly prohibited / All rights reserved Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi / Shooting Date/Time 05 September 2007 / Chena (pronounced Chay – na) Lake Recreation Area is a 260 lake covering more than 4 miles of the fresh water of the beautiful Chena River and also fed by the glacial waters of the mighty Tanana River. / / With over 2,100 acres to explore and enjoy, Chena Lake Recreation Area has activities for all visitors. Chena Lake Recreation Area covers over 2,000 acres and has two distinct personalities; the Lake Park, with a 260 acre lake the River Park, covering 4 miles of the Chena River. Lake Park hosts three volleyball courts, one horseshoe pit, a playground, multiple day use picnic sites with tables and fire rings, two covered pavilions, two changing room/warm up buildings, two designated swimming areas with sandy beaches, a boat rental, two fishing docks (one handicap accessible), a lake boat launch, potable water stations and restrooms. River Park is stretched along 4 miles of the south bank of the Chena River and hosts one volleyball court, one horseshoe pit, one covered pavilion, one changing room/warm up building, a 4.5 kilometer self guided nature trail, river boat launch, potable water stations, restrooms, and multiple day use picnic sites with tables and fire rings. During the winter months Chena Lake Recreation Area offers groomed classical cross-country ski trails with a 2km, 4.5km, and 7km loop as well as a multi-use trail with a 3.8, 5.5, 6.5, 9.5 and 12 mile loops for snow machining, ski-joring, dog mushing, walking, running, etc. Chena Lake also offers four ice-fishing houses No motors are permitted on the lake, only kayaks, canoes and paddle type boats. It is a beautiful place to photograph clouds and sky reflections and also a winter wonderland when the lake freezes.
Autumn Gold along the Chena River near North Pole Alaska by Sharon Mau

Alaska Autumn Gold ~ Fall Colours / Autumn Equinox / Permafrost and Boreal Forests of Interior Alaska / Chena River and Lakes / Tanana River Valley Chena is pronounced “Chay – na” Here is some additional information on the Chena River, so you have a better idea of what you are looking at, a quote from Wikipedia ~ Chena River Interior Alaska “The Chena River is a 100-mile-long (160 km) river in the Interior region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It flows generally west from the White Mountains to the Tanana River near the city of Fairbanks, which is built on both sides of the river. The 2300 mile-long Yukon River flows from both the Tanana and Chena Rivers. The river is fed by five tributaries: the North Fork, South Fork, West Fork, Middle (East) Fork and the Little Chena River. All empty into the Middle Fork, which is the main section of the river. The Chena River is surrounded by the Chena River State Recreation Area in the upper half of the river basin. The Chena River is used for recreational fishing and boating. During the winter months, it is also traveled by snowmachines and mushers (sled dogs). The Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project dam, which includes a station for counting fish populations, is located about 45 miles up the Chena River from the mouth of the Tanana River. The river is home to several species of fish and is a spawning area for king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The dam was built in response to the 1967 Fairbanks flood which inundated much of the city. When closed, excess water is kept back upriver from Fairbanks and North Pole and, given enough water, spills into the Tanana River near North Pole (which is a small community, or township) about eight miles away from the Chena.” Chena River Interior Alaska / Corps Lakes Gateway: Alaska ~ Chena River Lakes Copyright © Sharon Mau 2009 / My images do not belong to the public domain. / Reproduction is strictly prohibited / All rights reserved “A suspended silence permeates the slumbering forest as I tread my way cautiously across the sphagnum moss terrain careful not to disturb or alarm any resident creatures within my scope, coinciding my feelings with the innate harmony of the still wood, listening intently for the subtle promptings of my heart, which never fails to keep my thoughts and actions both pure and intrinsic. A red squirrel appears suddenly, skipping effortlessly across the overhead branches, teaching me that to be natural and spontaneous is the vital key, as shards of golden sunshine fragmented diffusion on the leaves all around the brilliant phlox and foxgloves, provided a welcome spree to the eye. Just then a dog fox came prowling, sniffing assiduously the downwind breeze. He didn’t even notice me, as I stood stock still against a birch tree blending into my environment, with no sudden movement or noise. Heaven’s gates opened up for me, while I whispered your name in grace. I am a man who leads from the front, multi-faceted in my ways, and when I give my heart away, you can be sure that destiny has moved for when I reached the fork in the trail I heard your voice say …. I agree” ~ poetry by Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi / Shooting Date/Time 12.September 2007 16:35:42 / Tv Shutter Speed 1/125 / Av Aperture Value 8.0 / ISO 400 / Lens EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Summit Lake ~ Alaska by Barbara Burkhardt

Summit Lake from Richardson Highway Alaska / The ice from winter melting to reveal reflections of the sky Nikon D40X / Nikkor 18-55mm lens
Flattop Mtn by HillbillyDlux

Flattop Mtn overseeing Anchorage, Alaska
Writing

Calendar Sale ~ Extremely Maui ~ Essence of the Island…Aloha ‘oe, mahalo nui loa, thank you so much to the anonymous buyer who purchased one of my calendars. It means so much to me that you en…

Aloha ‘oe, mahalo nui loa, thank you so much to the anonymous buyer who purchased one of my calendars. It means so much to me that you enjoy my work, thank you!! / / Aloha e Malama pono, / Sharon / / / /
Writing

Recognising Ourselves…Why is it sometimes hard to recognize ourselves in videos and photos? / Because the image isn’t flipped. / We’re most used to seeing our …

Why is it sometimes hard to recognize ourselves in videos and photos? / Because the image isn’t flipped. / We’re most used to seeing our own bodies in the mirror, where our features are reversed left to right. It’s similar to how our voices sound unfamiliar and higher on a tape recording. We’re expecting to hear ourselves as we usually do, with the sounds we make traveling through the bones in our face to reach our ears.

About This Group

Featuring the majestic beauty of Alaska and travel highlights with images of the vast pristine wilderness, wonderful people, diverse culture, amazing wildlife and the beautiful native arts and crafts of the First Nations tribes.

Alaska is not bordered by another state. Alaska has more coastline than all the other U.S. states combined. It is the only non-contiguous U.S. state on continental North America; about 500 miles (800 km) of Canada separate Alaska from Washington State. Alaska is thus an exclave of the United States. It is technically part of the continental U.S., but is often not included in colloquial use. Alaska is not part of the contiguous United States, which is often called “The Lower 48“

Juneau, Alaska’s capital city, though located on the mainland of the North American continent, is inaccessible by land. No roads connect Juneau to the rest of the North American highway system.

The state is bordered by the Yukon Territory and British Columbia, Canada, to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

Alaska is the largest state in the United States in land area at 570,380 square miles (1,477,277 km2). It is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries.

In 1971 Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act which settled land and financial claims and provided for the establishment of 13 Alaska Native Regional Corporations to administer those claims. Similar to the status of the Canadian Inuit and First Nations, which are recognized as distinct peoples, Alaska Natives are in some respects treated separately from Native Americans in the United States.

Cultures
Below is a full list of the different Alaska Native cultures. Within each culture are many different First Nation Tribes.

Athabascan
Ahtna
Deg Hit’an
Dena’ina
Gwich’in
Hän
Holikachuk
Kolchan
Koyukon
Lower Tanana
Tanacross
Upper Tanana
Eyak
Haida
Tlingit
Tsimshian
Eskimo
Inupiat (an Inuit people)
Yupik
Siberian Yupik
Yup’ik
Cup’ik
Sugpiaq (Alutiiq)
Chugach
Koniag
Aleut (in their own language they refer to themselves as Unangan)

Natives are a majority in approximately 176 villages and small cities and are a substantial part of the population in over 200 communities.

Alaska’s southeastern panhandle is the traditional territory of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Indian tribes.

Natives constitute 70 percent of the population of these villages (and their surrounding areas) which stretch the length of the panhandle from Yakutat in the north to Metlakatla in the south.

List of Alaska Native Tribal Entities

Nation Master

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