On the Road with Hannah, Part 3: Far North Exploration
By Hannah Pembroke
Hello animal lovers! For our third trip, we will be embracing the cold and venturing north along with some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife. While exploring the Arctic and Northern slope of Alaska, we will be going through several old mining communities and smaller villages that still rely heavily on animals as subsistence resources.
Deering
While deer may not be as unique to Alaskan as moose, there are still plenty of members of the deer family present in the northern slope of our great state, including a town! Deering is recognized as a primarily Iñupiat village and was called Ipnatchiaq before it grew to become an established mining community in 1901. Located at the mouth of the Inmachuk River on the Seward Peninsula, Deering is a popular location for seals, and being so close to the Bering Sea, we can hope for Beluga, Orca, and Gray whale sightings. On land, keep your eyes open from muskoxen, bears, and moose. The village’s location near two main bodies of water, both fresh and saltwater, draws in wildlife and offers a healthy environment for a variety of animals. Though we most likely won’t see any deer, visiting Deering offers a great opportunity to spend time learning about species that are unique to the northern region.
Buckland
Photo credit: https://www.nwabor.org/village/buckland/
If we visit Deering, we of course can’t leave out Buckland. As our second stop, Buckland is settled on the Buckland River, which provides context for its Iñupiaq name, Kaŋiq, meaning headwater of river. Archeological evidence suggests that humans have occupied Buckland and its surrounding area for thousands of years, and the wildlife in the area is equally as established. The Iñupiaq people that inhabit Buckland typically hunt caribou, beluga whale, and seal, which means that we have a good chance of seeing these animals on our trip. Since Buckland is near the Bering Sea, like Deering, we should be looking out for large saltwater wildlife, like whales. Hunting and fishing are the two dominant ways Buckland locals provide for their community, so get ready for some outdoor adventures and working for our dinner!
Red Dog Mine
Red Dog Mine, flickr photo by Jim
Located over the zinc deposit that supplies 10% of the world’s zinc, Red Dog Mine may not be named for a traditionally Alaskan animal, but its location and toxin production still make it an important place to note along our journey. While we would usually keep our road trips lighthearted, Red Dog is a problematic stop because, despite being named for an animal, in 2016 it was reported that 756 million pounds of toxins were recorded in the area surrounding the mine. This astonishingly high level caused the 2016 Toxic Release Inventory to name Kotzebue, the small town to which Red Dog Mine is attached, the top toxin-producing town in America. This is such an important piece of data because the wildlife present in the arctic zone includes some of the most endangered and rare animals on the planet. Despite having so little human population, toxin production at this level can severely, and permanently, cause harm to native wildlife.
Deadhorse
While the rumors behind how Deadhorse got its name span far and wide, this small village of fewer than 30 people is one of the furthest north communities in Alaska. A part of the true Arctic, the most popular story behind how the name Deadhorse came to be is that a miner and his trustee horse ventured north, and the poor horse could not survive the winter. Upon its death, and the miner being left without means of transportation, he and his fellow travelers set up camp and eventually grew to become the community we now know. More likely, however, is that Deadhorse was named after the Dead Horse Haulers, which was founded in the early 1960s. This company has just as many rumors around its name origin as the town does. The Deadhorse Airport was first named, and the surrounding area shortly followed. No matter what the true story is, the importance of the horse cannot be ignored. While there isn’t much human activity in a town so small, the wildlife is plentiful. Herds of caribou, arctic foxes, arctic hares, grizzly bears, and musk oxen can all be found in the surrounding area, far more alive and intriguing than any dead horse.
Thank you for checking in this week for the Interior leg of our journey! As always, it is a privilege and joy to experience the land around us and to witness wildlife in its natural habitat. If you are interested in aiding our goal of protecting Alaskan wildlife, please become a member for just $35 a year. See you next week, when we are back on the road with Hannah!
