On the Road with Hannah: Bodies of Water Edition
By Hannah Pembroke
Hello again, animal lovers! After a long journey through the regions of Alaska, our next adventure begins. This water-logged blog will take us through a few of the many bodies of water in Alaska whose nomenclature pays respect to the wildlife around it. Traveling south to north, we will be visiting Bear Lake, Fish Creek, Salmon Lake, and the Porcupine River. While each of these bodies of water are now frequently addressed by their Western names, they are vital to Alaskan Native tribes and fishing for sustenance. Since we will be visiting several different regions within this blog, these bodies of water do not fall into one people’s land or under one language. They do, however, each play a critical role in Alaskan culture.
Bear Lake
Photo credit: National Park Service
To start off our trip this week, we have Bear Lake. Near Seward, Bear Lake is a two-mile long lake that is fed by Bear Creek. Both the lake and the creek provide amazing opportunities to see wildlife. Bear Lake has been the site of salmon enhancement activities since 1962, and the results are evident. The flourishing salmon draw in anglers and bears alike! The evenings during salmon runs are a popular time to see both Brown and Black bear hunting salmon in the mouth of Bear Creek. Bald eagles are also usually present during spawning season, since the salmon draw in the local predators. Bear Creek and Lake are home to both Sockeye (or Red) and Coho salmon, depending on the time of year you visit. It is a rich environment for a wide variety of wildlife, and it is a popular destination for Alaskan adventure-seekers, as well!
Fish Creek
Photo Credit: Alaska.org
Just outside of Anchorage lies Fish Creek. The Western name heavily relied on inspiration from what the Dena’ina people called it: K’eyghashutnu, meaning “Fish Harvest Creek." While the original name has been abbreviated to Fish Creek, its meaning and significance remains very similar. Acting as a drain from Big Lake, Fish creek is home to a large run of Sockeye salmon, as well as a personal-use salmon fishery. The closely-monitored population levels of the salmon function to provide a large amount of the local salmon products. Fish Creek also aids families putting dinner on the table, since the personal-use salmon fishery allows for anyone to come and fish (so long as they have the proper licensing). Dipnetting is a popular method of fishing at the creek, since the abundant subsistence allows for population depletion most years.
Salmon Lake
Photo credit: American Geophysical Union
Heading North, Salmon Lake is just above Cape Nome and is another aquatic feature whose anglicized name remains very close in meaning to its original native name. The Alaskan Native name for Salmon Lake is Nahwazuk, meaning “Salmon.” This lake is especially suitable for our water-logged week not only because of its consistency in animal-inspired names, but also because one of its largest contributors is Fox Creek. While plenty of salmon and fox are present in the area for viewing, bird watching would be another great activity of choice for this stop. Some of the birds that populate the lake include Bluethroat, Red-necked Grebe, Red-throated Loon, Long-tailed Duck, and Red-breasted Merganser. Grizzly bears are a less common member of the Salmon Lake community, however they do occasionally arrive to feed on the Red salmon that travel through the lake.
Porcupine River
Photo credit: Alaska.org
Towards the Northeast of Alaska, we will be stopping at our last destination for this week: Porcupine River. This river is one of the most popular ecotourism sites in Alaska. The river begins in Canada and eventually meets the Bell and Eagle Rivers. Along the way, the Porcupine River meanders through plenty of true bear country, but you are also likely to find beavers, wolves, lynx, and the infamous Porcupine Caribou herd! Containing a population of roughly 197,000 in 2017, this impressive herd finds its wintering grounds along the Porcupine River. While one might be expecting a more prickly namesake, the caribou have established their home along this river for longer than Western recordings have listed, making the name a perfect fit.
Thank you for checking in this week for the Southeast 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 take action and visit AWA at https://www.akwildlife.org/take-action-1. See you for our next mini series, when we are back on the road with Hannah!
