UAP2000:007:061
Coming Home: An Introduction
Among other varied and sometimes peculiar definitions, "home"
is defined as "the place where one must ultimately go, the
point aimed at and returned to." Once drawn to this Alaskan
frontier wilderness, one recognizes that everything else here, the
birds, the large mammals, the plants, and the very rocks themselves
journeyed here from somewhere else. Alaska as a landmass is made
from seven major and many minor geologic terrains originating from
as far as the south pacific, driven here by the movements of the
Earth's crust. There are six major coniferous and three major tundra
ecosystems across the state, from the Hemlock-Sitka Spruce Forests
of southeast Alaska to the wet tundra plains of the North Slope.
Spruce and hardwood forests dominate the Interior of the state,
and various tundra and the high brush ecosystems dominate the Western
Arctic Coast and the Aleutian Chain. This great diversity of environments
provides a seasonal home year round for tremendous numbers of waterfowl
and land animals, and a growing population of people.
Each year great numbers of migratory animals return to Alaska. Birds
come from as far as Argentina, whales from southern waters, and
some of the caribou from Canada. They come to Alaska because of
the vastness of the space and the richness of the resources available
during summer months.
People too have been attracted to this land now called Alaska. The
ancestors of Native Eskimos and Indians came across the Bering Land
Bridge more than ten thousand years ago, and modern day immigration
continues with people attracted to the last frontier. Some visit
and leave; others settle and call this wilderness home. Alaska's
pristine landscape has existed for thousands of years. It has been
touched by many human feet, but not trodden out of existence.
Reference
Splash Page Credits
Michio Hoshino quote from:
Arasuka hikari to kaze [Alaska: Light and Wind].
Fukuinkan Shoten, 1995.
Translation by Karen Colligan-Taylor.
Image:
Lone Caribou on Tundra
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