MEDIA TIPSHEET: LEADING SCIENTISTS MEET TO DISCUSS

50 YEARS OF SCIENCE IN THE FAR NORTH

Fairbanks, Alaska - More than 200 leading researchers from Alaska, the continental U.S., Canada and several other foreign countries will meet beginning Sunday at Denali National Park to reflect on a half century of scientific discovery in the Arctic. New findings from recent research will also be released at the 50th annual meeting of the Arctic Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Sept. 19 — 22.

The following is a list of presenters and titles of events that may be of interest to reporters attending the conference. Listed events are free to media who obtain a press pass at the conference registration desk at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Additional information can be obtained through the conference web site: http://www.cgc.uaf.edu/aaas/aaas99.html

Sunday, September 19, 1999

1 p.m. OPENING PLENARY SESSION:

From the Fifties to the Future: Cold War to Cold Fusion, Claus-M. Naske, Conference Chair (Professor of History, University of Alaska Fairbanks); preceded by welcoming remarks from Denali National Park and Preserve Superintendent Steve Martin and University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton.

Monday, September 20, 1999

8:30 a.m. PLENARY KEYNOTE:

Laurence Irving: A Founding Proponent of the AAAS Arctic Science Conference and a Scientist for All Seasons, Institute of Arctic Biology Director Emeritus Robert G. White, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Laurence Irving's contributions to Arctic science are as vast as the great northern lands he studies. He is considered a visionary and pioneer in the fields of arctic biology and comparative physiology. Irving was also involved in the first comprehensive studies on the physiology of human adaptation and cold acclimation.

ENVIRONMENTAL PHYSIOLOGY PLENARY SESSION:

10:10 a.m. The Unity—Diversity Paradox: A Physiological Perspective; Peter Hochachka and G.P. Burness (Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada).

The realization of the fundamental unity of all living things has been a great triumph during the past century . Hochachaka examines science from philosophical point of view.

11:25 a.m. Muscle Morphology, Physiology and Strength Retention by Hibernating Black Bears Under Natural Denning Conditions; Henry Harlow and T. Lohuis (Zoology and Physiology Department, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyo.), Paul Iaizzo (Anesthesiology and Physiology Department, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.); Tom Beck (Colorado Division of Wildlife, Dolores, Colo.). Harlow will describe his fieldwork on muscle degeneration in hibernating black bears. Inactivity in humans- whether from extended bed rest, weightlessness or limb immobilization- leads to skeletal muscle atrophy and impaired strength. But the black bear (Ursus americanus) presents a paradox- the species doesn't experience this range of problems after months of inactivity during hibernation. Not only does this study define a unique adaptive strategy for winter survival by bears, it has the potential to aid doctors in the prescription of treatments that will help humans adjust to atrophic muscle conditions such as prolonged bed rest, limited activity or extended space travel.

2 p.m. Protection from the Environment: The Role of Fur and Feathers; T.J. Dawson (School of Biological Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia); S.K. Maloney (School of Biological Science, University of New South Wales) Koa Webster (School of Biological Science, University of New South Wales). Dawson has a distinguished history as one of the first Australian physiologists to work on marsupials, the group of mammalian species whose young complete their development in a pouch, like the kangaroos that inhabit Dawson's homeland. The important role of fur and feathers in regulating the body heat of animals will be discussed, including how animals survive temperatures induced by intense heat and frigid cold.

THE CLIMATE OF ALASKA PLENARY SESSION:

11:05 a.m. Measuring and Monitoring Changes in Alaska's Glaciers with Ground, Aerial, and Space Photography: a History; B.F. Molnia (U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Va.,) Mike Sfraga (College of Rural Alaska, University of Alaska Fairbanks). Molnia and Sfraga examine the history of measuring and monitoring changes in Alaska's glaciers during the past century.

CREATIVITY AND COMMERCE PLENARY SESSION:

Lost in the debate over Alaska's subsistence issue has been its impact on the preservation of Native Art and culture and the role Native art plays in spurring a small cash economy for Alaska's rural villages. Alaskan Native art in particular is often created as an extension of the subsistence lifestyles of the artists. Many of the materials used in the art pieces-fur, bone and feathers for example -are gathered from the land in the course of hunting and trapping. The sale of Native art also brings cash to cash-poor rural communities. Yet even as Native arts and crafts expand in a growing market among Alaskans and visitors alike, federal and state legislation threaten Alaskan Native subsistence lifestyles and, as a consequence, threaten Native artistic expression.

9:30 a.m. When the Fat Raven Sings, Singing, Dancing, Telling: Verbal and Visual Art in Contemporary Kamchatka; David Koester (Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks). In December of 1998 the administration of the Koryak Autonomous Okrug in

northern Kamchatka, Russia declared a new specially protected territory for traditional resource use. The World Wildlife Fund has supported this effort and other external environmental organizations have become interested in the plan for protecting the environment while preserving traditional resource use.

10:10 a.m. Alaska's Native Social Bourgeoisie and the "Fine Art" of Dwelling; Arthur Mason, (Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley). Congressional passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971 follows a pattern of "political capitalism," that is, the implementation of capitalist institutions by the state in the form of Native corporations. While the U.S. government initially recognized that corporations would fall in with a "national economy," ANCSA has also resulted in the formation of an Alaska Native "social bourgeoisie."

11:05 a.m. Subsistence Comes First and Art Is Secondary: The Necessary Role of Art in the Contemporary Yup'ik Culture of Southwestern Alaska; Amber A. Lincoln (University of Alaska Museum). In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, a significant proportion of the Central Yup'ik people continue to live primarily off the land. But modern conveniences that are used in subsistence lifestyles- snow machines, boats, guns and the gas and ammunition that fuel them- cost cold, hard cash. In 1997 and 1998, disastrous salmon seasons affected both the cash flow from commercial fishing and the availability of salmon for food. Yet at the same time, Native art fairs held in Alaska's urban centers showed that the demand for sale tables and the large audience of buyers for Native arts and crafts production is on the rise. The critical relationship between art and subsistence will be considered, as will the continued symbolic importance of subsistence to Yup'ik culture.

AIR QUALITY IN THE FAR NORTH PLENARY SESSION:

2 p.m. Air Quality Monitoring in Denali National Park: What does it Tell Us? Catherine Cahill (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks) A.J. Blakesley (National Park Service, Denali Park). Denali National Park has been described as having the best air quality measured in the Interagency Monitoring of PROtected Visual Environments (IMPROVE). But even this relatively clean site is not entirely free of pollutants caused by human activities.

3: 40 p.m. Fuel Cells for Clean Power Production in the Arctic Region; Debendra.K. Das (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks). With no access to outside road systems, temperatures cold enough to freeze skin in mere seconds, and relatively inefficient diesel-powered generators as their only source of electricity, rural Alaska residents depend on reliable energy sources to survive in the Far North's harsh climate. Developing renewable energy options for remote locations is the focus of UAF's fuel cell research.

OUR CHANGING ECONOMY PLENARY SESSION:

4:15 p.m. Trends in the Alaska Salmon Industry; (Gunnar Knapp, Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage). The rapid development of salmon farming - from 1 percent of world salmon supply in 1980 to more than half of world supply in 1998 - has brought dramatic changes to world salmon markets.

ALASKA PLACE NAMES PLENARY SESSION:

There are many scientific aspects associated with Native place names. This session will uncover the ecological and ethnohistorical information embedded in the Arctic's indigenous geographical place names, which constitute one of our least understood cultural resources.

2:20 p.m. The Southeast Native Subsistence Commission Native Place Names Project; H.P. Martin (Southeast Native Subsistence Commission, Juneau, Alaska). The history, objectives and methodology of the Southeast Native Subsistence Commission Native Place Names Project was initiated with funding from the National Park Service in 1994. To date, the project has documented more than 2,500 indigenous place names in collaboration with 16 Tlingit and Haida communities in Southeast Alaska. Sample results, including community place name maps and databases, and resulting applications, such as CD-ROM "talking maps" for use to integrate Native scientific knowledge into rural secondary schools, will also be featured as part of this display.

3 p.m. Place Name Research and Policy Issues in Yukon Territory; John Ritter, Diane Chisholm, Sam Johnston, Percy Henry (All at: Yukon Geographical Place Names Board, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory). The place name process in Yukon Territory has evolved gradually from a federal function to one decentralized regionally where recommendations are made by a locally appointed board. As time permits, First Nation elders and members of the board will share information about specific place names.

4:20 p.m. USGS Toponymic Research in Alaska Between 1950 and 1975; Thomas E. Taylor (U.S. Geological Survey, retired; Anchorage, Alaska). Find out how the USGS National Mapping Division decides what names appear on modern topographic maps.

Tuesday, September 21, 1999

FIFTY YEARS OF CHANGE IN ALASKA ECOSYSTEMS PLENARY SESSION:

Alaska is one of the greatest regions of intact and managed natural ecosystems in the world. Their condition is one of the state's most important economic, social, and cultural factors. Most of our scientific knowledge about Alaska ecosystems has occurred during the past 50 years; with the start and systematic expansion of long-term research and monitoring programs in recent years.

9:30 a.m. Effects of Climate on Interactions between Ecosystems: Biotic Linkages between Sea and Land; M. Ben-David (Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks). Viewed from space, Earth's land continents appear as small islands tethered tenaciously among the swirls of the powerful seas. From this perspective it is obvious that the oceans play a dominant role in global climate, nutrient cycling and primary productivity. The contributions of land to sea through the flow of rivers are easily comprehended, but the transport of nutrients from sea to land is more difficult to detect. And the role of animal behavior in creating fluxes of nutrients from marine to terrestrial systems is receiving increasing attention. Preliminary observations along the coast of the northern Gulf of Alaska suggest these interactions to be of great importance.

Tuesday, September 21, 1999

GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES PLENARY SESSION:

9:45 a.m. Requiem for the Denali Fault of Alaska; Béla Csejtey Jr., Chester T. Wrucke and Arthur B. Ford (Denali Associates, Palo Alto, Calif.) Phil F. Brease (NPS, Denali National Park, Alaska). The concept of Alaska's strike-slip Denali fault has gained wide acceptance in the geologic community within the last 50 years. It is thought to have played a major role in the tectonic evolution of Alaska. But the fault's supposed continuous trans-Alaskan existence has been based loosely on the westward extrapolation of inadequate field observations from the eastern half of the State on aerial photos and topographic maps. The concept has become a scientific dogma and a major impediment to unraveling the tectonic history of Alaska, but recent fieldwork shows that previous ideas about the fault are erroneous.

10 a.m. Expansion of the Alaska Seismic Network for Monitoring of Earthquakes and Tsunamis: 35 Years of Change; Roger A. Hansen, Kent G. Lindquist, and Elena Suleimani (All at Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks). Prior to the Good Friday earthquake of 1964, there were only two regularly operated seismographic stations in Alaska. The first seismographic station dates back to 1904, but today, more than 100 seismic stations exist statewide. UAF, along with the Alaska Earthquake Information Center, the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the USGS, is working to expand efforts through an affiliation with the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation program- a five-state, three federal agency initiative to address tsunami hazard mitigation by a three-part approach: Warning, Guidance, and Response.

DENALI: LESSONS FROM THE PAST, VISION FOR THE FUTURE PLENARY SESSION

2:30 p.m. Dynamics of a Naturally Regulated Moose Population in Denali National Park and

Preserve, 1922—1998; Victor Van Ballenberghe (Pacific Northwest Research Station, Anchorage, Alaska). The moose population at the east end of Denali National Park and Preserve has been largely naturally regulated for the past 75 years. Interpretation of a long-term pattern of increase of this moose population followed by decline suggests that the 75-year fluctuation can be traced to market hunting prior to 1925 that reduced moose to very low densities.

Tuesday, September 21, 1999

3 p.m. Wolf Societies and Wolf-Prey Systems in the Denali Region; Gordon C. Haber (Denali Park). A field study in place since 1966 indicates that the 10—12 groups of wolves ranging primarily within Denali National Park and Preserve on the north side of the Alaska Range include a diverse mix of persistent and shorter-lived family lineages with differing degrees of sociality, dependency on moose and/or sheep versus caribou, and system behavior with prey.

2 p.m. SUSTAINABILITY OF ARCTIC COMMUNITIES PANEL DISCUSSION

This session will outline the major results of a recent $1.8 million NSF-funded project on the Sustainability of Arctic Communities. For the past four years, a team of 22 scientists from various disciplines has been working with four native communities that lie within the range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd. Results of the study, which assessed the effects of climate change, tourism and oil development by using an integrated modeling approach, will be presented followed by a discussion on the developing science of integrated assessment.

8:15 p.m. ARCTIC ROUNDTABLE PANEL DISCUSSION

A broad spectrum of interested and interesting people from all over the planet with unparalleled expertise and experience in Arctic science will gather in this informal session to discuss changes that have occurred in thinking and basic approaches to problems during the past half century - and, perhaps dare make predictions for the new millennium.

Wednesday, September 22, 1999

APPLIED, CROSS-CULTURAL AND REGIONAL SCIENCE PLENARY SESSION:

9:45 a.m. Coping with Technological Disasters: A User Friendly Guidebook, Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, presented by Lisa Ka'aihue, Project Manager.

11:30 a.m. Cleanup of Five Former Military Sites in Alaska: What Impact do Rural Community Boards Have on the Process? J.E. Sprott, M. King, H. Keating.

Noon: Arctic Dinosaurs and Their Cretaceous Record in Alaska. R.A. Gangloff.

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