Dengler Images

Call the “High One” Denali, not Mt. McKinley

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Sun rises on Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Mount McKinley also known as Denali is North America's tallest peak at 20,320 feet and towers over 18,000 feet above the surrounding lowlands. Other mountain peaks pictured include: Mount Brooks, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Tatum, and Mount Carpe. SPECIAL NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together. (John L. Dengler)

UPDATE: On August 31, 2015, President Obama put the issue to rest and changed Mt. McKinley to Denali.

Yesterday’s news that Alaska Republican U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan are making the annual introduction of a bill to officially rename 20,310-foot Mt. McKinley to it’s original historical Athabaskan name, Denali (the Great One or the High One), reminded me of how privileged and lucky I have been to have seen and photograph the mountain. If you ever are lucky enough to see Denali, I think you will understand why I side with Alaskans on this issue. Words and pictures can never describe the view. There literally isn’t a mountain visually taller on the planet. Even though Mt. Everest is higher, Denali’s 18,000-foot change in elevation from it’s base in the lowlands to it’s peak is more than Mt. Everest (only a 12,000-foot change).

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Denali, North America’s tallest peak, on our first visit to Wonder Lake, located deep in Denali National Park and Preserve. After a 6-hour, 84-mile bus ride in a modified school bus, we arrived at Wonder Lake in light rain. Denali is only 25 miles away from Wonder Lake but it was totally obscured by clouds. Not seeing the mountain for weeks, or even a month at a time, isn’t unusual. A visitor has a 33-percent chance of seeing the mountain with clear skies. The odds of a partial view aren’t much better at 40-percent. The park rangers at the Eielson Visitor Center, the closest park visitor center to the peak in the park, keep a calendar in which they hand draw what the peak looked like on a particular day. Most of the drawings are gray clouds.

Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali (Athabaskan for "The High One") basks in morning light at sunrise in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The snow and glacier covered mountain, part of the Alaska Range soars to a height of 20,320 feet. Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain on the North American continent. Although Mt. Everest is higher, the vertical rise of Mt. McKinley is greater. This view is a small detail from the north slopes of the mountain seen from Wonder Lake. (John L. Dengler)

Denali basks in morning light at sunrise in Denali National Park and Preserve. This view is a small detail from the north slopes of the mountain seen from Wonder Lake.

So you can imagine we were dang excited when later that evening we saw a sliver of the mountain in the still heavily overcast skies. Impressed, I took a few photos and went to bed. Then in the early dawn at roughly 4 a.m., Carol shook me telling me I had to immediately get up and look outside the tent. My jaw dropped. The sliver of the mountain that we had seen the night before, was only the foothills of the peak. Those mountains looked like the familiar mountains of the Front Range in Colorado. Towering above them was the icy granite massif, Denali. Even at a distance of 26 miles away we had to tilt our heads upward to take in the mountain. Next to seeing the Aurora borealis, it is probably the most spectacular thing I have seen.

I hope that anyone who makes the effort to Denali National Park gets a chance to see the mountain. Here are some tips that might increase your chances. First, the Wonder Lake campground is the closest you can get to the mountain on land without serious backpacking across the dangerous swift moving McKinley River. It is a great backcountry campground located in a wet boggy area and is one of the most mosquito infested places I have been. Only camping in the Everglades in the summer was worse. You won’t think anything of the cold, rainy, and fierce mosquitos if you get to see the mountain. If you don’t see the mountain, you might curse me for ever putting the thought of seeing the mountain in your head. To increase your chances, you’ll want to stay multiple days at Wonder Lake. I usually try to stay 4 – 6 days, using Wonder Lake as a base to day hike from. The park’s shuttle bus makes it easy to day hike in other areas of the park once you have explored the Wonder Lake area on foot. The final tip I would give is to get up early. It has been my experience that Denali is often visible in the very early morning hours. Don’t hit the snooze alarm though. More often than not it might only stay completely clear for 20 minutes. The mountain creates its own weather and it changes quickly.

Denali teased me in my failed attempt take this time-lapse movie of the clouds swirling around the peak overnight. I hoped that it would eventually clear in this view from Wonder Lake. No such luck.

There is no question that Denali has been over-photographed by professional and amateur photographers. That still doesn’t deter me from trying. Just the exercise of putting in extra effort to simply see the mountain makes it worthwhile. Frankly, in many ways, trying to photograph the mountain is futile. Seeing Denali is one of those things you have to see in person. A photograph will never capture the immensity and majesty that you experience in person.

So as the Alaska delegation tries again after four and a half decades of previous attempts to get the mountain renamed, I’m hoping that this time they succeed and defeat the Ohio delegation’s (President William McKinley was from Ohio) attempts to block the name change to Denali, the name it was for thousands of years before a gold prospector called the mountain McKinley.

Sun rises on Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Also pictured is the setting moon, above Mount McKinley. Mount McKinley also known as Denali is North America's tallest peak at 20,320 feet and towers over 18,000 feet above the surrounding lowlands. Other mountain peaks pictured include: Mount Brooks, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Tatum, Mount Carpe and Mount Foraker. SPECIAL NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together. (John L. Dengler)

ABOVE: Sun rises on Denali and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve. Also pictured is the setting moon, above Denali. Other mountain peaks pictured include: Mount Brooks, Mount Silverthrone, Mount Tatum, Mount Carpe and Mount Foraker. EDITORS NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together.

TOP OF PAGE: Sun rises on Denali and the Alaska Range as seen from Wonder Lake in Denali National Park and Preserve. EDITORS NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together.

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Bald eagle’s view of Constantine Metals Palmer Deposit

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Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan is exploring a potential site for a mine on the steep mountain slopes pictured above Glacier Creek (foreground). This area above Glacier Greek near Mount Henry Clay, known as the Palmer Deposit, is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway. Jarvis Glacier can be seen in the upper right. The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver. Exploratory drilling to refine the location and mineral amounts are the current focus of the company. If approved and developed, the mine, near Haines, Alaska would be an underground mine. Besides the actual ore deposits, having the nearby highway access for transporting ore to the deepwater port at Haines is also attractive to Constantine. The Haines Highway can be seen in photo on the right. Support for a large scale mine such as the Constantine project is divided among residents of Haines, a small community in Southeast Alaska 75 miles northwest of Juneau. The community’s needed economic boost from jobs, development and other mine support that a large-scale mine brings is tempting to some. To others, anything that might put the salmon spawning and rearing habitat and watershed resources at risk is simply unimaginable and unacceptable. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals in mine waste leaching into the Klehini River (shown) and the Chilkat River 14 miles downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. The Chilkat River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Whenever I take aerial photographs of the Chilkat Valley near Haines, Alaska, I am reminded of how intertwined people and wildlife are in this valley. I also find that places that seem big or far away when viewed from the ground look small, insignificant and close-by from the air. It gives meaning to the term, “getting the big picture” — both literally and figuratively. I find it a great way to develop a broader understanding of a story topic, and to put the issues into perspective.

It was for these reasons I wanted to see from the air, the area that is being explored by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia and investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan.

The area that Constantine Metal Resources is exploring for an underground mine is known as the Palmer Deposit. The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver. Exploratory drilling to refine the location and mineral amounts are the current focus of the company.

The mountain slope where the mine might be located is near Mile 40 of the Haines Highway.  It is directly above Glacier Creek which drains into the nearby Klehini River, a tributary of the Chilkat River.

Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan is exploring a potential site for a mine on the mountain slopes (left) above Glacier Creek (shown) and the Klehini River (background). This area above Glacier Greek, known as the Palmer Deposit, is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway. The bottom of the photo is the tongue of the Saksaia Glacier. The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver. Exploratory drilling to refine the location and mineral amounts are the current focus of the company. If approved and developed, the mine, near Haines, Alaska would be an underground mine. Besides the actual ore deposits, having the nearby highway access for transporting ore to the deepwater port at Haines is also attractive to Constantine. Support for a large scale mine such as the Constantine project is divided among residents of Haines, a small community in Southeast Alaska 75 miles northwest of Juneau. The community’s needed economic boost from jobs, development and other mine support that a large-scale mine brings is tempting to some. To others, anything that might put the salmon spawning and rearing habitat and watershed resources at risk is simply unimaginable and unacceptable. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals in mine waste leaching into the Klehini River (shown) and the Chilkat River 14 miles downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. The Chilkat River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. At times more than 3,000 eagles have been recorded at the primary gathering area for the fall chum salmon run. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

It is the interconnection of Glacier Creek, the Klehini River and Chilkat River that is the focus of my interest and the reason for my aerial photography flight. I wanted to get the lay of the land, in particular, how Glacier Creek is situated directly below the area of geologic exploration. I was also interested in seeing the distance from this area of Glacier Creek before it emptied into the Klehini River, and shortly thereafter, the Chilkat River.

Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan is exploring a potential site for a mine (located on the far left edge of image and beyond) just above Glacier Creek (foreground) and the Klehini River (right side of image). The border with British Columbia is at the upper right. This area above Glacier Greek, known as the Palmer Deposit is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway. The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver. Exploratory drilling to refine the location and mineral amounts are the current focus of the company. If approved and developed, the mine, near Haines, Alaska would be an underground mine. Besides the actual ore deposits, having the nearby highway access for transporting ore to the deepwater port at Haines is also attractive to Constantine. The Haines Highway can be seen in photo on the right. Support for a large scale mine such as the Constantine project is divided among residents of Haines, a small community in Southeast Alaska 75 miles northwest of Juneau. The community’s needed economic boost from jobs, development and other mine support that a large-scale mine brings is tempting to some. To others, anything that might put the salmon spawning and rearing habitat and watershed resources at risk is simply unimaginable and unacceptable. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals in mine waste leaching into the Klehini River (shown) and the Chilkat River 14 miles downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. The Chilkat River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

It was obvious from the air why the potential mining site was of interest to Constantine Metal Resources and their partners. Close access to a paved highway (as seen in the above photo, highway is on the right) would allow for easy delivery of ore concentrate by truck to the nearby year-round deepwater port of Haines. According to Constantine Metal Resources’ website, the ore concentrate would then be shipped from Haines to Asian smelters. The steep slope of the terrain makes for easier extraction due to direct access to the ore-rich geologic zones of the mountain slope.

As I have previously written (“Exploration continues at Constantine Metal Resources’ Palmer Project”), the Palmer Deposit project will become an even bigger topic of discussion as Constantine Metal Resources continues to post encouraging results from their exploratory efforts. Mine development is a very slow process with many boxes in need of being checked off: exploratory research, planning, environmental studies, public comment and permit acquisition. All this takes many years, sometimes decades. But as Constantine Metal Resources broadens their exploration, the pace of the project will pick up; as will the interest and concerns of locals.

A mine has the potential to bring needed jobs to the Haines economy. The community’s economic boost from jobs, development and other mine support is tempting to some.

On the other end of the spectrum, anything that has the potential to impact a world-class salmon fishery will be of intense local resident concern. Both the Klehini River and Chilkat River are key salmon spawning rivers for Southeast Alaska. According to local public radio station KHNS, Haines has 180 skippers and crew who commercial fish. The Haines fisherman caught $11.5 million worth of fish, resulting in $326,000 in fish tax for the Haines borough. These numbers do not include the many local residents who depend on salmon for subsistence. Simply put, salmon are critical to the life blood of the community on many levels.

Male chum salmon make their way up the special spawning channel of Herman Creek to spawn with female chum salmon during the fall chum salmon run. The nonprofit Northern Southeast Regional Aquaculture Association, Inc. (NSRAA) built the channel to collect wild broodstock by harvesting spawning female and male salmon for their eggs and milt. These chum salmon are returning to freshwater Herman Creek after three to five years in the saltwater ocean. Spawning only once, chum salmon die approximately two weeks after they spawn. Both sexes of adult chum salmon change colors and appearance upon returning to freshwater. Unlike male sockeye salmon which turn bright red for spawning, male chum salmon change color to an olive green with purple and green vertical stripes. These vertical stripes are not as noticeable in females, who also have a dark horizontal band. Both male and female chum salmon develop hooked snout (type) and large canine teeth. These features in female salmon are less pronounced. Herman Creek is a tributary of the Klehini River and is only 10 miles downstream of the area currently being explored as a potential site of a copper and zinc mine. The exploration is being conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. Some local residents and environmental groups are concerned that a mine might threaten the area’s salmon. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals, found in mine waste, leaching into the Klehini River and the Chilkat River further downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles. Chilkat River and Klehini River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

Anything that endangers the salmon spawning and rearing habitat, and watershed resources is simply unimaginable and unacceptable to many. Of particular concern is copper and other heavy metals in mine waste leaching into the Klehini and Chilkat River. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles.

The Chilkat River chum salmon are the primary food source for one of the largest gatherings of bald eagles in the world. Each fall, bald eagles congregate in the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, located only three miles downriver from the area of current exploration. At times more than 3,000 eagles have been recorded at the preserve during the fall chum salmon run.

It was these bald eagles that originally brought me to the Chilkat Valley, but like the many interconnected aspects of this valley, it became quickly apparent to me that without salmon, there would be no large groups of bald eagles. Without salmon, I doubt that the original Tlingit people would have had the presence they had in the valley.

In journalism, you always hear the term “follow the money.” In the case of the Chilkat Valley, I believe it might be more appropriate to say, “follow the salmon.”

That’s just what I did with my aerial flight. The eagle-eye view gave me a literal overview of the valley’s interconnections giving me a better perspective and understanding of the mine exploration area and its relation to the Chilkat Valley’s watershed.

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The Juneau Road – a road to somewhere or nowhere?

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This sign marks the end of the Glacier Highway that currently ends at Echo Cove, approximately 43 miles north of Juneau, Alaska. The Juneau Access Improvements Project is a proposed $570-million road project to extend Glacier Highway for closer access to the southeast Alaska towns of Haines and Skagway. Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is the only capital city in the United States whose roads do not connect with the continental road network. Currently travelers either have to fly between Juneau, Haines and Skagway, or travel on one of the Alaska Marine Highway System ferries. The plan by Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities calls for extending the road 48 miles along the Lynn Canal from Echo Cove north of Juneau to the Katzehin River where a new ferry terminal would be built. From there yet-to-be-built smaller ferries would transport vehicles and passengers to Haines and Skagway with four to eight trips per day. The proposal, decades in the making, is a contentious issue within the Lynn Canal communities. Proponents cite greater travel flexibility, lower costs for the state and travelers. Opponents cite concerns for marine and terrestrial wildlife, economic loss to local businesses, winter travel safety, landscape degradation, lack of planning for handling walk-on passengers to and from the remote Katzehin terminal and the high cost of the project. Most of the $570-million road construction cost will be paid by the federal government, with the state picking up approximately 10 percent in matching costs. (© John L. Dengler/Dengler Images)

The Juneau Access Improvements Project is a proposed $570-million road project to extend Glacier Highway out of Juneau for closer road access to the southeast Alaska towns of Haines and Skagway. Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is the only capital city in the United States whose roads do not connect with the continental road network. Currently travelers either have to fly between Juneau, Haines and Skagway, or travel on one of the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The plan by Alaska’s Department of Transportation and Public Facilities calls for extending the road 48 miles along the Lynn Canal from its current dead end at Echo Cove north of Juneau (pictured above) to the Katzehin River where a new ferry terminal would be built. From there yet-to-be-built smaller ferries would transport vehicles and passengers to Haines and Skagway with four to eight trips per day.

According to the Associated Press, most of the $570-million road construction cost will be paid by the federal government, with the state picking up approximately 10 percent in matching costs.

The proposal, decades in the making, is a contentious issue within the Lynn Canal communities.

Proponents make their case

Proponents say that the road will give greater flexibility to travelers, make travel cheaper, faster. According to the Alaska Department of Transportation’s 2014 Juneau Access Improvements Project: Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, travel time with the new highway and shorter ferry runs would be reduced travel. The report used these examples.

Current total travel time by ferry (including check-in time, loading and unloading, in-transit, and driving):

Auke Bay (Juneau) to Haines: 7.2 hours (mainline ferry), 4.0 hours (fast ferry)
Auke Bay (Juneau) to Skagway: 9.1 hours (mainline ferry), 4.1 hours (fast ferry)

If a direct highway connection existed (at 40-50 miles per hour) the department of transportation estimates these travel times:

Auke Bay to Haines: 1.5 – 2 hours*
Auke Bay to Skagway: 2 – 2.5 hours*

*does not include ferry travel time to/from the proposed Katzehin ferry terminal and related staging/waiting time for the shuttle ferry

Proponents also suggest that extending the current highway will free up resources to improve ferry service to other parts of southeast Alaska by moving the larger ferries currently used and replacing those ferries with smaller ferries that would run shorter distances more frequently.

Opponents speak out

The proposed highway is not without opponents. During public comment meetings in Haines, Skagway and Juneau, most speakers were opposed to the plan. Reasons cited include difficult and costly construction across steep faces that the road would travel, 41 active avalanche chutes, and over 100 identified land and rock slide areas. Also a concern is the degradation of the world-class scenery due to the highway being rock cut much of the way spoiling views popular with cruise ship passengers, economic loss for small businesses in Haines and Skagway due to better access to Juneau businesses, and general winter safety travel concerns. Some speakers at the public comment meetings were skeptical of the figures for traffic demand for the road. They also expressed concern on how to handle walk-on passengers for the short ferry trips between Haines/Skagway and the proposed unmanned Katzehin ferry terminal. The concern is that travel would become more expensive and difficult for walk-aboard ferry passengers. It is unclear how walk-aboard ferry passengers would secure ground transportation from the proposed remote Katzehin Ferry terminal to Juneau, approximately 90 miles away.

Conservation concerns

Conservation and environmental groups are concerned about potential impacts on marine and terrestrial wildlife. Concerns include increased animal mortality from vehicle collisions and easier hunter/trapper access, habitat fragmentation by wildlife that typically avoid roads and impact on bald eagle nests. Another concern is for the Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) who frequent the Met Point and Gran Point haulouts.

Among the concerns related to the proposed Juneau Access Improvements Project is the Steller sea lion haulout at Gran Point (pictured). The haulout at Gran Point is a designated Steller sea lion Critical Habitat Area. According to the Alaska Department of Transportation’s 2014 Juneau Access Improvements Project: Draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement, more than one hundred Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) have been counted at the haulout during the spring and fall. As currently proposed the proposed highway would be built just uphill from the haulout area, approximately 100 to 600 feet horizontally and 50 to 100 feet vertically. Highway plans near the haulout includes blasting steep rock-cut embankments and several tunnels with one tunnel entrance only 550 feet away from the haulout. There is concern for haulout abandonment by the sea lions during highway construction as studies have shown Steller sea lions are very sensitive to noise, both in and out of water. Because Steller sea lions frequent Gran Point nearly year round, the use of explosives and helicopters will be challenging during construction. There are two distinct populations of Steller sea lions in Alaska. The majority of Stellar sea lions that frequent the Lynn Canal are part of the eastern population of Steller sea lions which are not listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act; unlike the western population of Steller sea lions which are listed as endangered. That said however, there have been confirmed sightings of the western population Steller sea lions at Gran Point. The Juneau Access Improvements Project is a proposed $570-million highway project to extend Glacier Highway out of Juneau for closer road access to the southeast Alaska towns of Haines and Skagway. Juneau’s roads do not connect with the continental road network. Editors note: This is a cropped version of image# I00007z0NNeMhXeA (John L. Dengler)

Of particular concern is the haulout at Gran Point, a designated Steller sea lion Critical Habitat Area (pictured above and below). According to the supplementary Environmental Impact Statement, more than one hundred Steller sea lions have been counted at the haulout during the spring and fall. As currently proposed the proposed highway would be built just uphill from the haulout area, approximately 100 to 600 feet horizontally and 50 to 100 feet vertically.

Among the concerns related to the proposed Juneau Access Improvements Project is the Steller sea lion haulout at Gran Point (pictured). The haulout at Gran Point is a designated Steller sea lion Critical Habitat Area. According to the Alaska Department of Transportation’s 2014 Juneau Access Improvements Project: Draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement, more than one hundred Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) have been counted at the haulout during the spring and fall. As currently proposed the proposed highway would be built just uphill from the haulout area, approximately 100 to 600 feet horizontally and 50 to 100 feet vertically. Highway plans near the haulout includes blasting steep rock-cut embankments and several tunnels with one tunnel entrance only 550 feet away from the haulout. There is concern for haulout abandonment by the sea lions during highway construction as studies have shown Steller sea lions are very sensitive to noise, both in and out of water. Because Steller sea lions frequent Gran Point nearly year round, the use of explosives and helicopters will be challenging during construction. There are two distinct populations of Steller sea lions in Alaska. The majority of Stellar sea lions that frequent the Lynn Canal are part of the eastern population of Steller sea lions which are not listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act; unlike the western population of Steller sea lions which are listed as endangered. That said however, there have been confirmed sightings of the western population Steller sea lions at Gran Point. The Juneau Access Improvements Project is a proposed $570-million highway project to extend Glacier Highway out of Juneau for closer road access to the southeast Alaska towns of Haines and Skagway. Juneau’s roads do not connect with the continental road network. Travelers either have to fly between Juneau, Haines and Skagway, or travel on one of the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System. (John L. Dengler)

Highway plans near the haulout includes blasting steep rock-cut embankments and several tunnels with one tunnel entrance only 550 feet away from the haulout. There is concern for haulout abandonment by the sea lions during highway construction as studies have shown Steller sea lions are very sensitive to noise, both in and out of water. It was originally believed that construction could take part during a one to five week period when the haulout was unused by the Steller sea lions. New studies, and remote camera monitoring have shown that Steller sea lions now frequent Gran Point nearly year round making the use of explosives and helicopters more challenging.

Among the concerns related to the proposed Juneau Access Improvements Project is the Steller sea lion haulout at Gran Point (pictured). The haulout at Gran Point is a designated Steller sea lion Critical Habitat Area. According to the Alaska Department of Transportation’s 2014 Juneau Access Improvements Project: Draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement, more than one hundred Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) have been counted at the haulout during the spring and fall. As currently proposed the proposed highway would be built just uphill from the haulout area, approximately 100 to 600 feet horizontally and 50 to 100 feet vertically. Highway plans near the haulout includes blasting steep rock-cut embankments and several tunnels with one tunnel entrance only 550 feet away from the haulout. There is concern for haulout abandonment by the sea lions during highway construction as studies have shown Steller sea lions are very sensitive to noise, both in and out of water. Because Steller sea lions frequent Gran Point nearly year round, the use of explosives and helicopters will be challenging during construction. There are two distinct populations of Steller sea lions in Alaska. The majority of Stellar sea lions that frequent the Lynn Canal are part of the eastern population of Steller sea lions which are not listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act; unlike the western population of Steller sea lions which are listed as endangered. That said however, there have been confirmed sightings of the western population Steller sea lions at Gran Point. The Juneau Access Improvements Project is a proposed $570-million highway project to extend Glacier Highway out of Juneau for closer road access to the southeast Alaska towns of Haines and Skagway. Juneau’s roads do not connect with the continental road network. Travelers either have to fly between Juneau, Haines and Skagway, or travel on one of the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway System. (John L. Dengler)

There are two distinct populations of Steller sea lions in Alaska. The majority of Stellar sea lions that frequent the Lynn Canal are part of the eastern population of Steller sea lions which are not listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act; unlike the western population of Steller sea lions which are listed as endangered. That said however, there have been confirmed sightings of the western population Steller sea lions at Gran Point.

What’s next?

Public comments on the project are now closed. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities expects to release their final supplemental Environmental Impact Statement in 2015.

Update: New spending on project halted

In January of 2015, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker issued an order stopping new spending on this project. He questions whether the state can afford such a project with oil prices falling.

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Nugget Falls – a lesson of scale in Alaska

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Hikers to Nugget Falls located next to the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska are dwarfed by the 377 foot waterfall. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier. (John L. Dengler)

Scale is an important concept to grasp in Alaska. Things are big, really big — actually bigger than big. However, scale in Alaska is also not what it appears to be.

My introduction to this phenomenona goes back over 15 years ago when my wife Carol and I made our first backpack trip in Denali National Park. In preparation for the trip I poured over topographic maps to plan our multi-day backcountry trip into a part of the park where there are no trails. I carefully formulated a route over rivers and through the mountains. That carefully crafted route went out the window when we arrived to the area. You see, topographic maps in Alaska are at a different scale. In the lower 48, topographic contour intervals on maps are 20 feet. On Alaska maps, the contour interval is 100 feet. The small river bank that I thought was only 20 feet was actually a steep 100 foot high wall. Hills turned out to be mountains. Scale in Alaska was painfully learned on that trip. Lesson learned.

Flash forward a dozen or more years where I’m now aware of what I call ‘Alaska scale’. I now know that in order to help viewers of my work appreciate just how big things are in Alaska, I need to give context and clues to the scale of the subject of the photograph.

My recent post about the publication of one of my Mendenhall Glacier photos reminded me of one of my favorite photos, taken at the glacier. On one of my trips to the Mendenhall Glacier I photographed the powerful Nugget Falls of Nugget Creek as it drops down into Mendenhall Lake near the face of the glacier. Including people in the image helps give a sense of scale. The falls look (and are) HUGE!

Wait I say, not so fast. Remember my first lesson about “Alaska scale”? That same general principle applies to this photo. Things are not what they seem in Alaska.

See the tiny waterfall in the image below. That’s Nugget Falls, the same falls in the image above. In the greater scheme of the landscape at Mendenhall Glacier the falls are quite small. This scale phenomenon is one of things I find so intriguing about Alaska.

An iceberg floats in Mendenhall Lake located at the terminus of the Mendenhall Glacier. Also reflected in the lake is Bullard Mountain and Nugget Falls. The glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier. (John L. Dengler)

ABOVE: An iceberg floats in Mendenhall Lake located at the terminus of the Mendenhall Glacier. Also reflected in the lake is Bullard Mountain and Nugget Falls. The glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier.

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