The Rich Natural Resources of Alaska

Alaskans take pride in their state's natural resources. Three of them gold, fish and fur are well known.

These three resources have been worth many times the sum that the United States paid Russia for this piece of land. However, for the future, Alaska is beginning to look to other resources, especially oil and petroleum.

Alaska is rich in vegetation resources. There are two kinds of forests in the state: the interior forest and the coastal forest. The interior forests are found around the river valleys of the interior area and as far north as the central and eastern parts of the Brooks Range.

Most of the timber harvested is mainly willow and aspen but much of the forest growth is stunted because of the short growing season and permafrost.

The coastal forests on the other hand, begin in the Panhandle and spread throughout the coast of the Gulf of Alaska well into Kodiak Island. These forests are usually dense and made up of hemlock, cedar and spruce trees. Tundra vegetation is also common to much of Alaska.

Most of it is made up of lichens, grasses, various mosses, cranberry vines and crowberries. When these plants die, they decay at a very slow rate mainly because of the dampness and low temperature of the area.

Year after year, old plants pile up and new plants struggle to grow through them. The tundra vegetation in other parts of Alaska may also include dwarf species of trees and a number of bushes.

The only extensive lands for grazing are found on the Aleutian Islands. If you're looking for true arctic tundra with absolutely no trees or shrubs, then you can check out the Arctic slope and Seward Peninsula.

There is also a wide variety of animal life in an area the size of Alaska. The usual animals would be deer, elk, moose, bear, and caribou. Go up further north and grizzly bears start to appear. It is best to go in the summer months as with the Passage Peninsula, this is bear country.

Travel in the area north of the Bering Sea and you'll see sea otters, tigers, whales, beluga whales and more. Wolf watching is good in this area.

The populations of moose and brown bear have experienced a dramatic decline over the past few decades. The gray whale is not guaranteed to survive in the wild as it is being pushed ashore by a faster than normal fall.

Beluga whales have not been seen in Alaska for years and are now back, as well as the beaver and humpback whales. We saw two small pods of whales at a time when we were out sailing in June of this year.

Although most of us probably associate the arrival of whales with going to a whale gallery or whale watching boat, we didn't see any of the larger species. Jack, the southern right whale, did not make an appearance on our boat trip.

While I was on a trip to do some work in Alaska, I went searching for information about whales. I found a Whale Information Center, updated maps for whale watching, and lots of Whale Watching Tips articles and resources. Unfortunately, whale watching season is over in Alaska this time.

They do say that the shrimpoliths (blob) are about 1/4 to 1 inch but, " sometimes, they are almost 3 inches long. The population is dropping fast," they say. That population drop is not expected to be seen again in 100 years.

Still, the population is dropping and that means the whales need to be protected.

Humpbacks, orcas, fin whales and designation of certain areas as "open access" areas. "There is still a lot of humpback whales left in the Arctic, (but) generally speaking, more of them are seen south of the Arctic circle than north," says Sturm.

We saw plenty of other things to see and do. The International Whaling Commission Whale watching smack-dab on the guided tours last year. Jack, the killer whale, performs a little show for the tourists.

The condos at Prince Borough have lots of outdoor balconies that overlook the whales. There is also a great deal of wildlife up and down the province.

Each weekend there is an abundance of sailboats leaving Prince Borough forBear Bay with their famous white-beaked whales. Several companies offer guided whale tours of the province.

You too can experience the thrill of the Arctic Ocean and the magnificent Prince Borough. Visit the Canada Wildlife and Science foundation at the proceeds of Canada's Whale nationals.