You'd Have to be There: Horned Puffins

Image and info from identify.whatbird.com and alaskatravel.com

It's no secret that Alaska has a diverse amount of flora, fauna, and wildlife that has not existed (or no longer exists) within other parts of the US and world. With T-minus 5 days until I leave, I thought I'd give you a clue into some of the different species/plants that will most likely make it into my flickr album by the end of the trip.

Horned Puffin

Most people in probably know this bird instead from a cereal box at the local Whole Foods than as a real bird. However, puffins are present in most cold environments, on both Pacific and Atlantic coasts. Horned puffins stay along the coasts of Alaska and British Columbia to breed in the summers, so they're expected to be in decent numbers during the time of my trip.

There are two types of puffins - one a tufted puffin, which has white 'hairs' on the back of its head (also in Alaska); the other is the horned puffin.

Fun Facts:

• The Horned Puffin can fly, but it spends more time in the water as it is a better swimmer.


• Puffins can dive underwater for more than one minute.


• Swimming is much like flying for them as they use their wings to propel them forward and feet like rudders to steer them back and forth.


• The birds winter over a broad area of the central North Pacific, generally over deep oceanic waters.


• A group of puffins has many collective nouns, including a "burrow", "circus", "colony", "improbability", and "puffinry" of puffins.

More to come...

A little bit about Anchorage

Some facts:

• Population: 282,813 (over 2/5 of Alaska's population)
• Elevation: 102 ft
• Summers are typically mild (although cool compared to the contiguous US and even interior Alaska), though it can rain frequently. Average July low and high temperatures are 52 °F/66 °F
• The land area of the city itself is about the size of Rhode Island.
• It lies slightly farther north than Oslo, Helsinki and St. Petersburg.
• The city's seacoast consists mostly of treacherous mudflats. Newcomers and tourists are warned not to walk in this area because of extreme tidal changes and sticky mud.
• Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America (23,320 ft), is just north of the city in Denali.
• Out of the total population, 8.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Fun facts:

• Over 100 moose are killed by cars in the city each year
• Moose and bears are regularly sighted downtown
• Twenty-six percent of the tonnage of U.S. international air freight moves through Anchorage
• Alaska Route 1 is the only numbered state highway (and only road access) into Anchorage
• Curt Schilling, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, is one of the great sports figures from the city

History:

Anchorage was established in 1914 as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, which was built between 1915 and 1923. Ship Creek Landing, where the railroad headquarters was located, quickly became a tent city; Anchorage was incorporated on November 23, 1920. The city's economy in the 1920s centered around the railroad. Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the city experienced massive growth as air transportation and the military became increasingly important. Merrill Field opened in 1930, and Anchorage International Airport opened in 1951. Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson were constructed in the 1940s.

On March 27, 1964, Anchorage was hit by the magnitude 9.2 Good Friday Earthquake, which killed 115 Alaskans and caused $1.8 billion in damage (2007 U.S. dollars). The earth-shaking event lasted nearly five minutes; most structures that failed remained intact the first few minutes, then failed with repeated flexing. Rebuilding dominated the city in the mid 1960s.

In 1968, oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, and the resulting oil boom spurred further growth in Anchorage. In 1975, Anchorage merged with Eagle River, Girdwood, Glen Alps, and several other communities. The merger expanded the city, known officially as the Municipality of Anchorage. The city continued to grow in the 1980s, and capital projects and an aggressive beautification campaign took place.

This info (and more) can be found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage%2C_ak.

More trip info (and family pics)

A little more information, as I dig it up from our team correspondences - we are one of five teams working in Anchorage this summer:

The WHO WHAT WHERE of Global Village, Anchorage 2008
"Habitat Anchorage is gearing up for a busy and exciting summer! We
have chosen Partner Families who are working toward homeownership in
two different areas of Anchorage.

Three families will purchase their home in a condo community at 32nd
and Spenard. When fully occupied there will be 12 families living here.

Four more families will be working to build their homes in a brand new
development we are calling our Tyson Build. These are 4 and 5 bedroom
single family homes.

Since all five GV Teams will be working at Tyson nearly full time, you
will get to know the Tyson Families on the job site. We will invite
all seven families to dinner and other activities with each team so
you will have a chance to meet them all."

If you can believe it, 10 weeks of labor from 5 teams are going to build homes for 12 families. Amazing.

Attached below are pictures of some of the families these five teams will be helping. From top to bottom: The Gadd family, Nyalong Choul and Bajek Deng, The Isnmatovs, Andy Lee and MaiKer Vue, Ricardo Mejorada and family, and Phia Lee, Yer Vang and family.

Why "North to the Future?"

"North to the Future" is one of Alaska's state mottos. I thought it would fit in nicely with being able to provide futures for families in need. It is also called "The Great Land," after the native Aleuts, who call the land 'Aleyska.'

Welcome! 2.5 weeks to go til' the 2.5 week trip...

Here's a warm welcome to all that are viewing my site. Here's a little background:

My name is Erin, and I currently reside in Austin, TX. In July of 2008, I will be traveling to Anchorage, Alaska as part of Habitat for Humanity's Global Village program. While I'm there, I will be with a team of 18, building houses for those in need in the city, as well as taking some time off to get a little sightseeing/touring.

While I am there, I will have limited time to access email and catch up on the day's events, so I'll be detailing most of it before the trip, including facts about the project, the place, myself, and the families we're helping so you can be in the know.

Most of you are aware that I also love digital photography, and over the last few years, it has quickly become my hobby. As I'm there, I will be documenting as much as possible and posting it to my Flickr site when I have the opportunity.

---

My tentative trip itinerary:

• July 5, Saturday - Arrive in Anchorage in afternoon/evening; get settled


• July 6, Sunday - Orientation; cultural museum or hike at Hatcher Pass in the Talkeetna Mountains


• July 7-11, Monday-Friday - Build in Anchorage; evening activities such as hiking, biking and/or hanging out with partner families.


• July 12-13, Saturday-Sunday - Drive to Chitina, then fly to McCarthy; stay at Kennicott Glacier Lodge in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park; tour glacier, old mine, go ice climbing, lots of options


• July 14, Monday - Return to Anchorage


• July 15-17, Tuesday-Thursday - Build in Anchorage; evening activities


• July 18, Friday - Travel to Seward; sightseeing around Seward; dinner cruise in Kenai Fjords National Park


• July 19, Saturday - Return to Anchorage; depart for home or personal travel after 5 p.m.

---

Thanks for reading, and I hope you are able to learn a little about the area while I am experiencing it.

-Erin-