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  • Two large glaciers come together to form the main flow of the McBride Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The dark lines of rock debris are called medial moraines. A medial moraine is formed when two glaciers meet and the debris on the edges of the adjacent valley sides join and are carried on top of the glacier. <br />
<br />
The McBride Glacier, the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet, is retreating.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Medial moraines, McBride Glacier.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
This aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide was taken two days after the landslide.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-3.jpg
  • Deep crevasses of Margerie Glacier take on an other worldly look in early evening light in this photo taken at the uppermost region of the glacier just inside the U.S. at the Canadian border. The 21-mile-long glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is one of the park’s tidewater glaciers. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Margerie Glacier crevasses.jpg
  • Deep crevasses of Margerie Glacier take on an other worldly look in early evening light in this photo taken at the uppermost region of the glacier just inside the U.S. at the Canadian border. The 21-mile-long glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is one of the park’s tidewater glaciers. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Margerie Glacier crevasses.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-4.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-5.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-2.jpg
  • Deep crevasses of Margerie Glacier take on an other worldly look in early evening light in this photo taken at the uppermost region of the glacier just inside the U.S. at the Canadian border. The 21-mile-long glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is one of the park’s tidewater glaciers. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Margerie Glacier crevasses-2.jpg
  • Fallen debris on the side of a valley of the Johns Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve appears to be almost feather-like.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Johns Hopkins Glacier debris.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide.jpg
  • The upper snowfield of the Casement Glacier is seen in this aerial photo taken along the border of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve near Mount Rice and the town of Haines in southeast Alaska.
    Casement Glacier snowfield aerial 2.jpg
  • Mount Crillon (12,726 ft.) rises above the clouds near the Johns Hopkins Glacier in Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Mount Crillion.jpg
  • The Muir Inlet of the East Arm of Glacier Bay in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve offers some of the best sea kayaking in the park. The turquoise color of the water is caused by the minerals contained in “rock flour;” the material that tidewater glaciers release as the glaciers grind rocks into dust on their way to the sea. This aerial view is looking south, down the Muir Inlet. Pictured are: The Nunatak and Nunatak Cove (left foreground); Westdahl Point (right foreground), Stump Cove, the entrance to Wachusett Inlet; Hunter Cove, Rowlee Point, Point McLeod (middle right); Sealers Island (enter); Maquinna Cove (center background); Adams Inlet (center background to left background); Tree Mountain, Mount Case, Mount Right; Garforth Island, Sturgess Island, North Marble Island, South Marble Island, Willoughby Island, the northernmost islands of the Beardslee Island (upper right background); Sitakaday Narrows and the entrance to Glacier Bay (furthermost upper right background).<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The effects of a warming climate are easily seen here. It is a place where can you witness geological change firsthand — change that is normally measured in millennia.
    Muir Inlet aerial of East Arm.jpg
  • Red Mountain is reflected in a low tide tidal pool on the beach at Wolf Point on the Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. Also pictured at far right is "The Nunatak, a glaciated knob.
    Red Mountain reflection at Wolf Pt.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall.. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide glacial face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier 4.jpg
  • The retreating McBride Glacier, located just off the Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska, is the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet. McBride Glacier is approximately 1⁄2 mile wide and 14 miles long. Its ice face is approximately 200 feet high above the water and extends about 270 feet below it. This aerial photo, shot after an early November snow storm, shows Icebergs from the calving glacier traveling down the McBride Glacier inlet to the main Muir Inlet. The mountain ridge at left foreground is McConnell Ridge.
    McBride Glacier aerial.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall.. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide glacial face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier 1.jpg
  • This aerial view shows the last portion of the McBride Glacier before it meets the ocean in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The McBride Glacier is the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet, is retreating. Muir Inlet can be seen in the upper right of the photo.<br />
<br />
The dark line of rock debris is called called a medial moraine. A medial moraine is formed when two glaciers meet and the debris on the edges of the adjacent valley sides join and are carried on top of the glacier.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Medial moraine, McBride Glacier.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-4.jpg
  • The retreating McBride Glacier, located just off the Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska, is the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet. McBride Glacier is approximately 1⁄2 mile wide and 14 miles long. Its ice face is approximately 200 feet high above the water and extends about 270 feet below it. This aerial photo, shot after an early November snow storm, shows Icebergs from the calving glacier traveling down the McBride Glacier inlet to the main Muir Inlet (background). The mountain ridge (center right) is McConnell Ridge. Ridge to the left is of McBride Inlet is Van Horn Ridge.
    McBride Glacier aerial 2.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall.. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide glacial face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier 2.jpg
  • Glaciers flow from Mount Bertha (upper left) and Mount Crillon (upper right) to form the upper portion of Johns Hopkins Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Johns Hopkins Glacier.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
This aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide was taken two days after the landslide.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-5.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-9.jpg
  • An unidentified tourist on the daily tour boat, Baranof Wind,admires the face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles. The mountain pictured is Mount Forde.
    Tourist views Margerie Glacier.jpg
  • A portion of the face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska collapses with a loud rifle sounding "crack" and booming roar. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier collapse.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall.. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide glacial face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Margerie Glacier 3.jpg
  • Icebergs from McBride Glacier pool together in McBride Inlet located just off the Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. The McBride Glacier, the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet, is retreating. In 1966 the terminus of the glacier was roughly where the ice in the foreground is. In this 2011 photo the glacier's terminus is approximately 3.5 miles away. The mountain peak in the background is Coleman Peak. McBride Glacier is one of the park's seven tidewater glaciers.
    McBride Glacier.jpg
  • A glacier descends from Coleman Peak in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve to eventually join the McBride Glacier. Note the landslide in upper reaches of the glaicer.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Glacier near Coleman Peak.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Anchorage Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
This aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide was taken two days after the landslide.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide-7.jpg
  • The retreating McBride Glacier, located just off the Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska, is the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet. McBride Glacier is approximately 1⁄2 mile wide and 14 miles long. Its ice face is approximately 200 feet high above the water and extends about 270 feet below it. This aerial photo, shot after an early November snow storm, shows Icebergs from the calving glacier traveling down the McBride Glacier inlet to the main Muir Inlet. The mountain ridge in the center is McConnell Ridge.
    McBride Glacier, icebergs aerial.jpg
  • Tourists on the daily tour boat, Baranof Wind, photograph the face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles.
    Tourists photograph Margerie Glacier.jpg
  • The face of Margerie Glacier, one of the seven tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska, is riddled with cracks and crevices. The Margerie Glacier is located on the Tarr Inlet next to another tidewater glacier, Grand Pacific Glacier. Margerie Glacier's one mile wide face has a total height of 350 feet, out of which 250 feet is above the water level and 100 feet is beneath the water surface. For comparison purposes the Statue of Liberty is 307 feet tall. The length of the glacier (2011) is approximately 21 miles. SPECIAL NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together.
    Margerie Glacier panorama.jpg
  • The uppermost portion of the Grand Pacific Glacier appears like a road intersection in Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. The Grand Pacific Glacier flows downward toward the Gulf of Alaska in the flow in the top left, and downward to to the upper reach of Glacier Bay National Park in the bottom left and right flows. The top right flow is the Melbern Glacier. Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is located in the very northwestern corner of British Columbia, Canada. The park sits between Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon and Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks and Preserves in Alaska. All together, they form the largest protected area in thew world, approximately 21 million acres. The Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers are protected in their entirety making them the only large watershed in North America that is totally protected.<br />
<br />
The remote park is known for its spectacular glacier and icefields, rafting and kayaking, hiking and mountaineering. Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is home to grizzly bears, Dall's sheep, wolves, mountain goats, moose, eagles, falcons, and trumpeter swans.<br />
<br />
The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.
    Grand Pacific Glacier crossroad.jpg
  • The 19-mile long Fairweather Glacier flows past the Lituya Mountain (left) in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fairweather Glacier.jpg
  • A 4,000-foot-high mountainside released approximately 120 million metric tons of rock in 60 seconds during a landslide onto the Lamplugh Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. In an interview with the Alaska Dispatch News, geophysicist Colin Stark of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, described the slide as “exceptionally large.” He compared the massive landslide to roughly 60 million medium SUVs tumbling down a mountainside.<br />
<br />
Mountainsides that were held strong by the heavy ice of glaciers become weak when the glaciers retreat. Erosion along with earthquakes are triggers that can cause the weakened slopes to collapse.<br />
<br />
The slide occurred on the morning of June 28  in a remote area of Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska. It was first observed by Paul Swanstrom, pilot and owner of Haines-based Mountain Flying Service. Swanstrom noticed a huge cloud of dust over the Lamplugh Glacier during a flightseeing tour of Glacier Bay National Park several hours after the slide occurred. Swanstrom estimates the debris field to be 6.5 miles long, and one to two miles in width.<br />
<br />
Even two days later, as this aerial photo of the Lamplugh Glacier landslide shows, a dust cloud remained over the unstable mountainside due to still tumbling rock.
    Lamplugh Glacier landslide.jpg
  • The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. This photo of the glacier was taken on the Trail of Time. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau.
    Mendenhall Glacier in the fall.jpg
  • Riggs Glacier is retreating and is no longer considered a tidewater glacier. The glacier located just off the Muir Inlet is located in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska.
    Riggs Glacier panorama.jpg
  • The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The US Forest Service visitor center at the glacier, dedicated in 1963, was the first such center in the nation. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
    Mendenhall Glacier-2.jpg
  • The upper regions of the Tsirku and Buckwell Glaciers start in Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. The Tsirku Glacier (foreground) flows downward to become the Tsirku River, near Haines, Alaska and the Buckwell Glacier (upper right) flows to become Michael Creek which shortly connects with the O’Connor River. Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is located in the very northwestern corner of British Columbia, Canada. The park sits between Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon and Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks and Preserves in Alaska. All together, they form the largest protected area in thew world, approximately 21 million acres. The Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers are protected in their entirety making them the only large watershed in North America that is totally protected.<br />
<br />
The remote park is known for its spectacular glacier and icefields, rafting and kayaking, hiking and mountaineering. Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is home to grizzly bears, Dall's sheep, wolves, mountain goats, moose, eagles, falcons, and trumpeter swans.<br />
<br />
The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.
    Tsirku Glacier and Tuckwell Glacier.jpg
  • Cracks in the snow on the mountainside above the Fairweather Glacier appear like they could cause an avalanche in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Fairweather Glacier snow cracks.jpg
  • Gray silted water flows from an alluvial fan into the clear blue ocean of the Queen Inlet in the West Arm of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Silt and debris formed the the alluvial fan from the melting water of a glacier near Mount Merriam. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Glacier alluvial fan.jpg
  • Little remains of the Burroughs Glacier (center). In the foreground, are the snow-covered tops of Minnesota Ridge. On the other side of Burroughs Glacier are the Bruce Hills, followed by Wachusett Inlet. The far side of the inlet are the mountains of Idaho Ridge including: Mount Kloh Kutz, Mount Cadell, Mount Merriam and Mount Wordie. In the very distant upper part of the image, mountains of the Fairweather Range can be seen.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Burroughs Glacier.jpg
  • Aialik Glacier pours down the mountains from the Harding Icefield as seen from the Aialik public use cabin on Aialik Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. The park, located near Seward, Alaska is known for its glaciers that flow out from the Harding Icefield, and the coastal fjords shaped by its receding glaciers. Approximately 51 percent of the park is covered by ice. The Harding Icefield, thousands of feet deep, is the largest icefield solely contained within the United States. Exit Glacier, is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska with easy walking trails leading up to the face of the glacier and more difficult trails leading up to the Harding Icefield which feeds Exit Glacier. Abundant land and sea life can be found within the parks boundaries including black and grizzly bears, Steller sea lions, puffins, humpback and orca whales. The park is a popular destination with sea kayakers who frequent Aialik Bay, Holgate Arm, Pederson Lagoon and Northwestern Fjord for magnificent views of the Aialik, Holgate, and Pederson glaciers. Tour companies offer boat tours out of Seward. SPECIAL NOTE: This image is a panorama composite consisting of multiple overlapping images stitched together.
    Aialik Glacier.jpg
  • The upper snowfield of the Casement Glacier is seen in this aerial photo taken along the border of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve near Mount Rice and the town of Haines in southeast Alaska.
    Casement Glacier icefield aerial.jpg
  • Icebergs float in Mendenhall Lake located at the terminus of the Mendenhall Glacier. Also pictured in the background is Mount Wrather. The Mendenhall 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.
    Glacier reflection.jpg
  • Icebergs reflect in Mendenhall Lake located at the terminus of the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall 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.
    Glacier iceberg reflection.jpg
  • The shadow of a small plane passes over the border of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve above uppermost reaches of McBride Glacier near Mount Krause.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Upper McBride Glacier.jpg
  • The Saksaia Glacier sits at the top of the Glacier Creek valley near the location of the potential mine site being explored by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. The area of exploration, known as the Palmer Deposit is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway and the Porcupine placer gold mining area near Haines, Alaska.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
If approved and developed, the mine 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.<br />
<br />
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 and Chilkat River. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles.<br />
<br />
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.
    Saksaia Glacier 3.jpg
  • The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. This photo of the glacier was taken on the Trail of Time. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
    Mendenhall Glacier in the fall-3.jpg
  • Kayakers are dwarfed by the massive Holgate Glacier at sunset on the Holgate Arm of Aialik Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. Photo was taken from the Holgate public use cabin. The park, located near Seward, Alaska, is known for its glaciers that flow out from the Harding Icefield, and the coastal fjords shaped by its receding glaciers. Approximately 51 percent of the park is covered by ice. The Harding Icefield, thousands of feet deep, is the largest icefield solely contained within the United States. Exit Glacier, is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska with easy walking trails leading up to the face of the glacier and more difficult trails leading up to the Harding Icefield which feeds Exit Glacier. Abundant land and sea life can be found within the parks boundaries including black and grizzly bears, Steller sea lions, puffins, humpback and orca whales. The park is a popular destination with sea kayakers who frequent Aialik Bay, Holgate Arm, Pederson Lagoon and Northwestern Fjord for magnificent views of the Aialik, Holgate, and Pederson glaciers. Tour companies offer boat tours out of Seward.
    Holgate Glacier kayakers, Aialik Bay...jpg
  • Visitors to Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska hike the short and easy Photo Point Trail for a look at icebergs from the Mendenhall Glacier. The glacier descends from the massive Juneau Icefield into Mendenhall Lake. Mendenhall Glacier is a popular spot for cruise ship passengers and it sees over 500,000 visitors a year.
    Mendenhall Glacier.jpg
  • A group of kayakers paddle pass the glacier-scoured base of Mount Brock on Muir Inlet near the Riggs Glacier in Glacier National Park and Reserve in southeast Alaska.
    Rigg Glacier kayakers.jpg
  • Icebergs reflect in Mendenhall Lake located at the terminus of the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau.
    Glacier iceberg reflection-2.jpg
  • A kayaker examines an iceberg from the McBride Glacier on a Muir Inlet beach near Van Horn Ridge in Glacier National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska.
    Kayaker with McBride Glacier iceberg...jpg
  • A meadow of tall fireweed booms in Brotherhood Bridge Park in Juneau, Alaska. In the background is the Mendenhall Glacier, one of the most accessible glaciers in southeast Alaska. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
    Tall fireweed and Mendenhall Glacier.jpg
  • A meadow of tall fireweed booms in Brotherhood Bridge Park in Juneau, Alaska. In the background is the Mendenhall Glacier, one of the most accessible glaciers in southeast Alaska. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
    Tall fireweed and Mendenhall Glacier.jpg
  • A meadow of tall fireweed booms in Brotherhood Bridge Park in Juneau, Alaska. In the background is the Mendenhall Glacier, one of the most accessible glaciers in southeast Alaska. Each year, 465,000 curise ship passengers visit the Mendenhall Glacier.
    Tall fireweed and Mendenhall Glacier.jpg
  • A landslide spilled onto the Ferris Glacier in Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is located in the very northwestern corner of British Columbia, Canada. The park sits between Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon and Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks and Preserves in Alaska. All together, they form the largest protected area in thew world, approximately 21 million acres. The Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers are protected in their entirety making them the only large watershed in North America that is totally protected.<br />
<br />
The remote park is known for its spectacular glacier and icefields, rafting and kayaking, hiking and mountaineering. Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park is home to grizzly bears, Dall's sheep, wolves, mountain goats, moose, eagles, falcons, and trumpeter swans.<br />
<br />
The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.
    Ferris Glacier landslide.jpg
  • The Saksaia Glacier sits at the top of the Glacier Creek valley near the location of the potential mine site being explored by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. The area of exploration, known as the Palmer Deposit is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway and the Porcupine placer gold mining area near Haines, Alaska.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
If approved and developed, the mine 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.<br />
<br />
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 and Chilkat River. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles.<br />
<br />
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.
    Saksaia Glacier 1.jpg
  • The Saksaia Glacier sits at the top of the Glacier Creek valley near the location of the potential mine site being explored by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan. The area of exploration, known as the Palmer Deposit is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway and the Porcupine placer gold mining area near Haines, Alaska.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
If approved and developed, the mine 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.<br />
<br />
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 and Chilkat River. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles.<br />
<br />
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.
    Saksaia Glacier 2.jpg
  • An iceberg from the McBride Glacier is stranded on a Muir Inlet beach during low tide near Van Horn Ridge. In the background is "The Nunatak." Muir Inlet is located in Glacier National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska.
    McBride Glacier and The Nunatak.jpg
  • Hikers walk along a snow covered trail below the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in the Tongass National Forest, located 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska was the first such visitor center built by the U.S. National Forest Service. The visitor center was later expanded and now sees over 500,000 visitors a year. From the visitor center visitors can view the icebergs that calve into Mendenhall Lake.
    Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in...jpg
  • The new snow blankets Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in the Tongass National Forest, located 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska was the first such visitor center built by the U.S. National Forest Service. The visitor center was later expanded and now sees over 500,000 visitors a year. From the visitor center visitors can view the icebergs that calve into Mendenhall Lake.
    Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in...jpg
  • The new snow blankets Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in the Tongass National Forest, located 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska was the first such visitor center built by the U.S. National Forest Service. The visitor center was later expanded and now sees over 500,000 visitors a year. From the visitor center visitors can view the icebergs that calve into Mendenhall Lake.
    Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in...jpg
  • The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in the Tongass National Forest, located 12 miles from downtown Juneau, Alaska was the first such visitor center built by the U.S. National Forest Service. The visitor center was later expanded and now sees over 500,000 visitors a year. From the visitor center visitors can view the icebergs that calve into Mendenhall Lake.
    Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.jpg
  • The Thorofare River travels past the terminus of the 34-mile Muldrow Glacier near the Thorofare ranger cabin in Denali National Park in Alaska. The glacier has accumulated rocks and dirt in its journey down from the mountains. This moraine material, along with vegetation growing on top, hides the ice under the surface.
    Muldrow glacier and Thorofare River.jpg
  • A hiker hikes next to the Thorofare River as it travels past the terminus of the 34-mile Muldrow Glacier near the Thorofare ranger cabin in Denali National Park in Alaska. The glacier has accumulated rocks and dirt in its journey down from the mountains. This moraine material, along with vegetation growing on top, hides the ice under the surface.
    Muldrow glacier and Thorofare River-...jpg
  • The Thorofare River travels past the terminus of the 34-mile Muldrow Glacier near the Thorofare ranger cabin in Denali National Park in Alaska. The glacier has accumulated rocks and dirt in its journey down from the mountains. This moraine material, along with vegetation growing on top, hides the ice under the surface.
    Muldrow glacier.jpg
  • 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
In July, 2015, Alaska Governor Bill Walker lifted a moratorium on work on the project to complete environmental impact studies.
    End of Glacier Highway at Echo Cove.jpg
  • 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
In July, 2015, Alaska Governor Bill Walker lifted a moratorium on work on the project to complete environmental impact studies.
    End of Glacier Highway at Echo Cove-...jpg
  • 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
In July, 2015, Alaska Governor Bill Walker lifted a moratorium on work on the project to complete environmental impact studies.
    End of Glacier Highway at Echo Cove-...jpg
  • A full moon rises above Mount Ernest Gruering and the Herbert Glacier near Juneau, Alaska as the final rays of the sun at sunset baths mountain tops in alpenglow light. The view is from the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry FVF Fairweather as it traveled down the Lynn Canal from Haines.
    Moonrise over Herbert Glacier.jpg
  • 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
In July, 2015, Alaska Governor Bill Walker lifted a moratorium on work on the project to complete environmental impact studies.
    End of Glacier Highway at Echo Cove.jpg
  • A full moon rises above Mount Ernest Gruering and the Herbert Glacier near Juneau, Alaska as the final rays of the sun at sunset baths mountain tops in alpenglow light. The view is from the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry FVF Fairweather as it traveled down the Lynn Canal from Haines.
    Moonrise over Herbert Glacier.jpg
  • The Davidson Glacier flows down to the Chilkat Inlet near Haines, Alaska.
    Davidson Glacier.jpg
  • Boulders from a landslide sprawl across a glacier that descends from Coleman Peak in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. This glacier eventually joins the McBride Glacier.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Landslide near Coleman Peak.jpg
  • The Muir Inlet of the East Arm of Glacier Bay in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve offers some of the best sea kayaking in the park. The turquoise color of the water is caused by the minerals contained in “rock flour;” the material that tidewater glaciers release as the glaciers grind rocks into dust on their way to the sea. This aerial view is looking south, down the Muir Inlet. Pictured are: The Nunatak and Nunatak Cove (left foreground); Westdahl Point (right foreground), Stump Cove, the entrance to Wachusett Inlet; Hunter Cove, Rowlee Point, Point McLeod (middle right); Sealers Island (enter); Maquinna Cove (center background); Adams Inlet (center background to left background); Tree Mountain, Mount Case, Mount Right; Garforth Island, Sturgess Island, North Marble Island, South Marble Island, Willoughby Island, the northernmost islands of the Beardslee Island (upper right background); Sitakaday Narrows and the entrance to Glacier Bay (furthermost upper right background).<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The effects of a warming climate are easily seen here. It is a place where can you witness geological change firsthand — change that is normally measured in millennia.
    Muir Inlet aerial of East Arm.jpg
  • A small peak on the slopes of Mount Wrather looks down upon the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall 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.
    Mount Wrather 2.jpg
  • Icebergs from McBride Glacier rest in the intertidal area of a beach at the base of McConnell Ridge on Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. The McBride Glacier, the most active glacier and only tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet, is retreating. In the background is White Thunder Ridge.
    McConnell Ridge icebergs.jpg
  • Icebergs flowing out of the McBride Glacier inlet begin their journey down the Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. In the background is White Thunder Ridge. As late as 1966, the faces of the retreating McBride and Riggs Glaciers were across from White Thunder Ridge. In 2011, the terminus of McBride Glacier is roughly 3.5 miles away. McBride Glacier is the only remaining tidewater glacier in the Muir Inlet.
    White Thunder Ridge icebergs.jpg
  • The conflict over putting in a hard-rock mine near the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska took a new turn recently with the filing of a lawsuit by an Alaska Native Tlingit tribe and three environmental groups. The group is suing the Bureau of Land Management, saying that the agency granted mineral exploration permits without considering how a mine could affect the Chilkat River's salmon and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.<br />
<br />
Constantine Metal Resources and investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan are exploring a potential site for a mine on the steep mountain slopes pictured above Glacier Creek. This area is known as the Palmer Deposit.<br />
<br />
Joining the Tlingit village of Klukwan in the lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management are the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Lynn Canal Conservation and Rivers Without Borders. They are represented by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm. The group is asking for mining permits to be revoked.<br />
<br />
In August 2015, Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia submitted a plan with the BLM to extend their existing access road by 2.5 miles including a switchback road leading to a staging area at the 800 ft. level on the side of the 1,700 ft. mountainside (left). A proposed bridge crossing Glacier Creek would be located in the shadow area in the lower center of the photo with a switchback road leading from the Glacier Creek to the staging area for helicopter and ground-supported activities on the left. The road would also provide access for up to 40 new exploration drill sites. Pictured in the background is the Klehini River. A map showing exactly how this road would appear can be found here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/54990/65845/71485/Figure_6.4_accessible.pdf<br />
<br />
The group suing is concerned that copper and other heavy metals in mine waste might leech into the nearby Klehini River and the Chilkat River, 14 miles downstream.
    Constantine Palmer Deposit aerial -3.jpg
  • 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.
    Bullard Mountain reflection.jpg
  • A portion of the Haines State Forest pictured in this photo (hill area in the center) is under consideration for harvest. Known as the Baby Brown Timber Sale, the proposal by the Alaska Division of Forestry calls for 1,000 acres (20 million board feet) of Sitka spruce and  western hemlock to be harvested from state land. This photo shows the Baby Brown Timber Sale area near Haines Alaska between Porcupine Creek (left) and Glacier Creek (right). The Klehini River is in the foreground. The photo was taken from the Haines Highway (AK-7). The Baby Brown Timber Sale also includes forest land west of Glacier Creek to Jarvis Creek.<br />
<br />
The area pictured also shows land that Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. has leased mineral rights. Constantine Metals is also currently exploring the area above Glacier Creek (right mountain slope). The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver.<br />
<br />
If approved the Baby Brown Timber Sale would be the largest sale in the Chilkat Valley since the 1990’s. The Division of Forestry estimates that the sale could generate 20 jobs directly associated with the harvest, $300,000 in royalties to the state. The economic impact of the sale to the statewide economy is estimated to $2,000,000.<br />
<br />
Conservation groups are concerned by the size of the sale and the impact a sale of this size will have on the watershed, fish, and wildlife. There are also concerns about the impact the harvest will have on the viewshed visible from the Haines Highway (AK-7) which has been designated as a National Scenic Byway.<br />
<br />
EDITORS NOTE: This panorama image was produced by electronically stitching together multiple single images.
    Baby Brown Timber Sale.jpg
  • The conflict over putting in a hard-rock mine near the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska took a new turn recently with the filing of a lawsuit by an Alaska Native Tlingit tribe and three environmental groups. The group is suing the Bureau of Land Management, saying that the agency granted mineral exploration permits without considering how a mine could affect the Chilkat River's salmon and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.<br />
<br />
Constantine Metal Resources and investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan are exploring a potential site for a mine on the steep mountain slopes pictured above Glacier Creek. This area is known as the Palmer Deposit.<br />
<br />
Joining the Tlingit village of Klukwan in the lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management are the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Lynn Canal Conservation and Rivers Without Borders. They are represented by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm. The group is asking for mining permits to be revoked.<br />
<br />
In August 2015, Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia submitted a plan with the BLM to extend their existing access road by 2.5 miles including a switchback road leading to a staging area at the 800 ft. level on the side of the 1,700 ft. mountainside. A proposed bridge crossing Glacier Creek would be located in the shadow area in the lower center of the photo with a switchback road leading from the Glacier Creek to the staging area for helicopter and ground-supported activities on the left. The road would also provide access for up to 40 new exploration drill sites. Pictured in the background is the Klehini River. A map showing exactly how this road would appear can be found here: https://eplanning.blm.gov/epl-front-office/projects/nepa/54990/65845/71485/Figure_6.4_accessible.pdf<br />
<br />
The group suing is concerned that copper and other heavy metals in mine waste might leech into the nearby Klehini River and the Chilkat River, 14 miles downstream.
    Constantine Palmer Deposit aerial -2.jpg
  • The conflict over putting in a hard-rock mine near the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska took a new turn recently with the filing of a lawsuit by an Alaska Native Tlingit tribe and three environmental groups. The group is suing the Bureau of Land Management, saying that the agency granted mineral exploration permits without considering how a mine could affect the Chilkat River's salmon and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. <br />
<br />
Joining the Tlingit village of Klukwan in the lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management are the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Lynn Canal Conservation and Rivers Without Borders. They are represented by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm. The group is asking for mining permits to be revoked.<br />
<br />
Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan is exploring a potential site, known as the Palmer Deposit for a mine (located upper center right) just above Glacier Creek (not visible) and the Klehini River (foreground). Pictured in the rear of the photo is Saksaia Glacier.<br />
<br />
Support for a large scale mine is divided among residents of Haines. The community’s needed economic boost from jobs 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.<br />
<br />
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.
    Constantine Mine 2, Palmer Deposit.jpg
  • The conflict over putting in a hard-rock mine near the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska took a new turn recently with the filing of a lawsuit by an Alaska Native Tlingit tribe and three environmental groups. The group is suing the Bureau of Land Management, saying that the agency granted mineral exploration permits without considering how a mine could affect the Chilkat River's salmon and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. <br />
<br />
Joining the Tlingit village of Klukwan in the lawsuit against the BLM are the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, Lynn Canal Conservation and Rivers Without Borders. They are represented by Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm. The group is asking for mining permits to be revoked.<br />
<br />
Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, British Columbia along with investment partner Dowa Metals & Mining Co., Ltd. of Japan is exploring a site for a mine located just to the right of the pictured Saksaia Glacier (right). The potential mine site is just above Glacier Creek (not visible) and the Klehini River (foreground). This area, known as the Palmer Deposit, is located near the Porcupine placer gold mining area (the low foreground area) below Porcupine Peak (left rear).<br />
<br />
Support for a large scale mine is divided among area residents. The needed economic boost from jobs that a 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. The concern is copper and other heavy metals in mine waste leaching into the Klehini River (shown) and the Chilkat River 14 miles downstream.<br />
<br />
The Chilkat River 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.<br />
<br />
EDITORS NOTE: This image is a stitched panorama.
    Porcupine - Constantine Palmer Depos...jpg
  • Steep Creek begins to freeze  near the Mendenhall Glacier (center). Mountain on the left is McGinnis Mountain. The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau.
    Steep Creek.jpg
  • Glaciers flow  into the Wachusett Inlet of the East Arm of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.  Peak at upper left is Mount Merriam. In the very distant upper right Mount Bertha, located in the Fairweather Range, can be seen.<br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is located in southeast Alaska. Known for its spectacular tidewater glaciers, icefields, and tall costal mountains, the park is also an important marine wilderness area. The park a popular destination for cruise ships, is also known for its sea kayaking and wildlife viewing opportunities. <br />
<br />
Glacier Bay National Park is home to humpback whales which feed in the park's protected waters during the summer, both black and grizzly bears, moose, wolves, sea otters, harbor seals, steller's sea lions and numerous species of sea birds. <br />
<br />
The dynamically changing park, known for its large, contiguous, intact ecosystems, is a United Nations biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
    Mount Merriam.jpg
  • The conflict over putting in a hard-rock mine near the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska took a new turn recently with the filing of a lawsuit by an Alaska Native Tlingit tribe and three environmental groups. The group is suing the Bureau of Land Management, saying that the agency granted mineral exploration permits without considering how a mine could affect the Chilkat River's salmon and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. <br />
<br />
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 upper left side of image) just above Glacier Creek (foreground) and the Klehini River (right side of image). The border with British Columbia is at the upper right. The area above Glacier Greek, known as the Palmer Deposit is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway.<br />
<br />
The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.
    Constantine Palmer Deposit aerial.jpg
  • New snow blankets Steep Creek near the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau.
    Steep Creek snow -1.jpg
  • The slopes of Mount Wrather tower above the Mendenhall Glacier. The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau.
    Mount Wrather.jpg
  • This steel pipe built between 1912 and 1914 once carried water over one mile from Nugget Creek to the Nugget Creek Powerhouse. The pipe is located on the Trail of Time near the Mendenhall Glacier just outside Juneau, Alaska.
    Nugget Creek water pipe-2.jpg
  • 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.
    Nugget Falls.jpg
  • A significant portion of the Haines State Forest pictured in this photo is under consideration for harvest. Known as the Baby Brown Timber Sale, the proposal by the Alaska Division of Forestry calls for 1,000 acres (20 million board feet) of Sitka spruce and  western hemlock to be harvested from state land. This photo shows a portion of the Baby Brown Timber Sale area near Haines Alaska between Glacier Creek (bottom), and Jarvis Creek (top). The Klehini River is at the right. Also visible is the Haines Highway (AK-7). The Baby Brown Timber Sale also includes forest land west of Porcupine Creek (not shown).<br />
<br />
The area pictured also shows land that Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. has leased mineral rights. Constantine Metals is also currently exploring the area above Glacier Creek. The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver.<br />
<br />
If approved, the Baby Brown Timber Sale would be the largest sale in the Chilkat Valley since the 1990’s. The Division of Forestry estimates that the sale could generate 20 jobs directly associated with the harvest, $300,000 in royalties to the state. The economic impact of the sale to the statewide economy is estimated to $2,000,000.<br />
<br />
Conservation groups are concerned by the size of the sale and the impact a sale of this size will have on the watershed, fish, and wildlife. There are also concerns about the impact the harvest will have on the viewshed visible from the Haines Highway (AK-7) which has been designated as a National Scenic Byway.
    Baby Brown Timber Sale.jpg
  • The conflict over putting in a hard-rock mine near the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve near Haines, Alaska took a new turn recently with the filing of a lawsuit by an Alaska Native Tlingit tribe and three environmental groups. The group is suing the Bureau of Land Management, saying that the agency granted mineral exploration permits without considering how a mine could affect the Chilkat River's salmon and the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. <br />
<br />
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 upper left side of image) just above Glacier Creek (foreground) and the Klehini River (right side of image). The border with British Columbia is at the upper right. The area above Glacier Greek, known as the Palmer Deposit is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway.<br />
<br />
The minerals that Constantine’s drilling explorations have found are primarily copper and zinc, with significant amounts of gold and silver.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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
    Constantine Palmer Deposit aerial -7.jpg
  • 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 shown in this photo. This area above Glacier Greek known as the Palmer Deposit, is located near mile 40 of the Haines Highway.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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 and the Chilkat River 14 miles downstream. Copper and heavy metals are toxic to salmon and bald eagles.<br />
<br />
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.
    Constantine Palmer Deposit aerial -5.jpg
  • Trees along the edge of Mendenhall Lake near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center are blanketed with new snow. The Mendenhall Glacier runs roughly 12 miles, originating in the Juneau Icefield, near Juneau, Alaska. The glacier is located 12 miles from downtown Juneau.
    Snow covered trees along Mendenhall ...jpg
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