In late March, fisherman travel to the waters of Sitka Sound in Southeast Alaska for the Sitka Sac Roe Herring Commercial Fishery. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Every March Pacific Herring migrate to their spawning grounds in the calm waters of Sitka Sound, off Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. This draws not only the whales, sea…
An adult muskox cow and newly born calf rest on the spring tundra of Alaska’s Arctic North Slope. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Muskox are one of the most prehistoric looking animals I’ve ever photographed. They populated Alaska during the close of the Pleistocene era but went extinct sometime in the mid-1800’s. Thanks to a…
Sea otters in Harriman Fjord, Prince William Sound, Alaska. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) Sea otters inhabit Alaska’s southern waters from the eastern Inside Passage to the western Aleutian Islands. They are well loved because of their cute, furry bodies and dextrous little hands. They can often be seen grooming their fur (the densest fur in…
An Arctic fox in its pure white winter coat licks its fur after waking up from a nap in a snowdrift along Colleen Lake in Alaska’s Arctic North Slope. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The Arctic fox is a small animal that inhabits the northern coast and offshore icepack in Alaska. It has a cryptic…
The colorful aurora borealis arcs over the White Mountains National Recreation Area just 35 miles north of Fairbanks in Alaska’s Interior. Because of Fairbanks Alaska’s unique combination of a northern latitude and often clear skies, it is becoming the preferred destination for aurora viewing and photography. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) March is not the only…
Festival of Native Arts, Aleutian Region School District Unangax Dancers, Native dance and art celebration in Fairbanks, Alaska (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The Festival of Native Arts provides cultural education and sharing through traditional Native dance, music, and arts. The Festival continues the University of Alaska Fairbanks student-led tradition that began in 1973 of…
Snow covered spruce trees in the boreal forest of Fairbanks, Alaska. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com) The boreal forest or “northern forest” is the world’s largest land-based biome and represents approximately 30% of the world’s forest. In Alaska, the boreal forest or “taiga” exits between the northern Brooks Range down to the southern Coast Range mountains,…
