BASIC INFO 1. 2. State Capital = Juneau State Nickname = The Land of Midnight Sun Y?

In summer, Alaska is sunny around the clock! 3. State Motto = North to the Future! Y? It is a reminder that beyond the horizon of the urban clutter there is a Great Land beneath the flag that can provide a new tomorrow for this centurys huddled masses yearning to be free. 4. Year Admitted = January 3rd, 1959 5. Population = around 327,000 6. Major Cities = 1. Juneau, 2. Anchorage, 3. Fairbanks 7. State Flower = 4get-me-not 8. State Tree = Sitka Spruce 9. State Gem = Jade Y? Mine 10. State Mineral = Gold Y? Klondike Gold Rush GEOGRAPHICAL INFO 1. 2. Where in the US is it located? a. Its a far off state, off the coast of Canada. What states or bodies of water border it? a. Water = the Be-+++ b. .ring, Arctic, and Pacific c. States = The country of Canada Have there been any natural disasters recently? Does the climate and geography affect the tourism of it? Is it positive or negative? What types of plants and animals are there? Alaska is one of two U.S. states not bordered by another state; Hawaii the other. Alaska has more ocean coastline than all of the other U.S. states combined.[1] About 500 miles (800 km) of Canadian territory separate Alaska from Washington State. Alaska is thus an exclave of the United States that is part of the continental U.S. but is not part of the contiguous U.S.[2] Alaska is also the only state whose capital city is accessible only via ship or air. No roads connect Juneau to the rest of the continent.

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The state is bordered by Yukon and British Columbia, Canada to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

Alaska's area compared to the 48 contiguous states because it extends into the Eastern Hemisphere, it is technically both the westernmost and easternmost state in the United States, as well as also being the northernmost. Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area at 570,380 square miles (1,477,300 km2), over twice as large as Texas, the next largest state. If the state's westernmost point were superimposed on San Francisco, California, its easternmost point would be in Jacksonville, Florida. It is larger than all but 18 sovereign nations. Alaska is home to 3.5 million lakes of 20 acres (8.1 ha) or larger. [3] Marshlands and wetland permafrost cover 188,320 square miles (487,700 km2) (mostly in northern, western and southwest flatlands). Frozen water, in the form of glacier ice, covers some 16,000 square miles (41,000 km2) of land and 1,200 square miles (3,100 km2) of tidal zone. The Bering Glacier complex near the southeastern border with Yukon, Canada, covers 2,250 square miles (5,800 km2) alone.

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RECREATION The Golden North Hotel is a haunted hotel in Skagway, Alaska. This structure was built in the year of 1898. It is actually considered to be one of the oldest hotels to operate in the Alaska area. In the year of about 1908, this hotel was moved to the area where it currently stands. Once the move was completed, another story was added to the top in an effort to bring it to three stories instead of two stories. In addition to this, the dome, which is golden in color, was also added at this time. In the year of 1997, this hotel was renovated. Here, you will learn about some of the hauntings that are rumored to occur at this hotel. The Hauntings of Golden North Hotel There are at least two hauntings of the Golden North Hotel. The first and most popular haunting that is said to reside in the hotel is that of a spirit which many refer to as Mary. In the early days of the hotel, prospecting for gold was a popular activity. It is believed that Marys fianc was in the area engaging in this activity. He seemed to have quite a bit of luck, so he sent for Mary. She arrived at the area and he reserved a room for her at this grand hotel. They spent some time together, and he went back to prospecting, promising to return soon. Unfortunately, while he was away, she developed pneumonia. As her sickness progressed, she laid patiently in room 23 waiting for the return of her true love. Eventually, the sickness overtook her and she passed away. Today, guests claim to see a spirit of Mary in this room. Several individuals who have stayed overnight in the room often awake feeling as if they are choking. The next rumored haunting occurs in room 14. Individuals who stay in this room, and even the housekeeping staff and other employees claim that there is a strange light that occurs in the room. This light is most evident late in the night, and early in the morning, just before dawn. To some, it appears like a sparkle, or a small light that twinkles on and off. To others, it appears as an orb of light. The light does not appear to be threatening to anyone who sees it, but it is actually quite startling to those who are able to view it. Today, if you want to visit the haunted hotel in Alaska of Golden North, you can easily do so. If you make a visit here, be sure to stop by room 23 and room 14! The Million Dollar Bridge spanning the Copper River in the Chugach National Forest in Cordova, Alaska was originally built in 1908 to aid in the movement of copper ore and has since been rebuilt as it was severely damaged in an earthquake. Many people believe the Million Dollar Bridge is a road to nowhere but until you have crossed this famous landmark to find out where it leads, the mystery remains for most people.

This famous landmark is surrounded by the beautiful scenery which makes up the Chugach National Forest and is now used as a great form of transportation.

Million Dollar Bridge crossing the Copper River, Cordova, Copper River Delta, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

The Alaska SeaLife Center, Alaskas premier public aquarium and Alaska's only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility , is located on the shores of Resurrection Bay in Seward in the U.S. state of Alaska. Open since May 1998, it is dedicated to understanding and maintaining the integrity of the marine ecosystem of Alaska through research, rehabilitation, conservation, and public education. It is the only facility in the world specifically dedicated to studying the northern marine environment and the only one designed at the outset to combine research with public education and visitor components. The Alaska SeaLife Center generates and shares scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of Alaska's marine ecosystems.

The Alaska SeaLife Center project cost $55 million; Exxon Valdez oil spill settlement funds made up the $37.5 million portion of funds dedicated to research and rehabilitation. An additional $12 million was raised by selling bonds, and $1.1 million was raised locally through private donations.

The Alaska SeaLife Center is a private, non-profit corporation with approximately 105 full-time employees and a staff of volunteers and interns.[3]

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In September 2011, the Alaska SeaLife Center was granted accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This acknowledgment places the ASLC in the top tier of their field as less than 5% of the nation's 6000 zoos and aquariums currently have this standard of certification.

The Alaska SeaLife Center is one of the only non-profit organizations in the world that has both a public aquarium and fully supported research facility in the same building. The SeaLife Center is affiliated with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and collaborates with numerous state, federal and international agencies and universities.

The SeaLife Center studies the marine ecosystems of Alaska and the species who call it home. This includes species of marine mammals, sea birds, fish and invertebratessome of which have been listed as threatened or endangered species. The Alaska SeaLife Center specializes in marine mammal and sea bird research on species including Steller sea lions, eiders, harbor seals, sea otters, fur seals and other species experiencing population declines in Alaska. Research strives to develop cutting-edge technology and techniques, while minimizing impact on the species and environment being studied.

The Science Department currently includes dedicated programs for pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), eiders, sea otters and salmon. Newly added is an oceanographic program that will complement a more ecosystem-based approach towards understanding the Alaska marine environments.[clarification needed]

[edit] RehabilitationThe Alaska SeaLife Center provides care for sick and injured marine animals, yielding important information about wildlife populations. Through this program, the center rescues, treats, and releases stranded animals. It is the policy of the Alaska SeaLife Center to make every reasonable effort to rehabilitate and release as many rescued animals as possible. The main objective of the Rehabilitation Program is to return healthy rehabilitated animals back to their natural habitat. Stranded marine animals including harbor, ringed, spotted and fur seals, Steller and California sea lions, walruses, sea otters, and birds from all over Alaska are brought to the center for medical treatment, rehabilitation, and ideally, release. In cases where the animals cannot be released, they are kept at the Alaska SeaLife Center or transferred to another facility.

The Alaska SeaLife Center is the only permanent stranding facility for marine mammals in Alaska. Operating as a designated marine mammal "stranding center" within a marine research facility allows veterinarians and staff to learn a great deal about these animals during the rehabilitation process.

Rescued and rehabilitated animals provide the Alaska SeaLife Center with insight to their biology and physiology. This information adds to the pool of knowledge necessary to conserve threatened and endangered species. This program also assists with monitoring the status of wild populations through scientific study of ill or orphaned marine mammals and birds. Through communication and education programs, public knowledge of the marine environment and public awareness of its importance to our ecosystem is increased.

The Rescue and Rehabilitation Program is authorized by NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) and USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to respond to marine mammal and bird strandings from the entire gulf coast of Alaska. The program includes a veterinary staff, interns, and volunteers trained to respond and care for marine mammals and birds.

[edit] EducationThe Discovery Education programs are developed in accordance with Alaskas Science Content and Performance Standards and the National Science Education Standards. Programs are offered year-round at the SeaLife Center in the form of Day Programs and overnight Nocturne Sleepovers. Outreach Programs can be presented in schools in the Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Kenai Peninsula areas. Distance Learning programs can be presented worldwide to locations with interactive videoconference equipment.

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[edit] ExhibitsThe Center's public exhibits include a touch tank where visitors can touch small marine organisms such as sea urchins in a shallow pool, a grotto for the center's numerous seabirds with a two-story diving pool, as well as harbor seals, sea lions a Giant Pacific Octopus, and a preserved Giant Squid. There also exhibits of Alaska's most important food fish such as salmon, halibut, king crab, and sablefish

FAMOUS SONS AND DAUGHTERS 1. Irene Bedard's first role was as Mary Crow Dog in the television production Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee, which depicted the 1970s standoff between police and Native Americans at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. She is probably best known as the voice of the eponymous hero in the Disney animated film Pocahontas and its direct-to-video sequel Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World. Bedard was also the physical model for the character. She appeared in a different take of the story in the 2005 film The New World, as Pocahontas' mother whose name was Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske. Bedard attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA where she studied Musical Theatre. In 2005, she was cast in the television mini-series Into the West, portraying the half-Lakota, half-white adult Margaret "Light Shines" Wheeler. Irene Bedard is known for bringing a powerful emotional presence to her characters. She was chosen as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People for 1995.[1] Virgil Franklin Partch Born on Saint Paul Island, Alaska, Partch attended high school in Tucson, Arizona and studied at the University of Arizona. In 1937, Partch enrolled at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, where he attended Rico Lebruns classes for six months before dropping out. He later began a four-year stint working for Disney studios his departure was connected to the Disney animators' strike of 1941. Soon he began selling gag cartoons to large-circulation magazines, including Collier's and True. After he left Disney, he worked briefly for Walter Lantz on Woody Woodpecker cartoons. Hoover was born in Cordova on Oct. 13, 1919. His father was Dutch and his mother Aleut-Russian. Hoover took imagery and tales from various Alaska Native traditions and transformed them into striking contemporary art. His work was highly prized by collectors, corporations and museums. He exhibited around the world but was particularly appreciated in his home state, where his large sculptural work adorns such facilities as the Egan Civic and Convention Center, the Alaska Native Medical Center and the Alaska Native Heritage Center, all in Anchorage. Art did not become a career for Hoover until relatively late in life. He was one of the first ski instructors at Sun Valley in Idaho and a commercial fisherman back in Alaska. Between fishing seasons in 1960, he built a 58-foot seiner in his backyard in Cordova "without much in the way of power tools," he told the Daily News in a 1998 interview. When he was finished, he realized that what he had done was much like sculpture and he turned to art. Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/09/05/2049946/alaska-artist-john-hoover-dead.html#ixzz1f9H6XBnF

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ECONOMY Livestock The most valuable livestock commodity produced in Alaska is milk, followed by eggs and beef cattle. Alaskan farmers also raise chickens, hogs, sheep, and lambs. Native Alaskan Inuit maintain herds of reindeer as a source of meat and hides. Crops Greenhouse and nursery products are the top agricultural revenue producers in Alaska. Barley, hay, oats, and potatoes are prevalent field crops. Timber, spread over 25 million acres, is also important to the state. Manufacturing Food processing (fish products) is Alaska's leading manufacturing activity, in terms of value added by manufacture. Ketchikan, on Kodiak Island, is considered the center of the world's salmon-packing industry. Petroleum products rank second. Mining Oil provides about 95 percent of Alaska's mining income. Other mined products are gold, zinc, silver, coal, crushed stone, lead, molybdenum, and sand and gravel. Fishing Alaska's fish catch is the most valuable among the 50 states. The most important commercial fishing ports are at Kodiak and Unalaska/Dutch Harbor.

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Large catches of cod, flounder, Pollock, rockfish, sablefish, salmon, and smelt drive the industry. Dungeness crab, king crab, scallops, sea urchins, shrimp, snow crab, and herring eggs are other important products of the fleet.

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