The stories of Alaska: Sustainability and resilience on a grand scale

National Geographic Sea Lion off the coast of Alaska

Our Planet Forward Storyfest 2018 grand prize winners traveled this June on Alaska Airlines to Sitka. Their destination? The Lindblad Expeditions' National Geographic Sea Lion for an 8-day exploration of the incredible ecosystems along the coastal wilderness of southern Alaska.

The seven students who traveled with us were tasked with documenting their experience, the science, the differences between Alaska and the Lower 48. The resulting stories reveal how climate change is impacting the region, and how Alaskans are reacting to the shift. We also look at sustainable fishing, how the state balances its resource rich territory with the need for conservation, and why it's just so easy to fall in love with the state. 

Scroll down to read these stories and more in our Alaska series!

Planet Forward in Alaska
Front: Planet Forward Digital Media Producer Laura Whaling, Ashley Gallagher, Emily Arnold; Row 2: Shandra Furtado, Navya Pothamsetty, Katherine Baker; Row 3: Planet Forward Faculty Explorer Dr. Imani Cheers, Planet Forward Director Dan Reed, Planet Forward Founder Frank Sesno, Vanessa Moss; Back: Planet Forward Advisory Board member Michael Silberman, Alex Rubenstein. 

 

Tags: 
Storyfest 2018, Alaska, Lindblad Expeditions, health, climate change, resilience, sustainability
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Hub Content

The stories of Alaska — and the stories of you
Shandra Furtado
George Washington University
In the final piece of our Alaska series, watch this video and hear about the connections made with those in Alaska using different types of storytelling, and how we might find our own stories.
Talking to skeptics about climate change
Alaska sunset

A sunset photo from on board the National Geographic Sea Lion, during my recent life-changing trip to Alaska. (Photos by Katherine Baker/Columbia University)

Katherine Baker
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | Cornell University
Next in our Alaska series: While many still find climate change up for debate, perhaps the way to engage and persuade these individuals is by focusing on its effects in their own communities rather than in far away places.
At the Institute: Living and learning off the grid
Ashley Gallagher
Planet Forward Correspondent | George Washington University
Watch this video, part of our Alaska series, to learn more about the Inian Islands Institute and how one family is keeping things running in the Alaskan wilderness, mostly cut off from the outside world.
An experiential learning experiment in Alaska
Inian Institute

The Inian Islands Institute, dubbed the “hobbit hole” by its residents, sits in a remote area near where the Inside Passage meets the Gulf of Alaska. This patch of land has been a hotbed of human activities for centuries; from Tlingit summer fishing camp to fox farm homestead. Now in the hands of scientists the land is used as an ecological research field camp. (Photos by Shandra Furtado/George Washington University)

Shandra Furtado
George Washington University
In this photo essay, part of our Stories of Alaska series, learn about a climate and nature research center hidden among the temperate forests speckled along Alaska's southeastern coast: the Inian Islands Institute.
Sustainable fishing in Alaska
Katherine Baker
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | Cornell University
Next in our Stories of Alaska series: Learn about how climate change and overfishing are threatening marine species. But Alaska sets a prime example of how to maintain a sustainable fish supply.
How climate change is impacting health in Alaska
Mountains near Glacier Bay National Park

Mountains near Glacier Bay National Park in southern Alaska. (Photos by Katherine Baker/Columbia University)

Katherine Baker
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent | Cornell University
Next in our Alaska series: Climate change isn’t just seen – it’s felt. Weather and temperature fluctuations aside, many experience health impacts caused or exacerbated by climate change.
Exploring Alaska: On an environmental scavenger hunt

(Laura Whaling/Planet Forward)

Navya Pothamsetty
UC Berkeley
Part of our Stories of Alaska series, this piece explores the state through wildlife, plants and bioindicators, looking at today's challenges and accomplishments, and signs of what's to come. 
Seeking a sea change where puffins and plastics meet
A view in Alaska
Ashley Gallagher
Planet Forward Correspondent | George Washington University
The next piece in our Stories of Alaska series looks at the human impact, from warming climates to microplastics, in one of the least-inhabited places in the United States — and what we're doing about it.
Tongass timber and the roadless rule
Vanessa Moss
Planet Forward Correspondent | Sewanee: The University of the South
Story four in our Stories of Alaska series focuses on the timber industry — one part of the resource-rich puzzle that is Alaska — and the yearslong debate over the "Roadless Area Conservation" rule.
Balancing harvest and protection in Alaska
Whale breaching

“Killer whales are apex predators, the dominant animals in these waters," explains Christine West, a naturalist aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion. This means their health reflects that of the entire habitat, as pollutants at every trophic level will travel up the food web and into these organisms. By the time these impacts are visible, however, it may be too late for a simple, one-size-fits-all solution. (Mike Harris/Lindblad Expeditions)

Navya Pothamsetty
UC Berkeley
In story three of our Stories of Alaska series, we hear from a Lindblad Expeditions naturalist, who talks about living and working in a place where people see the consequences of their actions in real time.

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