Saint Lawrence Island: Shoreline habitats in the Bering Sea

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Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM

BIRDERS’ NIGHT

Saint Lawrence Island: Shoreline habitats in the Bering Sea

During the summer of 2013, the shoreline of Saint Lawrence Island was surveyed as part of the Alaska ShoreZone coastal inventory. Thousands of aerial images and about 12 hours of video imagery were collected, covering almost 1000 km of the Island's shoreline. The island is home to nearly 2000 Siberian Yupik people and is closer to Russia than it is to mainland Alaska. Mary Morris was part of the survey crew that was welcomed by the people in the village of Savoonga; where, for a week in July, they were the town novelty as they came with their own little helicopter (a rare sight on the island as it's over 100 km offshore). Many traces of the old habitations are visible on the treeless coastal tundra, and the island has miles of long sandy beaches with cuspate recurve spits, fresh-looking volcanic cinder cones and millions of nesting seabirds. One colony on a tumbled scree boulder slope is a short walk from town. Mary will show examples of the spectacular coastline features and give a glimpse of her observations of the natural history landscape of this unique place. The presentation will begin after announcements and items of general interest. Come early to socialize!

To join us, please register by entering this link in your browser and following the instructions https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcucuGgrjoqE9IcavZFPB4RY-9F65x2zqkl or go to the VNHS online calendar and click on the link in the February 24 Birders’ Night description.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing a URL link and a passcode. Make a note of the latter which is required to join the meeting at the appointed time.