alaska how to succeed at this top travel destination
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Course Objectives
• Describe the geographic locations and seasons in Alaska
• Distinguish the climate changes and seasons in Alaska
• Describe the attributes and cultural differences of the tribes in Alaska
• Describe how to assess community resources in rural areas, and avoid social isolation
Alaska Licensing
• Takes 2 weeks for licensing
• Requires finger-printing and passport photo
• $284
• $334 to include temporary permit
Alaska Fun Facts• The US Purchased Alaska
from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million (2 cents/acre)
• Alaska became the 49th state in 1959
• Alaska is divided into boroughs, rather than counties.
• About half of the population resides in the Anchorage area
• The Aleutian islands are a volcano hot spot!
Regions of Alaska
• The Inside Passage (aka The Panhandle)• The South Central Region• The Southwest Region• The North
Slope\Arctic Region
• The Interior
The Alaskan Panhandle(Southeast Alaska)
• The Inside Passage – Cruise Ships
• Tourism – May through September
• Larger cities on individual islands, only accessible via airplane or ferry
• Glaciers Present
Panhandle Weather
• Wettest and warmest region of Alaska• 50” of precipitation in Juneau• 150” of precipitation in Ketchikan (37” are snow)• Only region where daytime temp in winter months
is above freezing• Temp ranges from 20°f - 65°f• Sunlight 6 hrs/day – 18 hrs/day• In summer, the sun rises at 4am and sets at 11pm• In winter, it rises at 8:30am and sets at 3:30pm
Ketchikan
• Population of 8,250• 5th largest
city in Alaska
• “Salmon Capitol of the World”
• Largest collection of standing totem poles
• 90 miles from Canada• Roads are scare, no
need for a car• Bus works well
Juneau• Capitol of Alaska• Population of 32,556• 2nd largest city in the
US by area – 2,700 square miles
• Juneau Ice Field – 30 glaciers flow from it
Bartlett Regional Hospital
• 57 bed in patient hospital• 16 residential substance abuse beds• Services a 1,500 sq. mile region, with 55,000
residents• Most communities cannot access this hospital by
road
Sitka
• Population of 8,881
• 4th largest in population
• Only 14 miles of road - Most places are within walking distance of downtown.
• Southeast Alaska Regional Health
Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital
• Part of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium
• 27 in-patient beds
• Full service hospital
South Central Region
• Contains majority of the states population in Anchorage
• Petroleum Plants prevalent in the area
South Central Region Weather
• Summer temp ranges from 55°-78°• Winter temp ranges from 5°-30°
• Avg snowfall around 75 inches
• Long summer days (19 hours of sunlight)
• Short winter days (6 hours of sunlight)
• Less rain than the Southeast region, but more snow
Anchorage• Most populated
city in Alaska – 298,610
• Makes up 40 % of the state population
• No state sales tax
• Ash hazards due to active volcano 78 miles away
Hospitals of Anchorage
Providence Alaska Medical Center• 371 beds• Several sister hospitals
Alaska Regional Hospital• 250 beds
Homer
• Population of 5,000• 10 square miles• “Halibut Fishing
Capitol of the World”
• Erected 1st traffic light in 2005
• Moose sightings are a common occurrence on area roads and trails
Southwest Region• Largely costal region• Sparsely populated. Most
living along the coastline• Unconnected to the road
system• 2 national parks &
numerous wildlife refugees
• Hugely important to the fishing industry
• Kodiak & Aleutian islands – 300 small volcanic islands, 1,200 miles long
Southwest Region Weather
• Average temp for January 0°-12°
• Average temp for July 49°-62°
• Sunlight – 5 hours in Dec., 18 hours in Jun.
• In summer the sun rises at 5am, and sets after 11pm
• In winter the sun rises at 10am, and sets at 4pm
Kodiak
• Population of 6,130• 3.5 square miles• Air travel or ferry
only• Economy consists of
commercial fishing, tourism, and hunting
Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center
• Critical Access Hospital
• 25 Acute Care Beds
• 19 Skilled Nursing Beds
Bethel
• 16 miles of road, only one is paved, but has 93 taxi cabs• 50% of the population is below the age of 18
• Lies within the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
• Population of 6,080• A hub for 56 surrounding
villages• Flat and essentially treeless• Lies within a wildlife
preserve• Air and river access only• Allows alcohol sales
Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital
• 50 beds
• Private non-profit tribal consortium
• Level IV trauma center
North Slope/Artic Region
• Small towns like Nome, Bethel, and Barrow
• Mostly tundra, peppered with native villages
• Massive reserves of crude oil
• Remote and sparsely populated• 380 native villages
Nome
• Population of 3,598
• 12.5 square miles• Ending place of
the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race
• Roads lead out to smaller communities, up to 54 miles away
Norton Sound Regional Hospital
• Tribally owned and operated• New hospital in 2012• Provide services for life• Bering Straight Region – 44,000 sq. miles• 36 beds
Barrow
• Population of 4,212• 18 square miles of land• Surrounded by the
National Petroleum Reserve
• Arctic Ocean borders 3 sides of the city
• Becomes ice-free August-September, causing dense fog
• Furthest north, North American City• Above the arctic circle by 320 miles
Barrow Weather• Desert climate – less than 5 in of rain per year• 29 inches of snow per year• Freezing temps from Oct – May• Dangerously low wind
chills• Whiteouts are common• Snow can occur at any
time of the year• Cloudiest place on
Earth – overcast 50% of the year
Barrow – Land of the Midnight Sun• Sun sets Nov 18th, and
remains set for 65 days• Rises again on Jan 22nd • By March there are 9
hours of sun• In May, the sun
remains above the horizon for the entire day. It doesn’t set again until Aug 22nd (82 days of sunlight)
Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital
• 14 beds• Recently built new facility 4X larger than
original• Provides housing for travelers, and includes a
meal plan• ER nurses can be trained for flight nursing
Interior• Largest region• Largely uninhabited
wilderness• Fairbanks is the only
large city• Native villages
scattered throughout• Denali National Park• Not many travel
assignments
• Has highest and lowest temps ( 90° in summer to -60° in winter )• Up to 24 hours of sunlight
Cultural Diversity
Total population in 2010 – 736,000
Caucasian – 70%American Indian/Alaska Native – 20%Asian – 5%African American – 4%Hispanic – 1%
Aleuts
• Also known as Unagan• Ancestors migrated to Aleutian Islands 7,000
years ago• Famous for fishing and hunting• Lived on ice-free waters• Know for basketry
Inuit• Also known as Eskimo• Lived on the icy northern
seas of Western Alaska• Total dependence on the
sea• Their food, clothing,
furnishings for their homes, and fuel all came from hunting marine life such as whales and seals
First Nations
• The two largest groups are the Tlingit and Haida
• Know for wealth, character, and ancestors of their members
• Known for their elaborate ceremonies (Potlatch – Ceremony for the Dead)
• Know for fur trading
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
• Local community aides
• Telemedicine
• Distant and difficult transportation
Financial Preparedness for Traveling in Alaska
• Car Rental in Juneau-$1200.00/month• Gas prices differ based on areas of State-
$3.75-$5.94• Gallon of Milk in Nome-$7.29
(cheaper in other areas)• One dozen eggs in Nome-$4.49
(cheaper in other areas)• Banking can be difficult in rural areas$
Making Alaska An Unforgettable Experience
Five most popular tourist areas
1. Anchorage
2. Juneau
3. Fairbanks
4. Ketchikan
5. Barrow
Visiting Anchorage• Annual Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome
a. Starts the first weekend of March and goes on for 6 days
b. $1000.00 to $3000.00, depending on the number of days you attendc. Largest tourism event in the state, people come from all over the world to
watch this dog sledding race
• Museum and Alaska Heritage
Center - $12.00 Admission
• Glacier Viewing Cruise -
$100.00/per full day
Visiting Juneau
• State Capital• Mendenhall Glacier• Whale watching• Mt. Roberts
Thruway goes up to 1800 feet to Native American Center with Numerous Totem Poles
Visiting Fairbanks
• Best place to see “Aurora Borealis” Northern Lights
(best time to see is late November to March)
• Chena Hot
Springs
• El Dorado
Gold Mine
• Pioneer Park
Visiting Ketchikan
• Thomas Street and Marina (Go Salmon and Halibut fishing)
• Tongass Historical
Museum
• Cape Fox Lodge
• Deer Mountain
Tribal Hatchery
Review