Great to be back on Cooper island after two intense weeks of preparation in Seattle and Utqiaġvik. Arriving on the island begins an even more intense period as I need to turn the 8-by-12 foot cabin from the overwinter storage shed it has been for the past nine months into a place where I can...
Category: Camp Life
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Cooper Island Arctic Research Kicks Off 44th Field Season
June 19, 2018: After several weather-related delays, Search and Rescue pilots transported George and his gear to Cooper Island. His cabin is packed floor to ceiling with supplies stored over the winter, and he arrived with 800 pounds of equipment to support his 44th season studying Black Guillemots. Read more about the start of the...
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Public Radio and Cooper Island – Some history and a recent interview
Public radio plays a major role in my three-months on Cooper Island each summer as I observe the Black Guillemots, the melting sea ice and the displaced polar bears. To the extent that there is a “field camp culture” on Cooper Island, listening to the radio is a major part of that culture. Whenever I...
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Inspiration and the midnight sun
BARROW, ALASKA — Well, it is midnight and even though I promised myself to go to bed earlier, I am not able to withstand the draw of the midnight sun. One more walk down to the pack ice to look for another group of Common Eiders, one more discussion about changing ocean salinity, one more...