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WWF Polar Bear Expedition Diary
Margaret Williams, leader for WWF's Bering Sea & Kamchatka ecoregion, traveled to Chukotka, the northeastern most corner of Siberia on an expedition in April 2007. With several Russian and American colleagues, Margaret and her team traveled over 700 miles across the roadless, snow-covered Chukotka Peninsula to reach the small village of Vankarem, north of the Arctic Circle on the Chukchi Sea. The expedition is part of an ambitious effort to protect and study polar bears and address an increasing problem caused by climate change -- conflict between polar bears and humans.
Join Margaret on her journey across the vast and frozen tundra, and learn more about WWF's work in the Bering Sea & Kamchatka ecoregion.
Part 9: The US - Russia Polar Bear Treaty | Part 10: The road back | Part 11: Spotting reindeer | Part 12: Anadyr | Part 13: Last day in Chukotka
Part 2: Uelkal
In the morning it seems impossible to tell where the horizon is over the endless white tundra. We are surrounded by a canvas of gray, and there's nothing to break our line of sight - not a single tree, house or a sign or even a snowdrift to add depth or shape to the landscape. Finally, houses appear in the distance. As we approach Uelkal (pronounced Oo-well-kal) we pass a remnant military base that, like many in the Soviet heyday, comprised a large infrastructure on the edge of town, including barracks and a watch tower. Today the buildings are in ruins and aging Cold War-era equipment is scattered across the landscape.
We reach the village, home to 240 residents. Uelkal is the southernmost Eskimo (a term Russian and Alaska natives use themselves) village on the coast, and one that participates in the annual harvest of gray whales. The practice of harvesting wild animals such as whales is centuries-old in the Arctic. The annual hunt is carefully determined in advance of the season carefully with the input of scientific and native experts and is widely recognized to be sustainable. For communities like Uelkal, the health and abundance of the natural environment is essential. WWF recognizes these important links between communities and natural resources, and has a long history of close cooperation with indigenous communities in the Arctic.
Whale meat, as well as fish and meat from other marine mammals such as walrus and seal, is a staple of local diets here. For many, the process of harvesting, preparing and celebrating these products from the sea is a central aspect of the local cultures.
I head out for a walk across the snow packed ground, eager to put my legs to work after the long spell of sitting in the vezdekhod. After an hour or so, a group of lights appear on the horizon. They are snowmobilers from the Kamchatka, Peninsula - hundreds of miles south of here. They've been on the trail for 13 days, traveling to Chukotka just simply for an adventure. They have excellent snow machines and new Arctic outerwear and appear to be among a new class of jet-setting, adventurer types, with an interest in exploring their own country.
In the morning it seems impossible to tell where the horizon is over the endless white tundra. We are surrounded by a canvas of gray, and there's nothing to break our line of sight - not a single tree, house or a sign or even a snowdrift to add depth or shape to the landscape. Finally, houses appear in the distance. As we approach Uelkal (pronounced Oo-well-kal) we pass a remnant military base that, like many in the Soviet heyday, comprised a large infrastructure on the edge of town, including barracks and a watch tower. Today the buildings are in ruins and aging Cold War-era equipment is scattered across the landscape.
We reach the village, home to 240 residents. Uelkal is the southernmost Eskimo (a term Russian and Alaska natives use themselves) village on the coast, and one that participates in the annual harvest of gray whales. The practice of harvesting wild animals such as whales is centuries-old in the Arctic. The annual hunt is carefully determined in advance of the season carefully with the input of scientific and native experts and is widely recognized to be sustainable. For communities like Uelkal, the health and abundance of the natural environment is essential. WWF recognizes these important links between communities and natural resources, and has a long history of close cooperation with indigenous communities in the Arctic.Whale meat, as well as fish and meat from other marine mammals such as walrus and seal, is a staple of local diets here. For many, the process of harvesting, preparing and celebrating these products from the sea is a central aspect of the local cultures.
I head out for a walk across the snow packed ground, eager to put my legs to work after the long spell of sitting in the vezdekhod. After an hour or so, a group of lights appear on the horizon. They are snowmobilers from the Kamchatka, Peninsula - hundreds of miles south of here. They've been on the trail for 13 days, traveling to Chukotka just simply for an adventure. They have excellent snow machines and new Arctic outerwear and appear to be among a new class of jet-setting, adventurer types, with an interest in exploring their own country.
Part 9: The US - Russia Polar Bear Treaty | Part 10: The road back | Part 11: Spotting reindeer | Part 12: Anadyr | Part 13: Last day in Chukotka
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