Aurora over Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau photo by Amy J Johnson LASKA ILDLIFE ILDERNESS r A W & W 2020 Celebrating 35 years of outstanding nature photography Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau is named for NEW YEAR’S DAY DECEMBER a superintendent of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, but its original Native name translates as 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 “glacier behind the little lake.” The aurora borealis, 1 2 3 4 or northern lights, can appear in a variety of forms 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 such as arcs or curtains of light. Colors include 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 variations of red, green, purple and yellow all of 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 which often appear to dance across the sky. Auroras occur all year, but the extended daylight hours in • City and Borough of Juneau, 1970 29 30 31 northern latitudes during the summer preclude Governor Tony Knowles, 1943- Sitka fire destroyed St. Michael’s viewing. Fairbanks-North Star, Kenai Peninsula, Cathedral, 1966 Pres. Eisenhower signed Alaska statehood Juneau and Matanuska-Susitna Boroughs, 1964 Robert Marshall, forester, 1901-1939 proclamation, 1959 Full moon 10:21 AM 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Alessandro Malaspina, navigator, 1754-1809 Federal government sold Alaska Railroad Baron Ferdinand Von Wrangell, Russian Keith Nyitray arrived in Kotzebue, 1990, to state, 1985 Mt. Trident (Katmai NP) erupted, 1961 governor, 1797-1870 having walked length of Brooks Range 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Submarine USS Alaska launched, 1985 Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968 Record 47.5" 24-hr. snowfall, Valdez, 1990 First issue of Anchorage Daily News, 1946 Record 2.145 million barrels of oil flowed First issue of The Alaska Free Press 1 billionth barrel of oil to Valdez, 1980 Direct long distance phone service to Jack London, writer, 1876-1916 Celia Hunter, conservationist, 1919-2001 through the pipeline in one day, 1988 (Juneau), 1887 Robert Service, poet, 1874-1958 Alaska began, 1959 MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. New moon Chinese New Year 19 20 (observed) 21 22 23 24 25 Cape Newenham National Wildlife Colonel James Steese, civil engineer and Alaska’s first pulp mill opened, Refuge established, 1969 soldier, 1882-1958 John B. Mertic, Jr., geologist, 1888-1980 First sunrise of year, Utqiagvik (Barrow) Juneau,1921 FEBRUARY 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 First dog team left Nenana with serum 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 for Nome, 1925; Alaska Board of Road Record North American high pressure, -82°F at Coldfoot (unofficial), 1989 Commissioners established, 1905 31.74 inches, Northway, 1989 Cuqllirpaaq Iraluq January the first moon (Alutiiq) © Teresa Ascone © Teresa 2020 Steller sea lions on iceberg, Prince William Sound photo by Hugh Rose LASKA ILDLIFE ILDERNESS r A W & W 2020 Celebrating 35 years of outstanding nature photography Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday More than 3,000 shoreland miles of bays, coves, and deep fjords comprise the prized seacoast region JANUARY MARCH of the famous Prince William Sound. Exceeding the combined area of Massachusetts, Connecticut, 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 30 31 1 and Rhode Island, this sheltered waterway contains 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 the greatest diversity of habitats found along the entire Eastern Pacific Coast, including the world’s 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 northernmost temperate rainforest. Steller sea lions, • 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 the largest of the eared seals, are residents in the 26 27 28 29 30 31 29 30 31 Joe Reddington, Sr., musher, 1917-1999 sound. While they typically haul out on the rocky First issue of The Daily Alaskan, shores, they occasionally take rest on floating Skagway, 1898 icebergs. Prince William Sound U.S. Forest Service established, 1905 Marmot Day Full moon (Alaska) 10:33 PM 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Diphtheria serum delivered to Nome by dogsled relay, 1925 Attu battleground and airfields designated Alaska Highway route chosen, 1942 79-inch snowfall in Valdez (3rd-6th), 1996 as national historic landmarks, 1985 Senator Ernest Gruening, 1887-1974 Abraham Lincoln Valentine’s Day 9 10 11 12 (1809-1865) 13 14 15 Archdiocese of Anchorage, 1966 First scheduled commercial airline flight Marie Drake, author of “Alaska’s Flag,” White Pass & Yukon Railroad shops Elmer Rasmuson, pioneer banker and to Deadhorse, 1969 1888-1963; Gov. Sarah Palin, 1964- burned, Skagway, 1932 Naomi Uemura, mountaineer, 1941-1984 Captain Cook killed in Hawaii, 1779 philanthropist, 1909-2000 Elizabeth Peratrovich Day PRESIDENTS’ DAY Heritage Day George Washington 16 (Alaska) 17 18 19 20 21 (Yukon Territory) 22 (1732-1799) Roxy Wright-Champaigne became first Fred Machetanz, artist, 1908-2002 ARCO and Humble Oil announce woman to win World Championship Sled First passenger train to White Pass, 1899 Eielson made first airmail delivery in Kluane, Nahanni, and Baffin Islands discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay, 1968 Dog Race, Anchorage, 1989 Walter Mendenhall, geologist, 1871-1957 Alaska, Fairbanks-McGrath, 1924 national parks established, Canada, 1972 New moon Ash Wednesday 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Arctic Brotherhood, Skagway, 1899 Mt. McKinley National Park, 1917 Glacier Bay National Monument, 1925 Bering Sea National Wildlife Refuge, 1909 First commercial airline flight, Europe- Pope John Paul II in Anchorage, 1981 President Harding established National Orient via Anchorage, 1957 E. H. Harriman, financier, 1848-1909 Alaska oil closes above $100/barrel, 2008 Petroleum Reserve-4 on North Slope, 1923 First winter ascent of Denali, 1967 unen na’ehwdelaese February when animals in dens are born (Upper Ahtna) © Teresa Ascone © Teresa 2020 Northern hawk-owl photo by Michael Quinton LASKA ILDLIFE ILDERNESS r A W & W 2020 Celebrating 35 years of outstanding nature photography Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Susan Butcher Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (Alaska) Trade and Manufacturing Act extended to Capt. James Cook, navigator, 1728-1779 Fire destroyed McCarthy, 1919; Sonny Olaus Murie, biologist, 1889-1963 Alaska, 1891 World’s Winter Special Olympics, largest Lindner won the first Yukon Quest, 1984; Gov. Keith Miller, 1925- Board of Trade Saloon opened, Nome, 1901 sporting event ever held in Alaska, opened First successful solo winter ascent of Ephraim Agnot, Sr., Native elder, 1926-1995 First Iditarod Sled Dog Race, 1973 in Anchorage, 2001 (2,750 athletes) Mt. Denali completed, Vern Tejas, 1988 Daylight Savings Time begins Full moon 9:47 AM 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC-4 crashed on Mt. Sanford, killing 30, Troops arrived in Dawson Creek to build Admiral Vasilii Chichagov, Russian 1948; Alaska Railroad authorized, 1914 Hurricane force, icy winds ripped through Alaska-Seattle commercial passenger Alaska Highway, 1942 Georg Wilhelm Steller, scientist, 1709-1746 navigator, 1726-1809 Mike Stepovich, territorial gov., 1919-2014 southcentral Alaska, 2003 service, International Airways, 1929 St. Patrick’s Day Spring Equinox 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Denali Princess Hotel burned, 1996 Libby Riddles won Iditarod, 1985 Allen Expedition left Nuchuk, 1885 First winter ascent of Mt. Logan, Tejas Baranof Castle (Governor's House) burned, Gen. Wilds Preston Richardson, civil party, 1986 Sitka, 1894 engineer, 1861-1929 Women’s suffrage in Alaska, 1913 New moon 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Largest oil spill in US, 11 million gallons in White Alice communication system Mount Augustine erupted, 1986 Prince William Sound, 1989 dedicated, Elmendorf AFB, 1958 Largest recorded earthquake in North Adak Naval Facility closed, 1997 Richard G. McConnell, Canadian America (RS 9.2) hit Alaska, 1964 Sitka National Monument, 1910 Robert Atwood, publisher, 1907-1997 geologist, 1857-1942 Robert Reeve, pioneer aviator, 1902-1980 Gov. Frank Murkowski, 1933- Vietnam Veterans’ Day Seward’s Day (Alaska) The northern hawk-owl is a bird of the boreal (Alaska) forest. Like the other members of the owl family, F EBRUARY APRIL it has tremendous eyesight, and it is estimated that they can spot prey up to a half mile away. 29 30 31 1 1 2 3 4 The owl’s long tail is a distinctive feature which gives it a hawk-like appearance. While it is a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 true owl, it does exhibit a raptor like behavior. • 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Unlike many other owls, the northern hawk-owl is not nocturnal and therefore can be commonly 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 observed perched on the top of trees where they 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 26 27 28 29 30 scan for prey during daylight hours. Copper River and Northwestern Railroad William Seward signed Alaska Purchase Adak Naval Facility closed, 1997 completed, 1911 treaty from Russia, 1867 Robert Atwood, publisher, 1907-1997 Copper River Basin hin-tanach-a-disse March the first rain falls (Tlinkit,Hoonah ) © Teresa Ascone © Teresa 2020 Killer whales, Inside Passage photo by John Hyde LASKA ILDLIFE ILDERNESS r A W & W 2020 Celebrating 35 years of outstanding nature photography Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Alaska's Inside Passage is the region of protected waters MARCH along the Alaska panhandle in the southeast region of the state. It is a protected waterway frequented by cruise 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ships during their travel to Alaska.