Astonishing Alaska

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Astonishing Alaska | Chasing lipids: The industrial thirst for Alaskan oil
Slender fish handing from a line between wooden posts with large trees, mountains, and a body of water in the background.

Sun-dried candlefish, also known as hooligan, eulachon, and oolichan. (Brodie Guy/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

Farzona Comnas
George Washington University
Today, petroleum is one of Alaska's main exports, but the use of oil in the region goes back thousands of years to the Tlingit people's harvesting of lipid-dense and flammable candlefish. Can this history illuminate a way to a green-fueled future?
Astonishing Alaska | Rocks are storytellers too
A bright blue sky stands behind towering mountains carved deep in the center by ancient glaciers. On the right a bright orange life jacket and camera lens are visible of a photographer capturing the scene aboard a small boat. Blue-green water is immediately in the foreground.

Ancient glaciers carved this canyon in Tracy Arm Fjord thousands of years ago. Our group sailed via Zodiac to the glacier’s face. (Halley Hughes/University of Arizona)

Halley Hughes
Planet Forward Correspondent | University of Arizona
An expedition with Lindblad in Southeast Alaska shows the realities of climate change and uncovers the mysteries behind the "language" of rocks.
Reflections from an expedition: Delaney Graham

(Victoria Middleton/Planet Forward)

Delaney Graham
SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry
Storyfest 2022 winner Delaney Graham reflects on the scale of Alaska — and how that grand size helped put things into perspective.
Reflections from an expedition: Farzona Comnas

(Jennifer Cuyuch/George Washington University)

Farzona Comnas
George Washington University
Farzona Comnas, one of our 2022 Storyfest winners and travelers, shares her thoughts about the experience in Alaska, and her feelings about human impact.
Reflections from an expedition: Halley Hughes

(Halley Hughes/University of Arizona)

Halley Hughes
Planet Forward Correspondent | University of Arizona
Storyfest 2022 traveler Halley Hughes gives her thoughts on the trip to Alaska with Lindblad Expeditions, from wildlife to plant life — and what new inspirations she found.
Reflections from an expedition: Jennifer Cuyuch
A girl with long black hair, wearing a bright orange life jacket takes a photograph with an SLR camera. Behind her are light grey waters, a rocky coastline, and a stand of evergreens.

Jennifer Cuyuch takes a photo while aboard a zodiac boat in Alaska on the 2022 Storyfest trip with Lindbald Expeditions. (Delaney Graham/SUNY-ESF)

Jennifer Cuyuch
George Washington University
Jennifer Cuyuch, one of our 2022 Storyfest travelers, shares her thoughts about the experience aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion for a week with Lindblad Expeditions.
Coming soon: Stories and images from astonishing Alaska
Lisa Palmer
Sr. Editor & Education Lead, Planet Forward
Part of the Planet Forward team has been traveling in Alaska with our wonderful partners, Lindblad Expeditions, and our 2022 Storyfest winners. Here's a preview of what they experienced!