EXPLAIN
My family owns a summer house outside of Pelican, Alaska. Pelican is a small Southeast Alaska town located on the Northwestern part of Chichagof Island, inside fjord called Lisianski Inlet. Southeast Alaska is comprised of over 1000 islands peppered throughout an island chain called the Alexander Archipelago. The islands are a result of tectonic action between the Pacific Plate converging into the North American Plate. The Fairweather Fault is the geologic boundary between the plates, and runs directly down the middle of Lisianski Inlet. A combination of activity from the fault, glaciers from the last ice age, and weathering from high winds and rain, have carved a steep mountainscape down to the waters edge. These geologic forces have formed a unique landscape and local culture.
by IVA_039EXTEND
Pelican lies in the midst of extraordinary resources. An old growth temperate rainforest carpets the island. Upwelling currents create habitat for high marine biomass. Rocks are also proven to be rich with precious metals. Despite the natural wealth of Lisianski Inlet, its population and prosperity remain modest due to natural barriers to accessing the resources.
Pelican lies in the midst of extraordinary resources. An old growth temperate rainforest carpets the island. Upwelling currents create habitat for high marine biomass. Rocks are also proven to be rich with precious metals. Despite the natural wealth of Lisianski Inlet, its population and prosperity remain modest due to natural barriers to accessing the resources.
The town of Pelican is built on a boardwalk, pressed between the steep mountains of the inlet and the ocean below. The town would not be able to expand even if prosperity arrived. It is an outpost of even smaller centers of commerce. It is just far enough away from regional hubs, and small enough of a population that the cost of running a business and the cost living are multiplied. The buying and selling of low margin commodities like fish and forestry products are often not optimized. You can only get to Pelican by float plane, personal boat, or the ferry, so very few of Southeast Alaska’s millions of tourists ever make it there.
by Jim NielandEVALUATE
Google Earth and other global information technologies pinpoint our location relative to everyone else. Someone might argue that it is just like having a map. But, the cool thing about Google Earth is that it is a two way street. I can see them and they can see me. Prior to Google Earth, very few people had a map of places like Pelican, and that alone can impact your world view. When I plan a vacation, I spend a lot of time on Google Earth trying to find a location that appears to have the climate, geography, and culture that I want to experience. My dream vacation is a kayaking adventure in the inside passage of Southern Chile. From looking and searching on Google Earth, I can find no other place in the world that resembles Southeast Alaska so much, but has summer in January.
