ALASKAHOW TO SUCCEED AT THIS TOP TRAVEL DESTINATION

Course Objectives

• Describe the geographic locations and seasons in Alaska

• Distinguish the climate changes and seasons in Alaska

• Describe the attributes and cultural differences of the tribes in Alaska

• Describe how to assess community resources in rural areas, and avoid social isolation

Overview of Alaska

Alaska Licensing

• Takes 2 weeks for licensing

• Requires finger-printing and passport photo

• $284

• $334 to include temporary permit

Alaska Fun Facts• The US Purchased Alaska

from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million (2 cents/acre)

• Alaska became the 49th state in 1959

• Alaska is divided into boroughs, rather than counties.

• About half of the population resides in the Anchorage area

• The Aleutian islands are a volcano hot spot!

Regions of Alaska

• The Inside Passage (aka The Panhandle)• The South Central Region• The Southwest Region• The North

Slope\Arctic Region

• The Interior

The Alaskan Panhandle(Southeast Alaska)

• The Inside Passage – Cruise Ships

• Tourism – May through September

• Larger cities on individual islands, only accessible via airplane or ferry

• Glaciers Present

Panhandle Weather

• Wettest and warmest region of Alaska• 50” of precipitation in Juneau• 150” of precipitation in Ketchikan (37” are snow)• Only region where daytime temp in winter months

is above freezing• Temp ranges from 20°f - 65°f• Sunlight 6 hrs/day – 18 hrs/day• In summer, the sun rises at 4am and sets at 11pm• In winter, it rises at 8:30am and sets at 3:30pm

Ketchikan

• Population of 8,250• 5th largest

city in Alaska

• “Salmon Capitol of the World”

• Largest collection of standing totem poles

• 90 miles from Canada• Roads are scare, no

need for a car• Bus works well

Ketchikan General Hospital

• Critical Access Hospital

• 25 in-patient beds• Full service Hospital

Juneau• Capitol of Alaska• Population of 32,556• 2nd largest city in the

US by area – 2,700 square miles

• Juneau Ice Field – 30 glaciers flow from it

Bartlett Regional Hospital

• 57 bed in patient hospital• 16 residential substance abuse beds• Services a 1,500 sq. mile region, with 55,000

residents• Most communities cannot access this hospital by

road

Sitka

• Population of 8,881

• 4th largest in population

• Only 14 miles of road - Most places are within walking distance of downtown.

• Southeast Alaska Regional Health

Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital

• Part of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium

• 27 in-patient beds

• Full service hospital

Sitka Community Hospital

• Critical Access Hospital

• 24 in-patient beds

South Central Region

• Contains majority of the states population in Anchorage

• Petroleum Plants prevalent in the area

South Central Region Weather

• Summer temp ranges from 55°-78°• Winter temp ranges from 5°-30°

• Avg snowfall around 75 inches

• Long summer days (19 hours of sunlight)

• Short winter days (6 hours of sunlight)

• Less rain than the Southeast region, but more snow

Anchorage• Most populated

city in Alaska – 298,610

• Makes up 40 % of the state population

• No state sales tax

• Ash hazards due to active volcano 78 miles away

Hospitals of Anchorage

Providence Alaska Medical Center• 371 beds• Several sister hospitals

Alaska Regional Hospital• 250 beds

Homer

• Population of 5,000• 10 square miles• “Halibut Fishing

Capitol of the World”

• Erected 1st traffic light in 2005

• Moose sightings are a common occurrence on area roads and trails

South Peninsula Hospital

• 22 medical beds

• 28 nursing home beds

• Largest employer in the area

Southwest Region• Largely costal region• Sparsely populated. Most

living along the coastline• Unconnected to the road

system• 2 national parks &

numerous wildlife refugees

• Hugely important to the fishing industry

• Kodiak & Aleutian islands – 300 small volcanic islands, 1,200 miles long

Southwest Region Weather

• Average temp for January 0°-12°

• Average temp for July 49°-62°

• Sunlight – 5 hours in Dec., 18 hours in Jun.

• In summer the sun rises at 5am, and sets after 11pm

• In winter the sun rises at 10am, and sets at 4pm

Kodiak

• Population of 6,130• 3.5 square miles• Air travel or ferry

only• Economy consists of

commercial fishing, tourism, and hunting

Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center

• Critical Access Hospital

• 25 Acute Care Beds

• 19 Skilled Nursing Beds

Bethel

• 16 miles of road, only one is paved, but has 93 taxi cabs• 50% of the population is below the age of 18

• Lies within the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta

• Population of 6,080• A hub for 56 surrounding

villages• Flat and essentially treeless• Lies within a wildlife

preserve• Air and river access only• Allows alcohol sales

Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital

• 50 beds

• Private non-profit tribal consortium

• Level IV trauma center

North Slope/Artic Region

• Small towns like Nome, Bethel, and Barrow

• Mostly tundra, peppered with native villages

• Massive reserves of crude oil

• Remote and sparsely populated• 380 native villages

Nome

• Population of 3,598

• 12.5 square miles• Ending place of

the Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race

• Roads lead out to smaller communities, up to 54 miles away

Norton Sound Regional Hospital

• Tribally owned and operated• New hospital in 2012• Provide services for life• Bering Straight Region – 44,000 sq. miles• 36 beds

Barrow

• Population of 4,212• 18 square miles of land• Surrounded by the

National Petroleum Reserve

• Arctic Ocean borders 3 sides of the city

• Becomes ice-free August-September, causing dense fog

• Furthest north, North American City• Above the arctic circle by 320 miles

Barrow Weather• Desert climate – less than 5 in of rain per year• 29 inches of snow per year• Freezing temps from Oct – May• Dangerously low wind

chills• Whiteouts are common• Snow can occur at any

time of the year• Cloudiest place on

Earth – overcast 50% of the year

Barrow – Land of the Midnight Sun• Sun sets Nov 18th, and

remains set for 65 days• Rises again on Jan 22nd • By March there are 9

hours of sun• In May, the sun

remains above the horizon for the entire day. It doesn’t set again until Aug 22nd (82 days of sunlight)

Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital

• 14 beds• Recently built new facility 4X larger than

original• Provides housing for travelers, and includes a

meal plan• ER nurses can be trained for flight nursing

Interior• Largest region• Largely uninhabited

wilderness• Fairbanks is the only

large city• Native villages

scattered throughout• Denali National Park• Not many travel

assignments

• Has highest and lowest temps ( 90° in summer to -60° in winter )• Up to 24 hours of sunlight

Understanding Cultural DifferencesTribes and Culture

Cultural Diversity

Total population in 2010 – 736,000

Caucasian – 70%American Indian/Alaska Native – 20%Asian – 5%African American – 4%Hispanic – 1%

Three Most Common Native Alaskan Tribes

• Aleuts

• Inuits

• First Nations

a. Tlingits

b. Haida

Aleuts

• Also known as Unagan• Ancestors migrated to Aleutian Islands 7,000

years ago• Famous for fishing and hunting• Lived on ice-free waters• Know for basketry

Inuit• Also known as Eskimo• Lived on the icy northern

seas of Western Alaska• Total dependence on the

sea• Their food, clothing,

furnishings for their homes, and fuel all came from hunting marine life such as whales and seals

First Nations

• The two largest groups are the Tlingit and Haida

• Know for wealth, character, and ancestors of their members

• Known for their elaborate ceremonies (Potlatch – Ceremony for the Dead)

• Know for fur trading

Healthcare in Alaska

• Mental Illness

a. Alcoholism

b. Rape

• Diabetes

• Cardiovascular Disease

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

• Local community aides

• Telemedicine

• Distant and difficult transportation

Financial Preparedness for Traveling in Alaska

• Car Rental in Juneau-$1200.00/month• Gas prices differ based on areas of State-

$3.75-$5.94• Gallon of Milk in Nome-$7.29

(cheaper in other areas)• One dozen eggs in Nome-$4.49

(cheaper in other areas)• Banking can be difficult in rural areas$

Making Alaska An Unforgettable Experience

Five most popular tourist areas

1. Anchorage

2. Juneau

3. Fairbanks

4. Ketchikan

5. Barrow

Visiting Anchorage• Annual Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome

a. Starts the first weekend of March and goes on for 6 days

b. $1000.00 to $3000.00, depending on the number of days you attendc. Largest tourism event in the state, people come from all over the world to

watch this dog sledding race

• Museum and Alaska Heritage

Center - $12.00 Admission

• Glacier Viewing Cruise -

$100.00/per full day

Visiting Juneau

• State Capital• Mendenhall Glacier• Whale watching• Mt. Roberts

Thruway goes up to 1800 feet to Native American Center with Numerous Totem Poles

Visiting Fairbanks

• Best place to see “Aurora Borealis” Northern Lights

(best time to see is late November to March)

• Chena Hot

Springs

• El Dorado

Gold Mine

• Pioneer Park

Visiting Ketchikan

• Thomas Street and Marina (Go Salmon and Halibut fishing)

• Tongass Historical

Museum

• Cape Fox Lodge

• Deer Mountain

Tribal Hatchery

Review

Visiting Barrow

• Cathy Parker Field:

Barrow, Alaska

• Whale Jawbone Arch

• Wading in the Arctic

Ocean

• Point Barrow