Capelin (Mallotus villosus) are pelagic fish of the smelt family that spawn on the coasts of the Northern Hemisphere each summer. In Alaska, they appear in early June and continue their spawn through July, rolling up on the beach in large schools. The fish are small, no more than 6-7 inches, but they are prey … Read more

Seward Peninsula, Alaska On 12 May 2015, I drove along the Nome-Teller highway with my supervisor, David. We slowed down to watch some musk oxen (Ovibos moschatus) that had strayed close to the road. An Alaska DOT truck driver stopped and waved us over. “There’s a bear chasing the musk ox,” he told us. We … Read more

In northwest Alaska, snow can fall any month of the year, but the spring is particularly variable. The temperature often drops below freezing. And yet, even in early May, plants that have overwintered as seeds emerge and dot the landscape with color. Woolly Lousewort (Pedicularis lanata), Cinquefoil species (Potentilla), and small Saxifrage (Saxifraga) bloom early … Read more

I am a budding biologist with an interest in anything that grows or moves. I graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology. I studied flora, fish, mammals and birds in my undergrad. Since graduating, I have studied cliff-nesting Gyrfalcons in subarctic Alaska, cave-dwelling bats in central Texas, and the … Read more