June 17, 2001  -  Grounded  -  Joe Creek, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge


I can understand how people flying over the arctic tundra might think that it's barren country. There are no trees. And unless you happen to fly over thousands of caribou, you probably won't notice much wildlife from the air. On the ground though, it's a different story.

Dropped moose antlers lay scattered among the dwarf birch. Arctic ground squirrels, mouths stuffed with cotton grass, scamper into their burrows. The sweet smell of the Labrador tea plant fills the air like a toasted cinnamon bagel. Caribou lichen carpets the tundra, and a palette of wildflowers paints entire hillsides. Worn caribou trails traverse the mountains, and scat on the ground reveals the identity of some of the local inhabitants -- bear, wolf, ptarmigan, arctic hare and Dall sheep.

Think there's no life in the arctic? Perhaps it's time to get grounded.


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