Thanks Don! As always, very interesting. Gary
Prof. Gary A. Beluzo Systems Ecologist Holyoke Comm College 303 Homestead Ave Holyoke, MA. 01040 On Jul 12, 2009, at 11:58 AM, DON BERTOLETTE <[email protected]> wrote: > Gary- > Having travelled for about 24 hours, then slept for 12, I'm just now > becoming aware of my surroundings in any meaningful way (did find an > excellent pub with nice array of taps nearby!). > Northwest Territory (NWT), once larger is still sizable with > 1,171,918 square kilometers (these numbers are large enough to not > be meaningful to most of us, but for US standards, this would be > 452,480 square miles). Its capital is Yellowknife, an area once > inhabited by the Dine (Athabascan) although without permanence until > gold was discovered some 75 years ago. Since then it has grown to I > believe around 16,000 with a surprising vigor, numerous skyscrapers > visible on approach (from 7 to 12 story relatively new structures). > This year there are 600 plus more folks, with the arrival of the > International Congress of Circumpolar Health, for which we are here > (Rhonda is one of several keynote speakers). > Back to limnology...the largest lake in NWT is the Great Bear Lake > (and fourth largest in the Americas, at 31,328 square kilometers, or > 12,095 square miles) followed by Great Slave Lake which graces > Yellowknife with its wonderful views, with 28,568 square kilometers > (11,030 square miles). The deepest lake in Canad, Great Slave Lake > is 614 meters deep (or 2,020 feet). > Not content with holding water, the Mackenzie River passes through > NWT on its way from Alberta to the Arctic Ocean and at 1,800 > kilometers (or 1060 miles) is the longest river in Canada, the > second longest river in North America, and the third largest in the > world. And one more superlative for Bob's memory bank. Virginia > Falls, at 90 meters (or 300 feet), is more than twice the height of > Niagra Falls. > Okay, enough quantitative data you must be saying by now...having > gone to a showing last night, of a movie documentary of water and > its importance to the First Nation (analogous to Native Alaskans, > Native Americans). The purity of water to those that live a > subsistence lifestyle (we would say, 'live off the land') is > critical. Their water is their life, as it brings the abundance > that allows them to live generation to generation. > That abundance is being threatened, upstream on the MacKenzie River > as it passes through Alberta's burgeoning tar sands/oil production > industry. The First Nation has excellent leaders in their midst, a > unity of the people and growing power in the larger scheme of > things, but as everywhere, the industrial objectives have little > concern for the people, unless it affects their prodigious bottom > line. So the battle is set and goes on as we speak. > About the only other limnological item I can attest to is from the > approach to the airport and the drive to town. Numerous small lakes > abound in the area, it would seem as the result of glacial scouring > of the Canadian shield, which makes itself apparent wherever not > covered by what I'm currently identifying as Black Spruce (65 mph > assesment to be verified later today). I can suggest that the > balance of bugs and fish in this area seem to be in > balance...certainly there's an abundance of black flies and > mosquitos, although not bad here in the city. Photos of 35 pound > lake trout in the local paper didn't seem out of the ordinary, > perhaps as a result of a catch and release regulation over a certain > size. I did meet two Texans at the brewpub that had been fishing and > said the largest catch of the day was a 50 plus pounder. Just as > well that they're released as 10 pounders are preferred for > eating...arctic char, usually smoked, appear on many menus. > I'm attaching a few photos taken from near our hotel, of the general > countryside. I expect to gather more information and will relay what > I find in the disciplines of limnology and "limBology". > -Don > > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ENTS] Re: Scattered ENTS > Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2009 07:37:11 -0400 > > Don, > > As a limnologist and limBnologist > I have an interest in the lake and the surrounding forest. Can you > give us a synopsis of both? I have often wondered about Great Slave > Lake. Very cool that you are there. Any Aurora? > > Gary > > Prof. Gary A. Beluzo > Systems Ecologist > Holyoke Comm College > 303 Homestead Ave > Holyoke, MA. 01040 > > > On Jul 12, 2009, at 12:41 AM, DON BERTOLETTE <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Ed- > And this ENT/WNT is posting from Yellowknife, Northwest Territory, > Canada (about 62.5 Degrees Latitude), looking out over Great Slave > Lake! > -Don > > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [ENTS] Scattered ENTS > Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:21:02 -0400 > > ENTS, > > Your fellows are scattered in the wind in various places. I wanted > to give a brief update. > > James Parton is alive and well, I heard from him the other day. He > sent me a post about poke salad/ aka pokeberry the other day. he > says he is not gone and has some chestnut posts forthcoming. > > Roman Dial had been travelling on an extended world tour through > Australia and Africa among others. I had been following his journey > on Facebook. But he closed his account and dropped off the radar > for awhile. He has been doing more pack rafting than canopy > research lately he says. I sent him Don Bertolette's email up there > in Alaska. maybe we will have another Alaskan WNTS person. He has > a new video on YouTube on Hiking in to Alaska's Honolulu Creek and > pack rafting down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu-j_DD-3hg > There is a series of his videos on YouTube. He has a new book out: > ( > http://www.amazon.com/PACKRAFTING-Introduction-How-Guide-Roman/dp/0974818836/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247259372&sr=1-1 > > ) entitled: PACKRAFTING! An Introduction and How-To Guide > (Paperback). > > Neil Pederson is in Mongolia. You can read about his trip on a > short Blog (read the ones that say Neil wrote it).The latest is > dated July 10 2009: You've come a long way (baby)/Whiffs of the > ADKs/Where is my Mongolia For those of you on Facebook, there are > some updates periodically on his wall. On Picasaweb he has a > gallery of photos from his flight across the north pole to China on > the way to Mongolia here: > http://picasaweb.google.com/mockernut/FlightToBeijingViaGreenlandTheNorthPole?authkey=Gv1sRgCO_xzYvOvtilxQE&feat=directlink# > > Ed Frank > > > > "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. > It is the source of all true art and all science." - Albert Einstein > > > > Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Get 25 GB of free online storage. Get it > on your BlackBerry or iPhone. > > > > > Hotmail® has ever-growing storage! Don’t worry about storage > limits. Check it out. > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
