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Arctic Beringia

our home in the Arctic

By Arctic Beringia

December 30^th, 2016

Why we work here

Each year, Arctic Beringia is the site of a staggering migration—hundreds of thousands of caribou, over 150,000 walruses, 17,000 bowhead whales, and millions of shorebirds, waterfowl, and seabirds. A diverse array of indigenous cultures—including the Chukchi, Siberian Yupik, St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Central Yup‘ik, Iñupiat, Inuit, Athabaskan, and Aleut—are closely connected with and reliant upon this region‘s wildlife and environment for food security, cultural continuity, and vitality, too.

This iconic region, known for its remote and often ice and snow covered terrain (and ocean) is undergoing unprecedented change that is altering the rhythms of life on a daily basis. Ice and snow are melting earlier and quicker each spring, and more often than not later in the fall. New species are finding a foot-hold or fin-stroke in more amenable habitats as they warm and the summer season becomes longer - sometimes outcompeting their Arctic relatives. On top of these ecological changes, increased global connectivity and industrial development is changing social and economic landscapes for communities that have lived in and relied on these ecosystems for food security over millennia.

Mitigating climate change impacts is a global imperative, but from a local perspective, understanding the changes that are already here - what has been called the "new normal," requires both understanding of the mechanisms of change and the opportunities to support adaptation - both for wildlife and people. The WCS Arctic Beringia Program is bringing focused on-the-ground science, working in partnership with local experts to bridge traditional and scientific knowledge systems, as well as transboundary collaborators toward accomplishing these needs. Working together we'll help accomplish long-term wildlife conservation across the full range of specific species, as well as support the protection of indigenous food security in the Arctic.

Where is Arctic Beringia?

Arctic Beringia lies at the juncture of the eastern and western hemispheres, encompassing an area of tundra and shallow marine shelf areas that extend from the Kolyma River in the Chukotka region of the Russian Federation, across Alaska, and to the Banks Island in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada.

The term "Beringia" refers to a larger area than our program; however, we work in a good proportion of the Arctic part of Beringia. Beringia itself is a term attributed to the Swedish Botanist Eric Hultén in 1937. It refers to a region centered on Bering Strait that was not glaciated during the last ice ages - it was grassland steppe, including the famous land bridge joining the Asian and American continents.

Arctic Beringia

Meet our core team

The Arctic Beringia team is a hale and hardy group of individuals dedicated to and driven by their work. Our group includes northerner dwellers who have witnessed many of the recent changes to their environment first-hand. Our science staff consists of Dr. Martin Robards, Dr. Steve Insley, Dr. Joel Dr. Kevin Fraley, Dr. Taylor Stinchcomb, Dr. Michelle Johannsen, Kayla Shively and Maya Homsy King. Our WCS Canada Program partners include Dr. Steve Insley, Dr. Cheryl Chetkiewicz, and Dr. William Halliday.

Carrie Haddad, Regional Business Manager

Dr. Martin Robards, Arctic Beringia Program Director

Kayla Shively, Conservation Ecologist

Rachel Edson, Grants Manager

Dr. Kevin Fraley, Fisheries Ecologist

Arctic Beringia

Dr. Michelle Johannsen, One Health Scientist

Dr. Steve Insley, Associate Conseravtion Scientist, WCS Canada Western Arctic Program

Dr. William Halliday, Associate Conseravtion Scientist, WCS Canada Western Arctic Program

Dr. Cheryl Chetkiewicz, Conseravtion Scientist, WCS Canada National Conservation Program

And our field technicians

Our field technicians are the ones who grit it out in the field for the long-haul. They work hard in tough weather, sleep in tents for months at a time, and then when they finally come back to town, are sifting scats, reading scales, and analyzing hatch dates. Read current stories from the field on our blog.

Callie Gesmundo at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Photo credit Zak Pohlen.

Zak Pohlen at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Photo credit Callie Gesmundo.

Marguerite Tibbles at Cape Krusenstern National Monument. Photo credit Trevor Haynes.

Field technicians Rosemary McGuire, Scott Shively, and Kaia Hilgendorf-Roost. Photo credit Kayla Shively.

Stacie Evans at Kasegaluk Lagoon, Chukchi Sea Coast. Photo credit Dan Schultz.

Kevin Rodgriguez, near Kotzebue, Alaska, on the whitefish ecology study. Photo credit Jessica L. Bryant.

Dan Schultz at Kasegaluk Lagoon, Chukchi Sea Coast. Photo credit Stacie Evans.

Brian Haggerty-Perrault at Cape Krusenstern National Monument. Photo credit Trevor Haynes.

Lizza Protas on Wrangel Island, Chukotka. Photo credit Joel Berger.

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