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(upbeat music)
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Pristine landscapes that are wild
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and beautiful, still exist.
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Like Denali National Park in Alaska.
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For former US president, Barack Obama,
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the park is a monument to nature.
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It is spectacular.
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And we want to make sure that our grandkids can see this.
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This park at the end of the world
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has a message for the earth.
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We spent a year here with rangers, adventurers
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and researchers.
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These valley walls were once all supported by glacier ice.
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Where we were standing,
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10 years ago would be in the center of ice right now.
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The wilderness around North America's
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highest mountain is a place of yearning.
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(speaking foreign language)
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It's the great wide open,
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the landscape that's Alaska in winter,
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and that's why I live here.
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(dramatic music)
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Winter in Alaska.
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This morning at a temperature of 35 below,
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Denny Capps has secured the fastest dog sled.
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The Denali National Park's geologist
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has to go to a measuring station on the Savage river,
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in the middle of the park.
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Denny Capps grew up in Louisiana,
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but even as a small boy he had his heart set on Alaska.
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As a geology student, he visited the far North
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time and again.
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He applied for a job with the national park
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and was accepted.
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It was the fulfillment of a dream.
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But what Denny has experienced in nature since then
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concerns him,
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because of global warming, the park is changing rapidly.
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Above all because the permafrost layer is thawing.
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We have amazing geological processes going on here.
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Landslides, debris flows, instability in so many places,
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and so that's really why we're out today,
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is to collect data to understand how this landscape
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is changing through time
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and how that impacts our infrastructure.
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The changes are visible everywhere.
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Even the habitats of the park's wild animals are affected.
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The timber line is rising.
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As a result, bears in particular
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are being driven out of their traditional low vegetation
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tundra areas and forced to cover larger and larger distances
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to find enough food.
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This is also a matter of concern for biologist,
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Patricia Owen.
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Originally from Pennsylvania,
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she came to the Denali National Park in 1987 as a student.
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{\an8}(dramatic music)
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Here on the park's Northern border,
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Patricia is looking for traces of bears.
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Most of the park's bears are still hibernating
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but some are already out and about again.
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Scratching trees indicate the routes they take.
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Yeah, that is definitely a grizzly bear fur.
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Here, it seems bears have moved
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outside the park's boundary.
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Unfortunately bears don't care about political boundaries.
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They don't know where the protection of the park ends
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and other land begins.
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It really doesn't make any difference to them,
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as long as the habitat is continuous.
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And so when they leave the park boundary
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they might be vulnerable to hunting and trapping
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and that might have an impact on the population overall.
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Up to now just how many bears
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crossed the park's boundary
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and where they do so has remained a mystery.
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The park covers a huge area of 24,000 square kilometers.
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Three years ago, 15 grizzlies were fitted with GPS collars.
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At the end of the year,
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Patricia Owen wants to collect the transmitters
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and evaluate their data.
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Denali National Park lies in the far North of United States.
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Only 300 kilometers from the Arctic circle.
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Every year, it attracts around 400,000 visitors.
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They come mainly to see Denali.
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At 6,190 meters, it is the highest mountain
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in North America.
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When the park was founded in 1917,
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both it and the mountain were called McKinley.
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After the 25th president of the United States.
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In 1980, the nature reserve was renamed
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The Denali National Park.
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And in 2015 former US president Barack Obama
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also restored the mountain's original name,
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Denali, means "the high one".
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In snowy Alaska, dogsleds are often the only way
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of getting from place to place.
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And for people like Anja Radano,
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who emigrated to Alaska from Munich in 2007,
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they are also a philosophy of life.
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{\an8}(soft music)
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Winter is definitely Anja's favorite time of year.
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(speaking foreign language)
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On beautiful days like today
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when the sun is shining,
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you feel like you're flying.
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You glide through the snow.
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There is nobody around, it's just you and the dogs.
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All you hear is the hiss of the sleds runners on the snow
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and maybe the panting of the dogs.
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Otherwise there's silence all around,
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and when everything is going well,
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it's the best feeling in the world.
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Anja has 25 dogs.
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All of them, Alaskan Huskies.
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These dogs are bred, not for their physical appearance,
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but for their endurance and their eagerness to run and work.
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Huskies won't show you straight away
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if they're not in good shape,
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often you really have to dig deep to find out.
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They always want to run and run and run.
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They know full well if they showed me
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that something was wrong with them,
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I wouldn't take them along.
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They'd have to stay at home.
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So sometimes you need to have a keen eye
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to spot exactly how a dog is feeling.
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Anja recently had her best bitch mated.
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The pups will be born at the kennels
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of one of Alaska's most famous husky breeders.
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The litter will be a welcome addition
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to Anja's own successful husky breeding business.
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In late April, Denali National Park awakens.
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With 750 species of plant, nearly 40 species of animal,
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and over 140 bird species.
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This is one of the largest protected ecosystems on earth.
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Alaska exerts a tremendous pool.
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Back in 1887, author Jack London wrote in his diary.
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"Yes, I had let career go hang
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"and was on the adventure path again
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"in quest of fortune.
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Like Frank Stelges from Essen in Germany.
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Frank is a globe trotter,
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together with his dog, Nuka,
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he has chosen to live according to the laws of nature.
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Like Jack London,
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he's not looking for gold and riches in Alaska,
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the solitude of nature has a magical appeal to him.
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The freedom of the wilderness means far more to him
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than just a place for adventures.
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(speaking foreign language)
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A few unpleasant things have happened
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in my life.
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My best friend was killed in an avalanche.
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He was only 25 and it made me so sad to think
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of all the many things he could have done
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if he'd have lived.
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My father also died at an early age, from a brain tumor.
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He'd worked all his life
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and had always said that later he was going to do this.
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and going to do that, but he never did.
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When you experience things like that when you're young,
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it really makes you think about life.
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Frank sold his father's farm.
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He likes to travel,
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and Alaska is a special destination for him.
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Partly because nowhere else does he feel the peace
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he feels here.
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(soft music)
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Denali National Park is a magnificent sanctuary
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which challenges its scientists anew every day.
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Rob Burroughs is a glaciologist,
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today he is going to fly to the Yanet glacier.
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He's accompanied by Sam Herreid,
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who is carrying out research into the ice age
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at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.
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(helicopter rotors whirring)
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In 2015, Burroughs and Herreid
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published a scientific study on glaciers.
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The two men want to check on the state of the Yanet glacier.
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How has it survived the winter?
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Even from the air, the scientists notice new changes.
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Hey, you see that ahead of us is this lake basin
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that keeps filling up and draining,
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I can see some water
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and it looks like it's filling up again, right?
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So just another indicator of shrinking glaciers.
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(helicopter engine rumbling)
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Hidden beneath the snow are deep crevasses.
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So landing here is always a risky business.
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(helicopter rotors whirring)
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The two men are well-prepared.
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They've brought an emergency tent, provisions,
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a satellite phone and research equipment.
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The last time they were up here the weather changed suddenly
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and the helicopter couldn't pick them up.
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They had to spend the night on the glacier.
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Nevertheless, they wanted to come back as soon as possible.
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In the ice, they find answers to pressing questions
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put by politicians and strategists worldwide.
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Their starting point is an aluminum pole
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they rammed into the glacial ice last autumn.
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They are relieved to see it is still here.
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This is a mass balance stick
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and the idea is to measure snow accumulation against it.
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So during the winter, snow will accumulate on it
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and we'll come back in the spring
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and hopefully a little bit will be sticking out
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so we can find the stick in the spring.
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And then we measure the snow depth here and the density.
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So we find out how much massive snow
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has accumulated on the glacier at this point.
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And then we also measure its position with a GPS
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to track glacier flow, glacier velocity.
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So it's like a little climate station right here.
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The most difficult part is still to come,
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digging a hole down into the old glacial ice.
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(dramatic music)
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When the weather is clear,
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the ice masses and peaks of Denali National Park
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can be seen from far off.
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So can question Lake in the South of the park,
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this is where Anja Radano lives.
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She came to Alaska for the first time in 2003
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and immediately fell in love with its rugged beauty
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and its sled dogs.
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She and her husband, Pete,
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live in a small wooden house they built themselves.
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Everyday life in the wilderness challenges Anja
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in a totally different way from life in Bavaria.
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(speaking foreign language)
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In Alaska a lot of things are more expensive
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but you get by with less.
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Our house is probably much smaller
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than a house you'd find in Germany.
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We grow a lot of the food we need to get through the winter.
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In the summer in the salmon season
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we go angling and fill the freezer with fish.
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That way, you can save a lot of money
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and you've also got more time on your hands
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because you don't have to work so much to earn money.
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(upbeat music)
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It's a freedom Anja also uses
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to build up her dog breeding business.
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Her favorite bitch recently gave birth.
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Anja has given the pups to famous dog sled champion,
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Jeff King, to be trained.
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Hey Jeff.
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Welcome.
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Thank you.
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How's it going?
Good to see you.
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Good to see you.
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Go get 'em.
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Go get 'em. Hi little guys.
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Hi little guys.
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Anja only has eyes for her six puppies.
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They will be reared together with many other young dogs here
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until they are six months old.
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(speaking foreign language)
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It's this great mix
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You've not only got a canine friend,
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but you've also got a working dog.
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You live together and sleep and eat together.
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You do everything together.
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Basically the dogs are your only link with civilization
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00:13:47,260 --> 00:13:49,573
because without them, you'd never get back.
267
00:13:52,380 --> 00:13:53,450
Out here, Huskies
268
00:13:53,450 --> 00:13:55,960
are something of a life insurance.
269
00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,171
Anyone running in the wheel yet?
270
00:13:58,171 --> 00:13:59,200
All of them are running.
271
00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:00,280
They are?
272
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:01,113
Yeah.
273
00:14:01,113 --> 00:14:03,360
Special training, Jeff King style.
274
00:14:04,350 --> 00:14:05,960
My goodness.
275
00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,610
By giving them the opportunity to run together
276
00:14:08,610 --> 00:14:11,760
and be in a team, work together, have fun.
277
00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:15,590
Like what we do with them, feel confident with us.
278
00:14:15,590 --> 00:14:17,260
This is training right now.
279
00:14:17,260 --> 00:14:18,673
This is kindergarten.
280
00:14:19,590 --> 00:14:20,560
It will be a while
281
00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,590
before the pups win their first race.
282
00:14:23,590 --> 00:14:26,083
Anja can hardly wait for next winter to come around.
283
00:14:26,083 --> 00:14:28,173
Hi buddy, hi Lester.
284
00:14:29,586 --> 00:14:32,770
(dogs barking)
285
00:14:32,770 --> 00:14:34,260
The national park also wants
286
00:14:34,260 --> 00:14:37,020
to protect something whose value is often forgotten,
287
00:14:37,020 --> 00:14:38,663
the sound track of nature.
288
00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:43,970
Davyd Betchkal is a biologist and a noise tinkerer.
289
00:14:43,970 --> 00:14:45,060
For many years now,
290
00:14:45,060 --> 00:14:47,890
he has been engaged in an unusual project
291
00:14:47,890 --> 00:14:50,920
to enable people to experience the concert of nature
292
00:14:50,920 --> 00:14:53,570
in a totally unadulterated way.
293
00:14:53,570 --> 00:14:57,050
Indeed, the Denali parks website now has a sound map
294
00:14:57,050 --> 00:14:58,893
called soundscapes.
295
00:15:00,329 --> 00:15:02,210
It is very much like music.
296
00:15:02,210 --> 00:15:03,453
Orchestral music,
297
00:15:04,380 --> 00:15:08,010
has no words to it but yet it causes us to feel
298
00:15:08,010 --> 00:15:12,003
and it connects back to a very deep awareness inside of us.
299
00:15:13,100 --> 00:15:15,390
Davyd has divided the park into 60 sections
300
00:15:15,390 --> 00:15:16,920
of equal size.
301
00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:18,540
And in many years of work,
302
00:15:18,540 --> 00:15:21,203
set up a fixed recording station in each section.
303
00:15:39,420 --> 00:15:42,260
Today, however, he has to go out into the wilderness
304
00:15:42,260 --> 00:15:43,693
with a mobile recorder.
305
00:15:45,220 --> 00:15:47,160
Sometimes the sounds of nature
306
00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,263
can only be captured personally.
307
00:15:50,330 --> 00:15:52,210
Human made sounds that are quite powerful,
308
00:15:52,210 --> 00:15:53,270
sounds of aircraft.
309
00:15:53,270 --> 00:15:57,220
You can hear them for 10 to 15 kilometers.
310
00:15:57,220 --> 00:15:58,900
Natural sounds are a lot less powerful.
311
00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:00,780
You know, the sound of an insect,
312
00:16:00,780 --> 00:16:02,350
you can't hear it very far
313
00:16:02,350 --> 00:16:04,990
because there's not very much energy in that sound.
314
00:16:04,990 --> 00:16:08,040
That's why we have to sometimes scale down
315
00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:11,330
and zoom in on a very small section.
316
00:16:11,330 --> 00:16:13,580
And so we can try to see how sound changes
317
00:16:13,580 --> 00:16:14,780
on a much smaller scale.
318
00:16:16,150 --> 00:16:17,880
Up on the Yanet glacier
319
00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,800
at an altitude of nearly 1500 meters,
320
00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:22,483
the weather is getting rougher.
321
00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,130
Rob Burroughs and Sam Herride need to hurry
322
00:16:27,130 --> 00:16:28,830
if they are to complete their measurements
323
00:16:28,830 --> 00:16:30,530
while there is still enough light.
324
00:16:31,860 --> 00:16:34,910
Using a balance, they measure the density of the snow
325
00:16:34,910 --> 00:16:37,090
that has fallen since last winter.
326
00:16:37,090 --> 00:16:39,410
This data will tell them whether the glacier
327
00:16:39,410 --> 00:16:41,010
is renewing itself.
328
00:16:41,010 --> 00:16:41,883
63.
329
00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:44,690
Yep, cool.
330
00:16:44,690 --> 00:16:45,523
Okay.
331
00:16:45,523 --> 00:16:47,520
Then comes the strenuous part,
332
00:16:47,520 --> 00:16:50,427
digging a hole down to the surface of the glacier.
333
00:16:50,427 --> 00:16:52,910
The temperature might be around freezing
334
00:16:52,910 --> 00:16:55,590
but it is sweaty work all the same.
335
00:16:55,590 --> 00:16:57,890
Fortunately, the men only need to go down
336
00:16:57,890 --> 00:16:59,203
one and a half meters.
337
00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,700
There we go, glacier ice, and you can see actually
338
00:17:03,700 --> 00:17:05,730
there's a whole lot of water down there.
339
00:17:05,730 --> 00:17:08,790
So all the meltwater that's coming out of the snow
340
00:17:08,790 --> 00:17:11,480
is percolating through the snow pack
341
00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:12,990
and sitting on that ice.
342
00:17:12,990 --> 00:17:15,540
And it's probably slowly flowing down slope too
343
00:17:16,516 --> 00:17:20,933
and eventually down into the river below the glacier.
344
00:17:21,870 --> 00:17:24,690
Very little snow from the winter has remained.
345
00:17:24,690 --> 00:17:26,693
And even that is thawing very quickly.
346
00:17:29,500 --> 00:17:31,640
The surface of this glacier as a whole
347
00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:33,160
is just lowering
348
00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:38,160
and if the climate trends are continued to accelerate
349
00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,563
in their warming, then this glacier will slowly disappear.
350
00:17:48,780 --> 00:17:51,270
The Yanet is one of the most striking examples
351
00:17:51,270 --> 00:17:53,370
of the situation for all the glaciers
352
00:17:53,370 --> 00:17:55,020
in the Denali National Park
353
00:17:55,020 --> 00:17:57,900
and throughout the entire Alaska range.
354
00:17:57,900 --> 00:18:02,090
Glaciers below 2,500 meters are particularly affected
355
00:18:02,090 --> 00:18:03,420
by global warming.
356
00:18:03,420 --> 00:18:05,030
{\an8}Over the last 80 years,
357
00:18:05,030 --> 00:18:07,890
{\an8}some have retreated by almost 10 kilometers.
358
00:18:07,890 --> 00:18:10,140
{\an8}In some places, the thickness of the ice
359
00:18:10,140 --> 00:18:12,550
{\an8}has shrunk by up to 300 meters.
360
00:18:12,550 --> 00:18:15,270
Today only 17% of the parks area
361
00:18:15,270 --> 00:18:16,720
is still covered by glaciers.
362
00:18:21,627 --> 00:18:25,210
Davyd Betchkal is back at his headquarters.
363
00:18:26,060 --> 00:18:28,740
The big sound collection from all corners of the park
364
00:18:28,740 --> 00:18:30,263
is still not quite complete,
365
00:18:31,862 --> 00:18:32,695
(chirping bird sounds)
366
00:18:32,695 --> 00:18:34,130
but he already has recordings
367
00:18:34,130 --> 00:18:37,323
he would not have expected to make in central Alaska.
368
00:18:38,260 --> 00:18:41,773
Davyd digitizes files and evaluates.
369
00:18:43,540 --> 00:18:45,777
You kind of get a sense of how the loon there
370
00:18:45,777 --> 00:18:47,733
has a much lower pitch sound.
371
00:18:47,733 --> 00:18:48,940
This is a crank lower,
372
00:18:48,940 --> 00:18:51,133
you can kind of see it laugh and call here,
373
00:18:52,356 --> 00:18:53,189
(bird chirping sound)
374
00:18:53,189 --> 00:18:55,020
up on top the songbird you're saying.
375
00:18:55,900 --> 00:18:58,090
So this is a recording of some sort of insect
376
00:18:58,090 --> 00:19:00,700
either a fly or a mosquito or something like that
377
00:19:00,700 --> 00:19:02,605
in the wind screen.
378
00:19:02,605 --> 00:19:05,272
(buzzing sound)
379
00:19:09,380 --> 00:19:11,286
You can hear the swarm in the background there.
380
00:19:11,286 --> 00:19:14,540
(buzzing sound)
381
00:19:14,540 --> 00:19:17,020
Davyd also has recordings of times
382
00:19:17,020 --> 00:19:19,240
when his stations were attacked by animals.
383
00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:20,653
Usually by bears.
384
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:24,653
That's a sound that makes me very happy.
385
00:19:28,350 --> 00:19:33,055
These instruments allow us to sort of step into a world
386
00:19:33,055 --> 00:19:36,480
where we aren't there
387
00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,320
and animals behave very differently when humans are around
388
00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:41,120
and when they're not.
389
00:19:41,120 --> 00:19:44,510
I feel like I get a lot of very interesting vocalizations
390
00:19:44,510 --> 00:19:47,790
from say, Gray Jays or other types of birds
391
00:19:47,790 --> 00:19:51,223
that you might never hear if you were there.
392
00:19:52,688 --> 00:19:55,550
(dramatic music)
393
00:19:55,550 --> 00:19:57,113
Summer in Alaska,
394
00:19:58,610 --> 00:20:01,813
the days are long with 18 hours of sunshine.
395
00:20:04,150 --> 00:20:06,793
Fireweed is in bloom everywhere.
396
00:20:08,900 --> 00:20:11,620
The wild animals in Denali National Park
397
00:20:11,620 --> 00:20:15,120
are extremely active and attract lots of visitors
398
00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:18,313
and precisely that can cause problems.
399
00:20:25,028 --> 00:20:28,150
During the night, an incident occurred by the Savage river.
400
00:20:28,150 --> 00:20:30,243
Patricia Owen has to investigate.
401
00:20:31,450 --> 00:20:36,450
So last night, a female bear killed a moose calf
402
00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,720
over on the other side of the river, just over here.
403
00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:44,490
And she subsequently drug that moose calf across the river
404
00:20:44,490 --> 00:20:48,840
over to this East side and dropped it in the brush
405
00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,243
very close to the trail here, and then moved off.
406
00:20:54,070 --> 00:20:55,910
It's a dangerous situation
407
00:20:55,910 --> 00:20:58,507
and Patricia has had the trail closed off.
408
00:21:03,158 --> 00:21:06,300
And now she has to tell visitors why.
409
00:21:06,300 --> 00:21:07,720
For the safety of our visitors,
410
00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:09,680
we just figured it was prudent.
411
00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:13,310
One to remove the carcass and two to close the trail.
412
00:21:13,310 --> 00:21:16,260
We probably won't have the trail closed for more than a day
413
00:21:16,260 --> 00:21:20,030
but just to give the scent a chance to dissipate
414
00:21:20,030 --> 00:21:22,000
so that we don't have an attractant down there
415
00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,180
because either the bear that did the initial kill
416
00:21:25,180 --> 00:21:28,049
or any other bear in the area that smells that thing
417
00:21:28,049 --> 00:21:30,413
will probably come in to investigate.
418
00:21:34,470 --> 00:21:36,923
Patricia decides to make another check.
419
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,060
A hungry she bear is not something to be fooled with
420
00:21:42,060 --> 00:21:45,857
especially if she has just had her prey taken away from her.
421
00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:54,240
That's interesting right here on the trail.
422
00:21:54,240 --> 00:21:57,400
Let's say that one's probably a couple of days old.
423
00:21:57,400 --> 00:21:59,423
But a bear has definitely been here.
424
00:22:01,323 --> 00:22:03,740
(soft music)
425
00:22:06,230 --> 00:22:07,920
Around 350 bears,
426
00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,400
live within the boundaries of the park,
427
00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,120
the grizzlies top the list of the park's big five.
428
00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:17,310
Anyone who sees all five species on a visit to the park
429
00:22:17,310 --> 00:22:19,303
can count themselves very lucky.
430
00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:24,430
Moose are in evidence everywhere,
431
00:22:24,430 --> 00:22:27,310
but here too caution is called for.
432
00:22:27,310 --> 00:22:31,623
More people are attacked by enraged cow moose than by bears.
433
00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:37,100
Wolves tend to be a rarer sight,
434
00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:40,070
even though the park has a very stable population
435
00:22:40,070 --> 00:22:41,823
of these shy predators.
436
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:48,080
Caribou rarely show an interest in people.
437
00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:51,653
Sometimes large herds of them even block the roads.
438
00:22:53,050 --> 00:22:56,400
Species number five is a very special animal,
439
00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:00,050
doll sheep are only happy up in the mountains.
440
00:23:00,050 --> 00:23:03,740
In 1917, protecting them was one of the main reasons
441
00:23:03,740 --> 00:23:05,140
for establishing the park.
442
00:23:08,020 --> 00:23:11,043
Park road, mile marker 53.
443
00:23:16,170 --> 00:23:18,220
Last year, the only road through the park
444
00:23:18,220 --> 00:23:20,130
was buried by a landslide,
445
00:23:20,130 --> 00:23:23,643
completely paralyzing Denali's logistics.
446
00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,180
Geologists, Denny Capps, and Andrew Collins
447
00:23:31,180 --> 00:23:32,780
are still on the alert,
448
00:23:32,780 --> 00:23:36,110
the steep slopes along the road just won't settle.
449
00:23:36,110 --> 00:23:38,410
That upper left corner's definitely evolved.
450
00:23:39,530 --> 00:23:41,660
That's a pretty big chunk that came out of the corner
451
00:23:41,660 --> 00:23:42,493
up there.
452
00:23:42,493 --> 00:23:43,770
Hopefully we'll better take some measurements
453
00:23:43,770 --> 00:23:44,603
and see that today.
454
00:23:44,603 --> 00:23:46,260
Maybe GPS a little bit around,
455
00:23:46,260 --> 00:23:49,193
and see how much the scarp has changed through time.
456
00:23:56,060 --> 00:23:58,110
Denny and Andrew first check the temperature
457
00:23:58,110 --> 00:24:00,483
of the soil where the landslide came down.
458
00:24:04,610 --> 00:24:07,640
Normally there should be permafrost everywhere here,
459
00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:09,440
ground that is permanently frozen
460
00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:12,840
but wherever the two take a reading
461
00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,320
the temperature is always above freezing.
462
00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,503
The slopes along the road are thawing relentlessly.
463
00:24:22,504 --> 00:24:25,540
You can see just how unstable this material is.
464
00:24:29,990 --> 00:24:32,530
So this is the exact material
465
00:24:32,530 --> 00:24:36,853
that these four or five meter blocks of permafrost
466
00:24:36,853 --> 00:24:38,680
slid down upon.
467
00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,840
And originally this material was probably frozen,
468
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,320
but as permafrost, thawed and thinned,
469
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:47,790
it thinned through this layer of clay,
470
00:24:47,790 --> 00:24:51,703
from the clay being frozen and to it becoming unfrozen.
471
00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:57,860
More and more mountain slopes in the park
472
00:24:57,860 --> 00:24:59,340
are moving.
473
00:24:59,340 --> 00:25:01,920
When they hit the road, it causes chaos.
474
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,510
Denny and Andrew are now installing a camera
475
00:25:04,510 --> 00:25:07,533
on the slope opposite the site of the landslide.
476
00:25:13,690 --> 00:25:14,830
All right, put back on,
477
00:25:14,830 --> 00:25:18,970
cards still got plenty of room and batteries are at 99%.
478
00:25:18,970 --> 00:25:20,230
Looks good.
479
00:25:20,230 --> 00:25:22,030
The geologists' ambitious vision
480
00:25:22,030 --> 00:25:25,283
is to be able to predict a landslide as early as possible.
481
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,600
Alaska summary pleasantness is deceptive,
482
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:33,460
something Christopher McCandless
483
00:25:33,460 --> 00:25:35,850
experienced a personal cost.
484
00:25:35,850 --> 00:25:39,783
The film "Into the Wild" tells the story of a fateful trip.
485
00:25:42,490 --> 00:25:46,410
In the early 90s McCandless, a young college graduate,
486
00:25:46,410 --> 00:25:48,300
left his wealthy parents' home
487
00:25:48,300 --> 00:25:51,410
and went into nature in search of himself.
488
00:25:51,410 --> 00:25:55,110
He reached Alaska's wilderness incredibly under-prepared.
489
00:25:55,110 --> 00:25:59,750
For 113 days, an old school bus offered him protection.
490
00:25:59,750 --> 00:26:04,750
Then in August, 1992 hunters found his body.
491
00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:09,690
McCandless became the idol of an entire generation.
492
00:26:09,690 --> 00:26:12,760
Even today, countless imitators follow his tracks
493
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:15,473
and many come to the same tragic end.
494
00:26:16,420 --> 00:26:18,570
For adventurers who are not as well-prepared
495
00:26:18,570 --> 00:26:22,420
as Frank Stelges, the park has employed survival rangers
496
00:26:22,420 --> 00:26:23,963
to patrol the wilderness.
497
00:26:26,238 --> 00:26:27,071
(speaking foreign language)
This is my
498
00:26:27,071 --> 00:26:30,020
emergency box where I keep all my important things
499
00:26:30,020 --> 00:26:31,790
like lots of bear spray,
500
00:26:31,790 --> 00:26:34,400
enough first aid for every situation,
501
00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,320
and also sensible things like painkillers
502
00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:39,450
in case I break my arm or something
503
00:26:39,450 --> 00:26:41,413
and have to get back home somehow,
504
00:26:42,330 --> 00:26:45,070
and for when I'm really way out in the wilderness,
505
00:26:45,070 --> 00:26:46,513
I also have a shotgun.
506
00:26:47,350 --> 00:26:50,450
The slugs are fairly big lead cartridges,
507
00:26:50,450 --> 00:26:52,020
if I had no alternative,
508
00:26:52,020 --> 00:26:55,150
I could probably penetrate the skull of a grizzly with them.
509
00:26:56,644 --> 00:26:59,061
(soft music)
510
00:27:02,290 --> 00:27:04,120
Directly behind the park boundary
511
00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:06,200
is a mysterious setup.
512
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:10,160
It's the permafrost field laboratory of Ted Schuur,
513
00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:13,800
a professor at Northern Arizona University.
514
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:15,610
For geologists like him,
515
00:27:15,610 --> 00:27:18,420
this region is something of an early warning system
516
00:27:18,420 --> 00:27:19,568
for the earth.
517
00:27:19,568 --> 00:27:20,401
How's it?
518
00:27:20,401 --> 00:27:21,234
How's it going Denny?
519
00:27:21,234 --> 00:27:22,067
Yeah, good to see you again.
520
00:27:22,067 --> 00:27:22,900
Yeah.
521
00:27:23,810 --> 00:27:25,440
Ted Schuur and his colleagues
522
00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,090
simulate what will happen if the permafrost layer
523
00:27:28,090 --> 00:27:29,580
continues to thaw,
524
00:27:29,580 --> 00:27:32,423
releasing the carbon dioxide contained within.
525
00:27:33,660 --> 00:27:35,430
What is so interesting about this place
526
00:27:35,430 --> 00:27:37,880
is the amount of carbon that's frozen in the North
527
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,850
is so large that as we change from Tundra to forest,
528
00:27:41,850 --> 00:27:44,330
and if we release carbon from the soil,
529
00:27:44,330 --> 00:27:46,010
that actually goes into the atmosphere
530
00:27:46,010 --> 00:27:48,680
and makes climate change happen faster yet.
531
00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,380
Places in Alaska that are far from where people live
532
00:27:51,380 --> 00:27:54,050
are changing quickly and have this potential
533
00:27:54,050 --> 00:27:56,123
to impact the world in which we live.
534
00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:58,870
The message from Denali
535
00:27:58,870 --> 00:28:02,708
is that what happens in Alaska concerns all of us.
536
00:28:02,708 --> 00:28:05,820
(dramatic music)
537
00:28:05,820 --> 00:28:08,523
Autumn here comes quickly and intensively.
538
00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:15,763
Mammals; bears and caribou find food in abundance.
539
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,580
The animals take every opportunity to build up fat reserves
540
00:28:20,580 --> 00:28:21,930
for the forthcoming winter.
541
00:28:44,570 --> 00:28:46,820
Accompanied by colleague Gabe Mitchell,
542
00:28:46,820 --> 00:28:49,840
today Davyd Betchkal is going to dismantle
543
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,200
the last fixed sound station,
544
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,863
which has stood deep in the park for over a year.
545
00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,550
Today's a fairly important day for me
546
00:29:00,550 --> 00:29:02,320
because I've been working on this project now
547
00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:03,610
for about seven years.
548
00:29:03,610 --> 00:29:06,880
And we've been inventorying the park
549
00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,540
and I'm pretty excited because it's been a lot of work
550
00:29:09,540 --> 00:29:10,670
and to take this one out of the field
551
00:29:10,670 --> 00:29:12,100
means we're all done with the inventory.
552
00:29:12,100 --> 00:29:14,230
And we can move on to monitoring
553
00:29:14,230 --> 00:29:17,580
and going back and figuring out how to make the park better
554
00:29:17,580 --> 00:29:18,413
and quieter.
555
00:29:20,278 --> 00:29:21,410
(gently flowing water)
556
00:29:21,410 --> 00:29:22,980
Davyd and Gabe hope the station
557
00:29:22,980 --> 00:29:25,200
hasn't been wrecked by a bear
558
00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:27,533
because this is grizzly territory.
559
00:29:30,287 --> 00:29:33,900
(howling indistinctly)
560
00:29:33,900 --> 00:29:37,403
Nothing is more dangerous than surprising a bear.
561
00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,273
The station is right back in this direction here.
562
00:29:42,347 --> 00:29:43,180
And we're almost there.
563
00:29:45,351 --> 00:29:47,768
(soft music)
564
00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:51,760
The measuring equipment
565
00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:53,980
looks to be in perfect condition.
566
00:29:53,980 --> 00:29:56,510
But the two biologists are mainly concerned
567
00:29:56,510 --> 00:29:59,280
about the heart of the setup, the recorder,
568
00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,000
which is hidden in a plastic case.
569
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,210
However, it seems that the men have got what they wanted.
570
00:30:05,210 --> 00:30:06,600
They are relieved.
571
00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:08,460
After a year, many other stations
572
00:30:08,460 --> 00:30:10,823
were in a totally different state.
573
00:30:15,330 --> 00:30:16,163
I don't blame them,
574
00:30:16,163 --> 00:30:18,720
this thing sort of looks like an animal on a stick.
575
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:21,160
it's fury windscreen cover.
576
00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:22,963
And they seem to like to bite and chew them,
577
00:30:22,963 --> 00:30:26,050
they take the foam right out of here
578
00:30:26,050 --> 00:30:28,060
and bite them and tear up the pieces
579
00:30:28,060 --> 00:30:29,893
and spread them all over the place.
580
00:30:31,210 --> 00:30:34,792
They might also bite the shroud, the environmental shroud.
581
00:30:34,792 --> 00:30:36,400
We've got this special in here,
582
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:37,233
it's a little softer plastic
583
00:30:37,233 --> 00:30:38,660
so they can get their teeth in it
584
00:30:38,660 --> 00:30:40,210
but it won't crack or break
585
00:30:40,210 --> 00:30:42,210
'cause there are a lot of bears in this particular area.
586
00:30:42,210 --> 00:30:45,470
Luckily this one we'll get to keep all of its legs today.
587
00:30:45,470 --> 00:30:49,500
We definitely have a few amputated tripods running around
588
00:30:49,500 --> 00:30:52,630
when the bears knock them over and bend the legs.
589
00:30:52,630 --> 00:30:55,330
And then the legs were all contorted over the place
590
00:30:55,330 --> 00:30:57,140
and you can't put them back in together.
591
00:30:57,140 --> 00:31:00,910
So when that happens, we just have to do a little field work
592
00:31:00,910 --> 00:31:03,423
and take it right off so we can hike it out.
593
00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:07,360
The voices of nature
594
00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:09,470
in their splendor and uniqueness,
595
00:31:09,470 --> 00:31:14,104
captured at the end of the world for eternity.
596
00:31:14,104 --> 00:31:16,521
(soft music)
597
00:31:23,100 --> 00:31:24,820
The weather is changing.
598
00:31:24,820 --> 00:31:28,603
Winter is already sending its harbingers in September.
599
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:34,070
Patricia Owen is nervous.
600
00:31:34,070 --> 00:31:35,280
She has spent three months
601
00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:37,826
preparing to collect the transmitter collars,
602
00:31:37,826 --> 00:31:40,764
with the operation costing around $20,000.
603
00:31:40,764 --> 00:31:44,023
Her main problem has been finding the funds.
604
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:48,630
Now in autumn, the animals are satiated
605
00:31:48,630 --> 00:31:50,530
and a bit more lethargic.
606
00:31:50,530 --> 00:31:52,023
She needs to make a start.
607
00:31:54,030 --> 00:31:56,380
Patricia will tranquilize her bears with a dart
608
00:31:56,380 --> 00:31:59,173
containing a sedative, normally used for dogs.
609
00:32:01,220 --> 00:32:03,650
When we mix it up for bears,
610
00:32:03,650 --> 00:32:07,210
We concentrate it a lot more than what you use for dogs
611
00:32:07,210 --> 00:32:11,460
because otherwise we would have to use triple the volume
612
00:32:11,460 --> 00:32:13,720
and triple the volume of the drug
613
00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:18,040
means that there's a higher potential for damage to the skin
614
00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:19,283
or to the muscles.
615
00:32:21,100 --> 00:32:22,460
Patricia wants to set off
616
00:32:22,460 --> 00:32:24,253
before the weather gets any worse.
617
00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,993
Finding bears in this vast territory is no easy task.
618
00:32:37,610 --> 00:32:40,680
Shortly after take-off, she actually picks up a signal,
619
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:41,990
but something is wrong,
620
00:32:41,990 --> 00:32:44,803
the signal isn't moving.
621
00:32:49,470 --> 00:32:51,400
The skeleton of a moose
622
00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:53,970
indicates that this is a feeding place,
623
00:32:53,970 --> 00:32:56,360
but the signal doesn't change its position
624
00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:58,103
even when the helicopter lands.
625
00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:02,700
Then she discovers why,
626
00:33:02,700 --> 00:33:05,913
the bear which had been collared has died and been eaten.
627
00:33:07,290 --> 00:33:11,280
Patricia, can't tell why the bear died or what fed on it.
628
00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:13,390
But the transmitter is undamaged.
629
00:33:13,390 --> 00:33:15,190
She hopes it will provide information
630
00:33:15,190 --> 00:33:16,790
on the fate of the dead grizzly.
631
00:33:29,823 --> 00:33:31,630
At the national park's headquarters,
632
00:33:31,630 --> 00:33:34,380
the geologists are analyzing the pictures taken
633
00:33:34,380 --> 00:33:36,713
by the landslide monitoring camera.
634
00:33:36,713 --> 00:33:39,820
There you can see new water paths emerging
635
00:33:39,820 --> 00:33:40,920
even in the course of a couple of minutes.
636
00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,120
Obviously what we're seeing here,
637
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:46,110
got that much of material now and then watch the slides.
638
00:33:46,110 --> 00:33:48,680
Permafrost is critical for the park as we know it,
639
00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:51,950
most of the park has been covered in permafrost in the past.
640
00:33:51,950 --> 00:33:55,770
And we have over 6,000 meters of topographic relief
641
00:33:55,770 --> 00:33:56,860
here in the park.
642
00:33:56,860 --> 00:33:58,630
As that permafrost thaws,
643
00:33:58,630 --> 00:34:02,633
we will see increased landslide activity in the park.
644
00:34:03,660 --> 00:34:05,530
{\an8}The forecasts are dramatic,
645
00:34:05,530 --> 00:34:09,530
{\an8}even in 1950, virtually the entire area covered by the park
646
00:34:09,530 --> 00:34:11,130
{\an8}was still frozen.
647
00:34:11,130 --> 00:34:15,760
{\an8}At present, temperatures are already fluctuating around zero
648
00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:20,170
{\an8}and the predictions for 2050 and beyond are alarming.
649
00:34:20,170 --> 00:34:23,063
{\an8}Temperatures almost everywhere will be above freezing.
650
00:34:24,347 --> 00:34:27,097
(dramatic music)
651
00:34:30,890 --> 00:34:33,000
Out on the Northern border of the park,
652
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:34,760
Patricia has darted a bear.
653
00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:38,450
She and her pilot don't let the animal out of their sight.
654
00:34:38,450 --> 00:34:41,690
After a few minutes, the tranquilizer begins to take effect.
655
00:34:41,690 --> 00:34:43,963
Now Patricia has to move fast.
656
00:34:44,980 --> 00:34:46,620
Our wildlife biologist
657
00:34:46,620 --> 00:34:48,573
needs nothing more than a screwdriver.
658
00:34:49,890 --> 00:34:53,270
It takes her five minutes to remove the bear's collar.
659
00:34:53,270 --> 00:34:55,370
Then she gives the animal a quick check.
660
00:34:55,370 --> 00:34:58,860
The best teeth, claws and breathing are all fine.
661
00:34:58,860 --> 00:35:00,513
So Patricia can move on.
662
00:35:05,250 --> 00:35:07,950
The weather seems to have driven the bears away.
663
00:35:07,950 --> 00:35:09,203
The search is taking so long
664
00:35:09,203 --> 00:35:11,743
that the helicopter has to land and refuel.
665
00:35:12,740 --> 00:35:16,085
Going down, I have to go and shut that thing off.
666
00:35:16,085 --> 00:35:18,020
Yeah, yeah, much.
667
00:35:18,020 --> 00:35:22,470
So you said it's kind of turbulent under the stuff
668
00:35:22,470 --> 00:35:24,470
at Toklat Springs?
669
00:35:24,470 --> 00:35:25,303
Great.
670
00:35:25,303 --> 00:35:27,980
Okay, Well, we'll talk to you when we're airborne.
671
00:35:27,980 --> 00:35:29,173
Okay, we'll do that.
672
00:35:30,860 --> 00:35:31,693
All right.
673
00:35:31,693 --> 00:35:33,257
We'll talk to you in a bit.
674
00:35:36,190 --> 00:35:38,590
Then Patricia picks up fresh signals
675
00:35:38,590 --> 00:35:41,743
and completely dispels the myth of a cuddly teddy bear.
676
00:35:42,750 --> 00:35:45,600
Grizzly bear fur is not soft
677
00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:48,580
and smooth and silky like you would imagine it to be.
678
00:35:48,580 --> 00:35:50,530
It's actually very coarse.
679
00:35:50,530 --> 00:35:53,170
It's not very pleasant to the touch.
680
00:35:53,170 --> 00:35:55,500
It's always interesting to get your hands on them
681
00:35:55,500 --> 00:35:57,370
because their fur is thick
682
00:35:57,370 --> 00:35:59,590
and some of them have very long fur,
683
00:35:59,590 --> 00:36:01,123
it also depends on the time of the year.
684
00:36:01,123 --> 00:36:03,960
Sometimes their fur is rather short
685
00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:05,630
but it's always very coarse.
686
00:36:05,630 --> 00:36:06,660
For three years,
687
00:36:06,660 --> 00:36:08,750
the transmitters have accompanied the bears
688
00:36:08,750 --> 00:36:10,100
every step of the way.
689
00:36:10,100 --> 00:36:12,150
What will the data they provide reveal
690
00:36:12,150 --> 00:36:14,050
about the routes the bears have taken?
691
00:36:15,790 --> 00:36:19,310
Frank Stelges has found a quiet spot near the park.
692
00:36:19,310 --> 00:36:21,320
He's had a bit of a nap in a sleeping bag
693
00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:22,620
on the back of his pickup.
694
00:36:32,620 --> 00:36:35,943
Now he needs some coffee because the night could be long.
695
00:36:44,639 --> 00:36:45,520
(speaking foreign language)
In summer,
696
00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:47,460
there's just too much light.
697
00:36:47,460 --> 00:36:49,090
It's not until early September
698
00:36:49,090 --> 00:36:50,380
that the nights are dark enough
699
00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:53,750
to give you a chance of seeing the aurora borealis,
700
00:36:53,750 --> 00:36:55,580
the Northern lights.
701
00:36:55,580 --> 00:36:57,170
There aren't any other sources of light
702
00:36:57,170 --> 00:36:58,560
that could interfere,
703
00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:01,210
but I've still got a fantastic background.
704
00:37:01,210 --> 00:37:03,160
So I hope that tonight we'll get a great view
705
00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:04,310
of the Northern lights.
706
00:37:06,256 --> 00:37:09,006
(dramatic music)
707
00:37:10,690 --> 00:37:12,510
And indeed around midnight
708
00:37:12,510 --> 00:37:15,450
the Northern lights appear over Alaska.
709
00:37:15,450 --> 00:37:19,010
They are a result of collisions between gaseous particles
710
00:37:19,010 --> 00:37:22,570
in the earth atmosphere and electrically charged particles
711
00:37:22,570 --> 00:37:25,490
from the sun's atmosphere, blown towards the earth
712
00:37:25,490 --> 00:37:27,050
by the solar wind.
713
00:37:27,050 --> 00:37:29,337
It's a magical site.
714
00:37:29,337 --> 00:37:30,750
The Northern lights
715
00:37:30,750 --> 00:37:32,770
are a unique natural spectacle,
716
00:37:32,770 --> 00:37:35,113
one that makes you feel very, very small.
717
00:37:35,980 --> 00:37:39,220
Then you believe all the old tales told by Eskimos
718
00:37:39,220 --> 00:37:42,703
about the spirits of the dead gliding across the sky.
719
00:37:45,038 --> 00:37:47,538
(soft music)
720
00:38:04,700 --> 00:38:08,070
It's early October and winter is turning Alaska
721
00:38:08,070 --> 00:38:11,597
into the sort of world described in Jack London's novel,
722
00:38:11,597 --> 00:38:12,867
"White Fang",
723
00:38:12,867 --> 00:38:15,407
"a vast silence reigned over the land,
724
00:38:15,407 --> 00:38:17,697
"the land itself was a desolation,
725
00:38:17,697 --> 00:38:19,677
"lifeless, without movement.
726
00:38:19,677 --> 00:38:21,307
"So lone and cold,
727
00:38:21,307 --> 00:38:24,597
"that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness.
728
00:38:24,597 --> 00:38:29,597
"It was the wild, the Savage frozen hearted Northland wild.
729
00:38:30,793 --> 00:38:33,293
(soft music)
730
00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:37,010
The transmitter collars have done a good job.
731
00:38:37,010 --> 00:38:39,090
Virtually all of them have functioned.
732
00:38:39,090 --> 00:38:41,420
So Patricia can now reconstruct the routes
733
00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:43,170
taken by the bears.
734
00:38:43,170 --> 00:38:46,543
Each collar store the animals position every five hours.
735
00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:52,440
So this line, the green line here is the park boundary.
736
00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:54,170
This is our North boundary right here.
737
00:38:54,170 --> 00:38:55,570
And you can see that this bear
738
00:38:55,570 --> 00:38:58,520
had spent a fair amount of time inside the park,
739
00:38:58,520 --> 00:39:02,130
traveling through the mountains, down in the valleys here,
740
00:39:02,130 --> 00:39:05,350
and then made a foray out here to the North.
741
00:39:05,350 --> 00:39:09,520
And I suspect was probably eating fish out there,
742
00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:11,633
that's why there's a cluster of dots.
743
00:39:13,810 --> 00:39:14,643
{\an8}In the North,
744
00:39:14,643 --> 00:39:17,200
{\an8}it seems the feeding grounds were better.
745
00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:20,360
{\an8}Nearly all the bears roamed up to 150 kilometers
746
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:21,643
{\an8}outside the park.
747
00:39:23,100 --> 00:39:25,880
{\an8}Patricia now has the precise data she needs
748
00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:28,593
{\an8}to negotiate with the National Hunting Authority.
749
00:39:30,430 --> 00:39:32,710
She wants to see a large zone established
750
00:39:32,710 --> 00:39:36,023
around the entire park in which hunting is banned.
751
00:39:36,930 --> 00:39:39,490
One of the things that people come to Denali to see
752
00:39:39,490 --> 00:39:40,323
are bears.
753
00:39:40,323 --> 00:39:45,323
And so if more bears are hunted or trapped outside the park,
754
00:39:45,700 --> 00:39:47,920
there's the possibility that that might mean
755
00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:50,910
there's fewer bears available for people to see
756
00:39:50,910 --> 00:39:51,840
when they come here.
757
00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:56,190
So that would be a big change for the visitors here.
758
00:39:56,190 --> 00:39:58,220
And there's also the possibility
759
00:39:58,220 --> 00:40:00,810
that if enough bears were taken outside the park
760
00:40:00,810 --> 00:40:04,040
that it might have an impact on the number of bears overall
761
00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:06,190
and might actually decrease the population.
762
00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:12,610
The Lake in front of Anja Radano's house
763
00:40:12,610 --> 00:40:13,940
is frozen.
764
00:40:13,940 --> 00:40:16,963
50 centimeters of new snow fell during the night.
765
00:40:17,950 --> 00:40:21,293
Today she plans to test her young dogs for the first time.
766
00:40:22,549 --> 00:40:23,710
You wanna go for a run?
767
00:40:23,710 --> 00:40:24,880
You wanna go for a run?
768
00:40:24,880 --> 00:40:26,337
Is that a good girl?
769
00:40:26,337 --> 00:40:27,220
(speaking foreign language)
770
00:40:27,220 --> 00:40:29,610
This is my first litter with six dogs.
771
00:40:29,610 --> 00:40:30,900
They are now a year old,
772
00:40:30,900 --> 00:40:33,330
so it's time that they were harnessed to a sled.
773
00:40:33,330 --> 00:40:36,430
Then we will see whether they can come up to expectations,
774
00:40:36,430 --> 00:40:38,110
so far though, they look good.
775
00:40:38,110 --> 00:40:39,110
So I'm really happy.
776
00:40:40,435 --> 00:40:43,185
(dramatic music)
777
00:40:45,394 --> 00:40:47,237
(dogs barking)
778
00:40:47,237 --> 00:40:50,070
(dramatic music)
779
00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:53,860
The dogs are all excited.
780
00:40:53,860 --> 00:40:55,860
Headed by an experienced bitch,
781
00:40:55,860 --> 00:40:58,330
the newcomers can now show what they've learned
782
00:40:58,330 --> 00:40:59,163
in the summer.
783
00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:02,620
Let's go, guys, let's go.
784
00:41:02,620 --> 00:41:04,147
Come on.
785
00:41:04,147 --> 00:41:06,780
(speaking foreign language)
786
00:41:06,780 --> 00:41:08,140
The youngsters are doing great.
787
00:41:08,140 --> 00:41:09,580
I'm so happy with them.
788
00:41:09,580 --> 00:41:11,140
They've lined up superbly
789
00:41:11,140 --> 00:41:13,030
and they're all pulling straight ahead.
790
00:41:13,030 --> 00:41:14,470
It's always a big advantage
791
00:41:14,470 --> 00:41:17,270
when they're not all pulling in different directions.
792
00:41:17,270 --> 00:41:19,190
They are working really well together.
793
00:41:19,190 --> 00:41:20,490
Things couldn't be better.
794
00:41:22,527 --> 00:41:25,277
(dramatic music)
795
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:38,330
(speaking foreign language)
796
00:41:38,330 --> 00:41:39,710
My big dream for the future
797
00:41:39,710 --> 00:41:43,229
is to compete with my dogs in the Iditarod race.
798
00:41:43,229 --> 00:41:45,060
The Iditarod is the Wimbledon
799
00:41:45,060 --> 00:41:47,620
of long distance dog sled racing.
800
00:41:47,620 --> 00:41:49,470
It's a 1000 mile event.
801
00:41:49,470 --> 00:41:52,450
If we can get the money together and the dogs are okay
802
00:41:52,450 --> 00:41:55,763
and the training goes well, then one day we'll take part.
803
00:41:59,510 --> 00:42:00,620
Denali National Park
804
00:42:00,620 --> 00:42:03,500
is a region with an uncertain future.
805
00:42:03,500 --> 00:42:05,860
It's animals need more protection.
806
00:42:05,860 --> 00:42:08,883
The land has natural resources that are coveted.
807
00:42:10,180 --> 00:42:13,560
Thus, along with the effects of global warming
808
00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:16,083
the wilderness is changing more and more rapidly.
809
00:42:17,670 --> 00:42:20,890
The people here are doing everything in their power
810
00:42:20,890 --> 00:42:23,573
to preserve the park's uniqueness.
811
00:42:24,620 --> 00:42:27,580
I believe that the biggest challenge in the upcoming years
812
00:42:27,580 --> 00:42:30,910
in Denali is responding to change.
813
00:42:30,910 --> 00:42:32,550
Alaska will become developed.
814
00:42:32,550 --> 00:42:34,173
I mean, I know that to be true.
815
00:42:36,180 --> 00:42:38,070
Climate change is happening.
816
00:42:38,070 --> 00:42:41,087
And so we know that trees are heading up mountain slopes
817
00:42:41,087 --> 00:42:43,330
and that habitats are changing.
818
00:42:43,330 --> 00:42:46,678
So we have to think ahead and plan ahead.
819
00:42:46,678 --> 00:42:49,360
(dogs barking)
820
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,110
We really see not only Alaska being important
821
00:42:52,110 --> 00:42:53,740
for people to understand climate change,
822
00:42:53,740 --> 00:42:55,620
but Denali in particular.
823
00:42:55,620 --> 00:42:57,610
It's a bit of a Canary in a coal mine,
824
00:42:57,610 --> 00:43:00,370
or an early indicator of what's likely going to be happening
825
00:43:00,370 --> 00:43:02,737
in other places, like the lower 48 States
826
00:43:02,737 --> 00:43:04,353
and other places in the world.
827
00:43:06,780 --> 00:43:10,330
I am a firm believer that any area on the earth
828
00:43:10,330 --> 00:43:11,840
that we are able to protect
829
00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:14,010
to the extent that we protect a place like this
830
00:43:14,010 --> 00:43:15,120
is important for us,
831
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:18,730
because there are fewer and fewer of them all the time.
832
00:43:18,730 --> 00:43:21,998
And we need places like this.
833
00:43:21,998 --> 00:43:24,581
(soft music)
64221
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