Welcome to Fairbanks, Alaska!
Business Information
Sarah Dailey
Sarah's Ecotourism Adventure
1211 15th Ave
Fairbanks, Alaska
99711
(907)735-2098
Logistics
I will be taking you on a trip to visit Fairbanks, Alaska. This brochure will give you all the information you need to know about the trip! We will be going from Anchorage to Fairbanks Alaska. Fairbanks has some of the most extreme weather in the world. Their summers are usually warm, with temperatures reaching often reaching 90 degrees. Their winters are very cold and dry, with temperatures sometimes dropping down to -60 degrees. They get an average rainfall of 10.83 inches and an average snowfall of 65 inches. Their landscapes are mountains, glaciers, active volcanoes, and huge tracks of forested land. On this trip we will be doing three activities while we are there. They will be: going on a polar bear expedition, watching the Aurora lights, and sight seeing. We will be there for three days and the trip will cost approximately $1,600.
Survival
You will all get a survival bag provided to you on this trip. One plant you will be able to eat on the trip is a blackberry. These are a very common fruit that grows on bushes. One animal you will be able to eat is caribou, we will be capturing the caribou with only what is in our survival bag. So we will use our compass to get to the caribou then we will use the parachute chord to capture the caribou and tie it up so it can't get away. Then we will use our pocket knife to skin the caribou so we can prepare it to be eaten. Last but not least will will use our Vaseline covered cotton balls and a lighter to start a fire so we can cook the caribou and eat it. We will get our water from the Chena river. We will use our compass to navigate ourselves to the river where we will collect our water in a hollowed out the log, then we will bring it to a boil to get rid of all the bacteria so it is safe to drink. While we are on our trip we will need to watch out for a few things...One thing we will need to watch out for is the cold temperature, so make sure to bring warm clothing and some blankets! You also won't want to provoke the animals because they may attack, so just try to not feed them or tease them. Last but not least you want to watch out for snow and ice it is very slippery, with that being said make sure you bring shoes with good traction and if you leave the group bring a buddy so if you fall and get hurt they can get help just incase you can't reach anyone else. *Be sure to remember the only thing you can bring on the trip is camping gear, activity gear, clothing and your survival bag. No outside food, water or weapons are allowed on the trip!*
Local Flora
Trailing Raspberry
Most raspberry bushes have have throns to kept from being eaten.
Wild Iris
Wild Iris' grown close together and low to the ground. This helps them reduce effects of the cold and reduce the damage cause by the wind, snow, ice, and rain.
Labrador Tea
Labrador tea plants have shallow roots for gathering water without going as deep as the permafrost.
Local Fauna
Polar Bears
The Polar Bears outer coat is hollow and reflects light giving the fur a white color. Their white fur helps them remain camouflaged in icy and snowy habitats. Their paws also have a kind of "non-slip" surface allowing traction on ice. They have a thick layer of fat below the skin, which acts as insulation on the body to trap heat. They have small ears to prevent cold water getting in them and freezing their eardrums. Also their dens can be 38 degrees warmer then the outside air.
Moose
The Moose has hooves, two toes that are spread apart which allows the mooses' weight to be distributed and better balanced. This allows the moose to walk on deep layers of snow without sinking into the snow. Their hair is thicker at the tip of the hair then where it meets the skin, this traps a layer of air around the moose' body which acts as an insulating layer when warmed by the moose' body heat. Also when a moose runs through dense vegetation it tilts its head back. By doing this the moose flattens its antlers so they are closer to horizontal ground rather then sticking straight up, they do this so their antlers won't get caught on bushes and trees.
Brown Bears
Brown Bears have strong paws because it helps them dig for food or fight other animals that try to attack them. They hibernate in the winter because it helps them survive when food is hard to find. And their claws are sharp and curved because it helps them catch fish.
Conservation
The air quality in is one ecological problem in Fairbanks, Alaska. This problem is caused by burning wood. They are trying to fix this problem by trying to prohibit wood burning stoves.