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The Stikine Icefield is one of the few remnants of the once-vast ice sheets that covered much of North America during the Pleistocene age. It covers 2,900 square miles along the crest of the Coastal Mountains that separate Canada and the U.S., extending 120 miles from the Whiting River to the Stikine River.
Thomas Bay:
With Baird Glacier draining into its north end and Patterson Glacier into its south end, Thomas Bay, near Petersburg, Alaska provides a unique opportunity to see outwash plains, buried forests, and timber management areas.
Meltwater and sub-glacial water move rock flour pebbles and larger rocks beyond the terminus to form outwash plains like those seen at Baird Glacier.
Patterson Glacier has retreated about a mile and a half in the past 50 years. Like Baird, Patterson has a braided outwash plain, but unlike Baird, it reveals the remains of a buried forest once covered by the glacier.
LeConte Glacier
Near the south end of the Stikine Icefield, LeConte Glacier is the southernmost active tidewater glacier in the northern hemisphere. Since first charted in 1887, it has retreated almost 2.5 miles. Today, LeConte is considered in a stable position. Due to the deep water (810 feet) of the bay, LeConte calves instead of advancing. (Thomas Bay, in contrast, is about 300 feet deep.)
Beginning in 1983, measurements of LeConte's terminus (the point farthest from the head of the glacier) have been taken by Petersburg High School students. Results show the glacier generally moves forward in the spring after the cold winter weather decreases melting. In the fall, after warmer summer temperatures, it retreats.
Life Around the Icefield
High Elevation Homes
Mountain goats use the rocky, high elevations of Horn Cliffs. The terrain protects the goats from predators who need more secure footing. The sparse vegetation is high quality, enriched by the nutrient-laden soil left by the glaciers.
The Stikine River: Home To Thousands
The Stikine River Delta, a haven for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl, is formed from glacial silt carried downstream by the river. The silt settled around islands near the mouth of the river and formed the delta. The river plays an important role as a migratory stopover. During the spring and fall migrations, thousands of snow geese, green-winged teal and other waterfowl feed on the delta grasses and crustaceans they find in the mud. Approximately a million shorebirds, such as the western sandpipers, also use the delta.
Shhhhhh, Pups Sleeping!
Harbor seals choose LeConte's protected water and abundant icebergs as a breeding, birthing, and rearing area. Remember not to disturb these little ones. Abandonment of a young pup by its mother is a common occurrence, particularly if they are disturbed by hunting or other activities by humans.
People Of The Icefields
Glaciers have always played a part in the peopling of southeast Alaska. Melting ice created streams which flowed beside and underneath glaciers. Migration histories of Tlingit people tell of many who crossed under (yes! under) glaciers in order to reach the lands of southeastern Alaska from the interior.
Thousands of years passed. Glaciers continued to affect the area, this time influencing the economic history. Russian ships transported ice to be sold in San Francisco. Later the fishing industry grew. Fishermen received payment only for fish arriving in good condition in Seattle. Knowing this, they would fish for halibut and salmon just before the steamer from Seattle arrived. Fish, packed in glacier ice harvested from LeConte, arrived at Seattle markets in good condition. In 1926, the cannery built a cold storage in Petersburg. If manufactured ice ran out, harvested icebergs were ground up and blown into the holds of the boats. The compact ice melted much more slowly and provided an excellent means of preserving the fish on the long trips to Seattle.
Today, icebergs blown on shore are often broken up and saved to serve later in cold drinks. Some folks even use glacial ice to pack into coolers because it lasts so long.
*Source Tongass National Forest website.
Kupreanof Flying Service specializes in Stikine Icefield Tours. Butch Williams floatplane flightseeing tours and his knowledge of the local area is an invaluable resource when planning a trip to the icefields.
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