Andrew Vik
Tampa, FL., USA
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Brooke:

Would that happen to be Point Barrow, Alaska?

Andrew

Brooke Selmer wrote:

> I'm sorry - I didn't know that a physical location at the bottom of an
> e-mail" protocol had been established.  For those that are interested I live
> on the point of land that seperates the Chukchi Sea from the Beaufort Sea.
> I'm sure it's now quite clear to everybody where that's at since there just
> aren't that many seas in the world, are there?  Regardless - my personal
> philosophy is: "What's important ain't the latitude - it's the attitude."
>
> No Tom - the snails don't use skis.  In fact, as far as I know there are no
> land snails in the general vacinity at all.  I think you have to be south
> about 375 miles (that's approx 625 km, Patty) before you'd find any of those
> types of invertebrates.
>
> The ocean in my part of the, er, "woods", has about a 6 inch (~150mm) tide
> so you don't see a whole lot of the inter-tidal zone fauna.  I do see a
> bunch of interesting shells after large storms before the pack ice comes
> back in.  Not many different species - mostly bivalves and all, with out
> exception, white in color.
>
> By the way, yesterday some signifcant leads opened right next to shore and
> so it's starting to appear like this may not be the once or twice in a
> hundred years or so when the ice doesn't go out.
>
> As far as shelling efforts - my plans have been greatly helped by Paul's
> article on dredging.  I'm planning on trying a little in August, ice
> conditions willing.  I find a lot of Epitonium greenlandicum on the beach
> after storms but of course they're all dead and usually in pretty rough
> shape.
>
> Most of the marine mammals in this area that weigh less than 10 tons feed on
> fish and shell fish so it'll be interesting to see what I can pull up.  (The
> bigger mammals tend to feed only on plankton).
>
> Anyhow - as they say in this part of the world - Stay Warm.
>
> -Brooke
>
> Oh yeah - As long as you speak the right language then you know exactly
> where I live when I tell you it's been called by some for a couple of
> thousand years "Ukpeagvik".
>
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