Crammed with tourists, Alaska's capital wonders what will happen as its magnificent glacier recedes
Hindustan TimesThousands of tourists spill onto a boardwalk in Alaska’s capital city every day from cruise ships towering over downtown. “We did talk about, ‘Is it worth the investment in the facilities if the glacier does go out of sight?’" said Tristan Fluharty, the forest’s Juneau district ranger. Limits on visitation can benefit tour companies by improving the experience rather than having tourists “shoehorned” at the glacier, said Hutchinson, who doesn't worry about Juneau losing its luster as the glacier recedes. “All we have to do is just kind of get out of the way and let people look around and smell and breathe.” Pierce, Juneau’s tourism manager, said discussions are just beginning around what a sustainable southeast Alaska tourism industry should look like. Kerry Kirkpatrick, a Juneau resident of nearly 30 years, recalls when the Mendenhall’s face was “long across the water and high above our heads.” She called the glacier a national treasure for its accessibility and noted an irony in carbon-emitting helicopters and cruise ships chasing a melting glacier.
History of this topic
Residents in Alaska capital clean up swamped homes after an ice dam burst and unleashed a flood
Associated PressAfter a glacial dam outburst destroyed homes in Alaska, a look at the risks of melting ice masses
Associated PressGlacial dam outburst in Alaska’s capital erodes riverbanks, destroys at least 2 buildings
Associated PressCrammed with tourists, Alaska’s capital wonders what will happen as its magnificent glacier recedes
Associated PressDiscover Related
)
)
)