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Sponsor a Nest Site

Help save black guillemots nestlings and allow George and the Friends of Cooper Island to continue this long-term research. Find out more.

Early arrival of the first black guillemot egg

COOPER ISLAND, ALASKA — While at lower latitudes seasonal transitions occur slowly with weeks or months between what one considers winter and summer conditions, in the Arctic this transition is abrupt — taking only a few days. The mainland tundra and offshore islands can be snow-covered one day and then virtually snow-free the next with [...]

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George and the guillemots get used to their new homes

George and Penelope get their first view of Cooper Island from the air.

COOPER ISLAND, ALASKA — While the start of every field season is always an exciting (and frequently stressful) time, this year the start of the Cooper Island field season had more excitement than most.  Preparations began earlier than normal as March and [...]

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The adventures begins

Posted by Penelope Chilton

In Barrow, Penelope stands next to "palm trees" made of baleen whale teeth.

George and I arrived in Barrow, Alaska, seven days ago and luckily for me due to some permitting issues and a head cold we were delayed in Barrow for a few extra days. The delay gave me a chance [...]

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Sponsor a bear-proof nest site

Posted by Lori

Here’s your chance to get involved in the work being done on Cooper Island:

Friends of Cooper Island is initiating a “Nest-Site Sponsorship” program to help pay for nest replacement and our ongoing research on Arctic seabirds. A minimum $100 tax-deductible donation will sponsor a nest site for one year and bring you (or [...]

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Video: Forty years of work in five minutes

Posted by Lori

George is back from Cooper Island (for now) after having delivered 150 plastic cases to the island for use as new guillemot nest sites. (More information about these cases and how you can sponsor a nest site coming soon.) George will be returning to Cooper Island in May and will stay for 3 [...]

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Getting ready for the season

Posted by Lori

George has left for Cooper Island on a short trip to get ready for the season that will begin in May. He’s a little swamped right now, so I’ll be posting updates to kick things off.

George left his home in Seattle for Barrow, Alaska, the first stop on the way to Cooper Island. [...]

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Greenland trailer

Here’s a short trailer of Greenland, a play about climate change. If you missed the full story take a look at An Interview with the writer of Greenland, The BBC: Climate change and art, and Watching the world melt away on the London stage.

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Watching the world melt away on the London stage

Shouting warming in a crowded theater

London, England, March 14, 2011 — Working in a rapidly changing environment for over 35 years has provided me with a number of “I never thought I would see this!” moments, especially in the last decade. Spending my summers on an island at the northern edge of Alaska since 1975 has [...]

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The BBC: Climate change and art

Posted by Lori

The BBC takes a look at the play Greenland and talks to the individuals involved in its creation.

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

For more BBC podcasts about the environmental, development and agriculture, dealing with the impact of humankind on the natural world visit BBC One Planet.

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Holiday Greetings from Friends of Cooper Island

Guillemot Chicks

Dec. 28, 2010 — We want to wish our friends a happy holiday season and thank you for your support and interest over the past year. 2011 promises to be a busy and exciting time for us as we hope to replace most of the wooden nest sites on Cooper Island with [...]

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