ALASKA, THE LAST GREAT FRONTIER
July 13-28, 2006
(Pribilofs Pre-Tour Extension July 8-12)

GENERAL INFORMATION:  Experience one of the most magnificent wilderness areas in North America and search for Alaskan avian specialties, mammals and other arctic and sub-arctic flora and fauna.  Locations visited on the tour will include: Nome, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Valdez and the Kenai Peninsula.  An internal Alaska flight to and from Nome will be provided with the package as well as a boat and a ferry ride surveying the marvelous Alaskan coast and its remarkable fjords.  This trip of a lifetime will offer spectacular photographic venues and opportunities to experience the grandeur of this spectacularly scenic state.   Target Species will include: Pacific Loon, Northern Fulmar, Short-tailed Shearwater, Red-faced Cormorant, Trumpeter Swan, Spruce Grouse, Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, Arctic and Aleutian Terns, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled and  Kittlitz’s Murrelets, Cassin’s, Rhinoceros Auklets, Horned and Tufted Puffins, Northern Hawk-Owl, Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers, Northwestern Crow, Arctic Warbler, Bluethroat, Northern Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail, Golden-crowned Sparrow.  The  Pribilofs extension will target: Rock Sandpiper, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Parakeet, Least and Crested Auklets, Red-legged Kittiwakes, Ancient and Marbled Murrelets, Red-faced Cormorants, and possible Asian rarities.

The tour will begin and end in Anchorage, following an optional pre-tour extension to St. Paul, on the Pribilof Islands, for views of the magnificent nesting alcid and seabird colonies.  The pace of this tour will be moderate.  In some cases involving moderate hikes, participants will be given an option to hike a trail or remain with a leader near the vehicles.

Additional information about the tour, with specific meeting times, a list of motels, lists of things to bring, a reading list, a bird list, further information about weather, dress, and so forth, will be mailed to all participants well in advance of the tour.

DATES: Thursday, July 13, 2006 (Meet in Coast International Inn at 8:00 p.m.) to Friday, July 28, 2006.  Pribilof Islands pre-tour extension, Saturday, July 8, 2006 (Meet in Coast International Inn at 8:00 p.m.) to Wednesday, July 12, 2006.

PRICE: RECENTLY REDUCED! Now  $5,850 double occupancy with a $1,150 single supplement.  The pre-tour Pribilofs extension is $2,600 double occupancy with a $300 single supplement.

PRICE INCLUDES: Motel accommodations for 16 nights (five additional nights for the extension), expert leadership, land transportation from Anchorage, round-trip flight to Nome and all entry and boat and ferry fees, but does not include meals or airfare to and from Anchorage.  For the Pribilofs extension we will have a room for you in Anchorage July 8 and will depart for the Pribilofs on July 9.

TOUR LEADERS:

Pete Bacinski grew up in Lyndhurst, NJ and has had an interest in natural history since early childhood.  He attended Pace University in New York City, receiving a B.S. in biology followed by M.S. in biology, specialization entomology, and an MBA in marketing, both from Fairleigh Dickinson University.  Pete began volunteering for New Jersey Audubon in 1971, leading his first field trip for the organization in 1973.  He has been a tour and workshop leader for over 25 years, as well as a member of three winning World Series of Birding teams. Pete was a member of the New Jersey Bird Records Committee for eleven years and was a regional field notes editor for Records of New Jersey Birds for eight years.  He established and directs the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory for NJAS and is co-compiler and voice of the Voice of New Jersey Audubon rare bird alert.  Pete has also been a steering committee member and regional coordinator for the Birds of New Jersey atlas project and currently writes a weekly column in the Newark Star Ledger entitled Seen in New Jersey.    Pete’s favorite natural history interests are birds, butterflies, wildflowers, ferns, insects, “herps”, and mammals.  Other interests include classical music, American history, Audiobooks, weather, public speaking, and photography.  Pete currently resides in New Vernon, NJ.

Derek Lovitch is a career biologist with a lifelong passion for birds. Born and raised in central New Jersey, Derek graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Environmental Policy.  He then went on to work on avian research and education projects in 8 states, from New Jersey  - where he worked at both the Sandy Hook and Cape May hawk-watches – to Hawaii, and from Florida to Michigan.  He also worked as a tour guide on the Pribilof Islands of Alaska for three summers, serving as tour director in 2003, as well as organizing and conducting the first comprehensive Fall Avian Survey in the islands’ history.  Derek and his wife have now settled down in Pownal, Maine and have opened the Wild Bird Center of Yarmouth, a retail store that caters to birders of all levels.  The store serves as a vehicle for Derek to continue to share his enthusiasm for birding, birds, and bird conservation.  Derek’s high level of activity in the Maine birding community is evident in his production of the Southcoastal Maine Rare Bird Alert, organization of personal birding tours throughout the state, and serving on the Board of Directors for his local chapter of the Maine Audubon Society (Merrymeeting Bay).  Derek is also a contributor to Mainetoday.com, where he writes a blog on birding in Maine.  Derek is the new writer/reviewer for the “Tools of the Trade” department of Birding Magazine, and his writing has also appeared in Bird Watcher’s Digest and Winging-It. He has also authored A Birder’s Guide to Whitefish Point (Michigan).  Along with birding, Derek enjoys hiking, exploring new natural areas, and developing his native plant garden. 

For tour itineraries, to register, or for more information contact:

NJAS Eco-Travel at: (908)-204-8998
9 Hardscrabble Road
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
or email travel@njaudubon.org.

If you are not a member and would like to become one, consider Joining New Jersey Audubon Society.