Page 151 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

SOUTHEAST ALASK A  149

O Chilkat Bald Eagle
Preserve
Mile 9.4 to Mile 25, Haines Cut-Off.
7 limited. American Bald Eagle
Foundation Center: 113 Haines Hwy.
Tel 766-3094. Open May–Sep: 9am–
5pm Mon–Fri, noon–4pm Sat; Oct–
Apr: 9am–3pm Mon–Fri. & 7 =
∑ baldeagles.org
In the summer, Haines hosts a
modest number of bald eagles
that can be seen at the water-
front or along streams. In
October and November, how-
ever, cottonwood trees along
Model woodcarver at the Hammer Museum the Chilkat and Klehini River
valleys in the 75-sq-mile (195-sq-
E Hammer Museum } Mount Ripinsky km) Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve
108 Main St. Tel 766-2374. Rising above Haines, the fill with up to 3,500 eagles, who
Open May–Sep: 10am–5pm Mon–Fri, 3,610-ft (1,083-m) Mount arrive to feed on Alaska’s last
10am–2pm Sat; all other times: by Ripinsky affords the best view salmon run after most other
appt. Closed public holidays. & 8 over the town and its stun ning waterways have frozen solid.
∑ hammermuseum.org hinterlands, extending as far as Within the pre serve, several pull-
The Hammer Museum is Skagway and almost to Juneau. offs along the Haines Cut-Off
Alaska’s contribution to the North of the town cen ter, from afford excellent viewing of this
world’s most unique museums. the trailhead at Young Road, a phe nomenon, known as the
Over 1,500 hammers of varying trail winds up the peak. Climb- Gathering of the Eagles, which
sizes are on display, all painstak- ing gently for about 3 miles has inspired Haines’ annual
ingly collected by owner Dave (5 km), it then ascends steeply Alaska Bald Eagle Festival.
Pahl. They served a variety of through alpine meadows to Summer visitors who will miss
purposes, from blacksmithing the sum mit. Hikers should carry this November event can stop
and mining to cracking nuts bear spray and plenty of water, by the American Bald Eagle
and stunning cattle. Highlights and allow at least seven hours Foundation Center in town,
include Colonial-era and for the stren uous round trip. only 20 miles (32 km) away,
Industrial Revolution hammers, Overnight camping is also dedicated to the protection
and an 800-year-old Tlingit possible beyond the North and preservation of bald eagles.
slave-killing hammer found on a Summit. The less energetic can Using a diorama of the Chilkat
Southeast Alaska beach, all put opt for an easier hike up 1,760-ft Preserve, this non-profit center
into his torical context. There are (528-m) Mount Riley, which is gives visitors a better under-
also some model wood carvers accessed by a trail from Mud standing of how the eagles live
salvaged from the Smithsonian Bay Road near Fort Seward, in a delicate balance with their
Institution in Washington, DC. or along a spur trail from the environ ment. The center also
Visitors are invited to identify Battery Point Trail that starts at has a screening room where
hammers whose purpose is the end of Beach Road, south visitors can watch videos of
not yet known. of the town center. the Gathering of the Eagles.
Bald Eagles
The national bird of the US, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is the only eagle unique
to North America. In this case, the word “bald” means not hairless, but white, a reference to its
distinctive head color. In 1963, the bald eagle
population in the Lower 48 states included
just 417 breeding pairs, but by 2004 stringent
conservation measures had raised that number
to about 10,000 pairs. Currently, North America is
home to 100,000 bald eagles – about half of which
live in Alaska – leading the US Fish and Wildlife
Service to suggest that they can be removed from
the official threatened species list. While the Bald
Eagle Protection Act makes it illegal to transport,
trade, or possess any part of an eagle without
a permit, indigenous peoples are allowed to
use eagle feathers in their traditional dresses
and ceremonies. Bald eagle taking flight from a tree

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