EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

                   Bend in the River Chena   

Chena River
Fairbanks, Alaska

Explanation:  Scroll to the right for the "full bend."  

We are standing on the banks of the Chena River in the late afternoon of a chilly but sparklingly clear spring day, here in Fairbanks, Alaska.

This is the last day of ice on the river.  By tomorrow, the thermometer will have "soared" to the high 40s F, and the water will be running clear and deep.  

In 1905, explorers Thomas and Robert Swan discovered hot springs along the river, and in 1913 the U.S. War Department built a trail for Fairbanks residents to access the site.  That trail today is part of the thousand-mile-long route of the annual Yukon Quest sled dog race.

The Chena River has also played a role as a transportation corridor, as the hub of the Chena River State Recreation Area established in 1967, and as habitat for grizzly & black bears, moose, rabbits, beaver, grouse, ptarmigan, and king salmon, Arctic grayling and other fish (catch-and-release only!).  And for cross-country skiing, as shown by the tracks in this week's photo.

The Chena River runs about 100 miles (160 km) from its source of springs, into the Tanana River and then into the mighty Yukon. 
 

Click on the image for a larger version ... and notice the
rainbow solar halo and sundog!