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Alaska Travel News

1. Alaska SeaLife Center welcomes abandoned baby walrus
A walrus calf abandoned by its mother on the coast of the Arctic Ocean near Barrow found a new home Sunday, July 6 with the Alaska SeaLife Center s Rescue and Rehabilitation Program. The seven-day-old walrus calf nicknamed Nereus (Old Man of the Sea) is the first walrus calf ever cared for at the SeaLife Center. Nereus weighed about 115 pounds when he came to the SeaLife Center after being flown from Barrow to Anchorage and then driven to the Center in Seward, roughly 135 miles south of Anchorage. Normal newborn walrus calves weigh around 150 pounds, so Nereus is receiving 24-hour care and tube feedings every four hours. In addition to being emaciated, Nereus also arrived with puncture wounds, abrasions, an open umbilicus and sea lice. Even after he is nursed back to health, it is unlikely that Nereus will be released back to the wild. Walrus calves depend on their mothers for at least two years, and young walruses imprint heavily on humans when in their care during this critical stage. After recovery, it is likely that he will one day be transferred to a facility that permanently houses walruses. For more information on Nereus or the Alaska SeaLife Center, visit www.alaskasealife.org/

2. Anchorage Museum of History and Art a perfect family travel destination
The Children s Gallery at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art has been transformed into every child s fantasy this summer with an exhibition on the different forms of play from cultures all around the world. The exhibition, entitled Ready, Set Go! Toys and Games in Art, includes everything from a Barbie doll castle to giant checkers. Children will have the opportunity to create their own toys and games through activities in the gallery and in the Museum s ongoing art classes or they can buy the interactive board game featuring 35 works of art from the exhibition. The Anchorage Museum of History and Art will also welcome a T. Rex Named Sue a cast of the most complete tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found on loan from the Field Museum of Chicago Oct. 5-Jan. 18, 2004. The toys and games exhibit opened on June 15 and will run through May 9, 2004. Media contact: Janet Asaro, AsaroJR@ci.anchorage.ak.us or (907) 345-6151.

3. Alyeska Summer Concert Series brings big sound to big mountains
The mountains around Anchorage and Girdwood will be alive this summer with the sound of music. Shows by several internationally renowned performers are scheduled, including the Galactic (July 12-13), The Marshall Tucker Band (Aug. 3) and George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (Sept. 18-20). During the Alyeska Summer Concert Series, the Alyeska Prince Hotel will be offering a special room rate for concertgoers. Media contact: Gary Scott, gscott@alyeskaresort.com  or (907) 754-2211.

 4. Empress of the North gives travelers a taste of historic cruising
American West Steamboat Company has launched its newly constructed Empress of the North, a 235-passenger paddlewheeler reminiscent of riverboat showboats and night boats that cruised the rivers and coastal shorelines of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska in the mid-1800s. The new ship will make its first cruise up Alaska s famed Inside Passage on August 10, 2003 and will operate four 11-night cruises between Seattle and Juneau during 2003. The Empress of the North features 112 all-outside suites and staterooms, a chandeliered dining room that can accommodate all the ship s passengers in a single seating, a bar and grill, library, lounge and gift shop. Two showrooms will offer passengers showboat-style variety entertainment and period-appropriate music. A historian/naturalist will deliver an ongoing interpretive program and serve as curator for the vessel s extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, pictures and historic artifacts. For more information, visit www.americanweststeamboat.com Media contact: Brandie Ahlgren, (206) 762-0643 or brandie@bsacommunications.com

5. Ketchikan airport gets major facelift
The Ketchikan International Airport is in the midst of a $2.5 million remodel and upgrade. Alaska Airlines also upgraded its area of the airport in a separate project, creating a series of islands and kiosks for passenger check-in modeled after the company s system at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The work should mean a better experience for visitors arriving by air in Ketchikan and better traffic flow in the airport. Ketchikan is Alaska s fourth largest city. Media contact: Patti Mackey, (907) 225-6166 or pmackey@visit-ketchikan.com pmackey@visit-ketchikan.com

Edited by Dave Shultz

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