Climate Change Creates Questions for Alaska's Tourist Economy
2023-08-19
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1Alaska's Mendenhall glacier is about 20 minutes by car from Juneau, the state capital.
2It is one of the area's most popular sites for tourists.
3But climate change has caused the ice to melt and the glacier to retreat.
4That means it is losing more snow and ice than it gains.
5Researchers from the University of Alaska, Southeast say the Mendenhall glacier retreated about 800 meters between 2007 and 2021.
6Mendenhall pours down from rocky land between mountains and into a lake filled with icebergs.
7Special signs mark the glacier's retreat, showing where the ice once stood.
8Experts estimate that by 2050, people will not be able to see the Mendenhall glacier from the visitor center that was built for it.
9That is already the case at some other glacier visitor centers in Alaska.
10The melting glacier leads to questions for the Alaskan tourism industry.
11Does it make sense to build visitor centers for glaciers if they will not be useful in the future?
12How can tourism leaders help protect the glaciers for visitors to enjoy?
13And should there be limits on the number of tourists to the area?
14Local leaders, tour companies, large boat operators and the U.S. National Park Service are all considering these questions.
15Tourism is an important part of Juneau's economy.
16About 1.6 million cruise ship passengers are expected to stop in Juneau in 2023.
17That is the most ever in one year.
18On especially busy days, 20,000 people arrive each day to a city that has only 30,000 full-time residents.
19Cruise ships are large boats with sleeping places that carry tourists from one place to another.
20Many cruises start a weeklong trip to Alaska in either Seattle, Washington, or Vancouver, Canada.
21Manoj Pillai is a cruise ship worker from India.
22He recently got off his ship and went to see the Mendenhall glacier.
23"The glacier is so beautiful now," he said.
24But he wondered what it must have looked like 10 or 20 years ago.
25Jennifer Dumas lives in Washington, D.C.
26She knows what Alaska's glaciers looked like in the past.
27She and her husband first visited the state and its glaciers in the 1990s.
28She told about seeing another glacier not too far from the Mendenhall glacier over 20 years ago.
29She went to Glacier Bay National Park and spent the night near the McBride glacier.
30"Where we used to camp, where you could see the glacier.It has receded so far, you can't see the glacier anymore.[03:49.89]So we have pictures of us in front of the glacier, that you can no longer take those pictures."
31People have many reasons to want to visit Alaska, and all the visitors help the state's economy.
32But in Juneau, tourism officials are questioning whether the city and surrounding areas can deal with so many visitors each year.
33Alexandra Pierce is the city's tourism manager.
34She said she and others are discussing what a sustainable tourism industry should look like.
35City leaders and major cruise lines have agreed to a daily five-ship limit for next year.
36As many as seven ships a day have arrived this year.
37But critics worry that may not do much to reduce tourist numbers because the ships themselves keep getting bigger.
38Some Juneau residents say they would like one day a week without ships.
39Kerry Kirkpatrick has lived in Juneau for nearly 30 years.
40She said she can remember when the Mendenhall glacier was "long across the water and high above our heads."
41She called the glacier a national treasure.
42She noted that the area may not be able to keep up with all the helicopters, cruise ships and visitors that want to see Mendenhall.
43"There's too many people on the planet wanting to do the same things," Kirkpatrick said.
44"You don't want to be the person who closes the door and says, you know, 'I'm the last one in and you can't come in.' But we do have to have the ability to say, 'No, no more.'"
45I'm Dan Friedell.
1Alaska's Mendenhall glacier is about 20 minutes by car from Juneau, the state capital. It is one of the area's most popular sites for tourists. 2But climate change has caused the ice to melt and the glacier to retreat. That means it is losing more snow and ice than it gains. Researchers from the University of Alaska, Southeast say the Mendenhall glacier retreated about 800 meters between 2007 and 2021. 3Mendenhall pours down from rocky land between mountains and into a lake filled with icebergs. Special signs mark the glacier's retreat, showing where the ice once stood. 4Experts estimate that by 2050, people will not be able to see the Mendenhall glacier from the visitor center that was built for it. That is already the case at some other glacier visitor centers in Alaska. 5The melting glacier leads to questions for the Alaskan tourism industry. Does it make sense to build visitor centers for glaciers if they will not be useful in the future? How can tourism leaders help protect the glaciers for visitors to enjoy? And should there be limits on the number of tourists to the area? 6Local leaders, tour companies, large boat operators and the U.S. National Park Service are all considering these questions. 7Future of tourism 8Tourism is an important part of Juneau's economy. About 1.6 million cruise ship passengers are expected to stop in Juneau in 2023. That is the most ever in one year. On especially busy days, 20,000 people arrive each day to a city that has only 30,000 full-time residents. 9Cruise ships are large boats with sleeping places that carry tourists from one place to another. Many cruises start a weeklong trip to Alaska in either Seattle, Washington, or Vancouver, Canada. 10Manoj Pillai is a cruise ship worker from India. He recently got off his ship and went to see the Mendenhall glacier. "The glacier is so beautiful now," he said. But he wondered what it must have looked like 10 or 20 years ago. 11Jennifer Dumas lives in Washington, D.C. She knows what Alaska's glaciers looked like in the past. She and her husband first visited the state and its glaciers in the 1990s. She told about seeing another glacier not too far from the Mendenhall glacier over 20 years ago. She went to Glacier Bay National Park and spent the night near the McBride glacier. 12"Where we used to camp, where you could see the glacier. It has receded so far, you can't see the glacier anymore. So we have pictures of us in front of the glacier, that you can no longer take those pictures." 13Visitor limits 14People have many reasons to want to visit Alaska, and all the visitors help the state's economy. But in Juneau, tourism officials are questioning whether the city and surrounding areas can deal with so many visitors each year. 15Alexandra Pierce is the city's tourism manager. She said she and others are discussing what a sustainable tourism industry should look like. 16City leaders and major cruise lines have agreed to a daily five-ship limit for next year. As many as seven ships a day have arrived this year. But critics worry that may not do much to reduce tourist numbers because the ships themselves keep getting bigger. Some Juneau residents say they would like one day a week without ships. 17Kerry Kirkpatrick has lived in Juneau for nearly 30 years. She said she can remember when the Mendenhall glacier was "long across the water and high above our heads." She called the glacier a national treasure. She noted that the area may not be able to keep up with all the helicopters, cruise ships and visitors that want to see Mendenhall. 18"There's too many people on the planet wanting to do the same things," Kirkpatrick said. "You don't want to be the person who closes the door and says, you know, 'I'm the last one in and you can't come in.' But we do have to have the ability to say, 'No, no more.'" 19I'm Dan Friedell. 20Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on his own reporting and a report by the Associated Press. 21____________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23glacier -n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land 24tourist -n. a person from far away who goes to visit somewhere new for fun 25iceberg -v. a a very large piece of ice floating in the ocean or another body of water 26cruise -n. a vacation where people ride a boat that they sleep on from place to place 27resident -n. a person who lives full-time in a place 28sustainable -adj. able to continue for many years without causing damage 29We want to hear from you. Would you want to visit Alaska even if you knew some of the famous glaciers would be hard to see?