September 2, 2010

I’ve been in Alaska for about three months now, but until last week I hadn’t learned much about the annual Iditarod sled dog race or the historic winter trail that the race takes it’s name from.  That all changed on a trip to the historic Rohn Roadhouse.  As part of a team of four I spent three days removing infestations of non-native plants around the cabin.

Idyllic Rohn cabin

This trip was exciting because I spend most weeks working on a seven-hundred acre BLM property in Anchorage, so  getting to take my first trip  in a small fixed wing plane was very exciting.  The “bush plane” as these vehicles are known here  is a uniquely Alaskan creature.  These wonderful machines are used almost like a charter bus is in the lower 48.   Except in Alaska charter vehicles need to fly because the majority of the state’s land area is not connected to the road system.  That means that people and supplies from the outside come in by barge or plane in the summer, and by plane, snow machine, or in the old days dog team in the winter.

Alaska AirTaxi "Beaver" at Rohn airstrip

When we arrived at the cabin to begin removing weeds we were greeted by two sheep hunters sprawled out next to the airstrip napping.  They were waiting for a ride back to Anchorage and had their meat and sheep skin hanging up next to them.  The hunters said that another group had bagged a caribou, but they were nowhere to be seen.  We brought out supplies over to the cabin and began working.  I was surprised to notice that throughout the day a plane seemed to land or take-off about every twenty to thirty minutes.  When I asked the other members of my team about this they simply responded with “It’s huntin’ season”.

The bi-hourly winged arrivals calmed down during the next two days and we were able to get to work.  On this trip I was designated as the “invasives expert” and it was my job to identify which plants were non-native and needed to be removed.  The situation was a little unusual because I was technically in charge of three people in their fifties.  It felt good to have knowledge that I could share with others and that could allow us to perform our job effectively, but it was novel and a little uncomfortable to be in vague position of authority that reversed the habitual age hierarchy.

Bagged plant materials from Rohn cabin infestations

In the end we worked well as team and got the job done.  Two of my workmates are Iditarod volunteers.  That means every year in March they spend one or two weeks at the Rohn Cabin for the Iditarod sled dog race.  They set up the checkpoint, feed dog mushers, clean up after mushers, load planes with trash and extra food, cajole straggling mushers into leaving the checkpoint, and much more.  They told wonderful stories about having to get their gear and them selves under 180 lbs to get on the plane, broken down snow-machines, and forty below temperatures.  They made it sound like one hell of an adventure and it was exciting to work with them to preserve an area that they truly love and cherish!

Carl Norlen

Bureau of Land Management, Anchorage Field Office

Anchorage, Alaska