Monumental effort to map Alaska shorelines nearing completion. "It's taken more than a decade and millions of images, but the photo-mapping of Alaska's varied and lengthy coastline is getting ever-closer to the end goal. And with the completion of remote St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea last week, ShoreZone, the Canadian company spearheading the campaign, is one giant step closer." Alaska Dispatch 

Coast Guard honors Fran Ulmer at ceremony. "Former Lt. Governor and current chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission Fran Ulmer Saturday received a Coast Guard District 17 coin from the district commander, Rear Adm. Thomas Ostebo, in honor of the work Ulmer has done on behalf of the Coast Guard and the Arctic region in general. Ostebo made the award at the close of the 399-foot heavy icebreaker Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star's Juneau visit, a day that featured public tours and a private reception." Juneau Empire 

State not happy with federal rejection of ANWR exploration plan. "The Regional Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's rejection of Alaska's exploration plan for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge did not sit easy with the state, which announced this week it will seek reconsideration. The state sought a special use permit for exploration to evaluate the petroleum potential of the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, citing a permit the state said never expired." Alaska Dispatch 

Archaeologists uncover pre-contact Inupiat village near Kiana, Alaska. "A team of archaeologists from Brown University have uncovered a Native village site in Northwest Alaska that dates from just before first contact. The village is one of the biggest archaeological sites discovered in the Arctic. Local residents hope the research will tell them more about their ancestors." Eye on the Arctic 

Conference Board: it's time for more investment in northern telecoms. "It's time for governments and other players to invest in the renewal of northern Canada's telecommunications system, the Conference Board of Canada's Centre for the North said in a report released July 29. 'The Arctic in particular, from Yukon to Nunavik, has experienced multiple systemic failures in critical 21st-century communications infrastructure, including terrestrial and satellite facilities,' authors Adam Fiser and Anja Jeffrey wrote in the report." Nunatsiaq Online 

Greenland experiences 'record high' temperatures. "The new record, 25.9C (78.6F), was measured at Maniitoq Mittarfia near Baffin Bay on the west coast. The previous high was 25.5C (77.9F) at Kangerlussuaq in July 1990, with records dating back to 1958. Scientists have previously calculated that if the annual average temperature in Greenland increases by 3C (5.4F), its ice sheet will begin to melt at an abnormal and potentially catastrophic rate." Blue and Green Tomorrow 

Compass: Protect caribou, oppose drilling in ANWR's coastal plain. "Since time immemorial the Gwich'in Nation has been reliant upon the Porcupine Caribou Herd whose birthing and calving grounds are on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In the Gwich'in language this place is referred to as 'Iizhik Gwat'san Gwandaii Goodlit' or 'The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.' Currently, the herd's population is close to 179,000 and every summer up to 40,000 calves are born on the coastal plain of the refuge. That is a significant number of animals and there are many special reasons why for thousands of years the Porcupine caribou have chosen to return to the coastal plain to give birth and nurse their young. The coastal plain, nestled between the Arctic Ocean to the North and the Brooks Range to the south, provides shelter from predators, relief from insects, and the tundra provides the nutrient rich plants that the caribou must have in order to nurse their young and survive the harsh winters of the Arctic." Anchorage Daily News 

US, Canada conduct Bering Strait spill drill. "In a signal of increasing concerns over Arctic shipping, U.S. and Canadian coast guard vessels have conducted their first joint Arctic offshore oil spill drill near the Bering Strait. Two days of test of vessels and equipment were scheduled at Port Clarence, a protected bay near the strait, although poor weather limited actual deployment of spill gear to one day, said Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow."Anchorage Daily News 

Rapping to preserve a nearly extinct Arctic language. "Nils Rune Utsi is the founding member of Slincraze, a rap group from Maze, a village in northern Norway. They rap in Sami, a language spoken by less than 20,000 people. Their goal is to save their language and culture and to fight 

stereotypes about the people of the region. The BBC caught up with Utsi in New York City. He discussed his love of music, his creative process, and why rap could save his region's ancient cultures and traditions." BBC News 

Miserable weather means few walrus for hunters in remote Alaska.

Miserable weather and thick, almost unnavigable sea ice have led to a walrus shortage on remote St. Lawrence Island. Savoonga and Gambell, the two villages on the island located smack dab in the middle of the Bering Strait, took in a paltry 184 walrus, or less than 20 percent of their 10-year average. The two communities typically bring in more than 1,200 walruses. Alaska Dispatch 

On return trek from the Arctic, heavy ice breaker stops in Juneau. "Docks in downtown Juneau are usually reserved for cruise ships in the summer time, but on Friday evening one of the two U.S. Coast Guard polar class heavy icebreakers cruised the Gastineau Channel and tied up at AJ Dock just behind the Carnival Miracle. The 399-foot long, 83-foot wide Polar Star lowered its gangway on Saturday afternoon for public tours, allowing hundreds of locals to explore the ship's bridge, flight deck and hangar." Juneau Empire