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104th Meeting of the USARC, August 24-26, 2015 (Anchorage and  Nome, AK, USA). USARC (Fran Ulmer, Chair) will hold its next meeting in Anchorage and Nome, where Ulmer will present the 2015-2017 Goals Report. The Commission will tour the new, light icebreaker vessel R/V Sikuliaq in the Nome port, and will hear from local researchers on topics such as health, social science, marine science, marine mammal co-management research, federal research, renewable energy, climate shipping, port development, and water and sanitation, among other topics. A draft agenda is here.
The Alaska Arctic: A Summit on Shipping and Ports, August 23-25, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). Alice Rogoff will host the summit along with the state of Alaska and various partners, including President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland and Mead Treadwell, president of Pt Capital and former Alaska lieutenant governor. The purpose of the meeting is to build partnerships to develop safe and reliable shipping through the Alaskan Arctic. These partnerships will be necessary to finance needed ports of refuge, search and rescue equipment, transshipment facilities and icebreakers. At the same time, the interests of local and indigenous residents must be an integral part of any development planning.
 Today's Congressional Action:
The House and Senate are not in session.
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Habitat Changes Expected to Shift Distribution of Tiny Mammals in Alaska. The plight of polar bears and walruses, big and charismatic animals struggling with rapid changes to the far-north climate, is well known. Less publicized are the effects of a warming climate on many tiny, furry mammals that scurry across the floor of Alaska's boreal forests or the open tundra or coastal plains. Those animals -- shrews, voles, mice and lemmings -- are expected to shift their distribution across Alaska in coming decades as the climate warms and vegetation and habitat types creep northward, says a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE.Alaska Dispatch News
 Calls for Concrete Action Issued at Arctic Shipping Conference. With Arctic sea ice dwindling toward what is likely to be one of the lowest minimums on record, conditions are primed for a busy shipping season at the top of the world. Royal Dutch Shell is back in the Chukchi Sea with its exploration armada and at work drilling for oil after three years of regrouping that followed the mistake-laden 2012 drill season. The Northern Sea Route across the top of Russia is clear, and has been for much of the summer. Businesses and governments around the world, even those far from the Arctic Circle, are interested in far-north commerce and are investing in ships and infrastructure. Alaska Dispatch News
 Federal Agencies, Point Lay Seek to Minimize Walrus Disturbances. Federal agencies are stepping in to shield a North Slope village from the possibility of a deluge of international attention should a large walrus haulout develop nearby, as it has in years past -- agreeing to act as an information clearinghouse on behalf of the Native Village of Point Lay. The village has also taken its own steps to reduce the impact of international attention and its own activities on the marine mammals. Alaska Dispatch News
Lucky Four-Leaf Clovers in Sub-Arctic Could Prove Valuable to Future Plant Breeding. The lucky discovery of four-leaf clovers in the sub-arctic could prove valuable to future plant breeding research. Students at Aberystwyth University's Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) made some lucky discoveries on a recent fieldtrip to the village of Abisko in the Swedish Lapland to study Arctic Ecology. In addition to seeing several Arctic-alpine plant species the students also found several red clover plants (Trifolium pratense L.). These were growing in disturbed areas near paths, houses and the rail road. On closer examination of the area, the students made the exciting discovery that a surprising number of plants had four, five and even six leaves. Phys.org
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.
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Future Events
Joint EDA-ARC Committee Hearing, August 25, 2015 (Anchorage, AK, USA). The Alaska Legislature's House & Senate Arctic Committees will be hosting a hearing session immediately following the Alaska Summit on Arctic Shipping and Ports from 2-4 PM August 25th at the Anchorage LIO, 716 W. 4th Avenue. Select participants will report out on their takeaways and thoughts on the conference, with an emphasis on what the Legislature can do to address the challenges and opportunities in Alaska's maritime Arctic. The hearing can be viewed live at AKL.tv.
Presenters will include:
· Iceland President Ragnar Grimmson
· Mead Treadwell, Former Lt Governor and President of PT Capital
· Alice Rogoff, Arctic Shipping & Ports Summit Originator
· Tara Sweeney, Arctic Economic Council, Chair
· Shirley Marquardt, Mayor, Unalaska
· Denise Michels, Mayor, Nome
· Reggie Joule, Mayor, Northwest Arctic Borough
· Charlotte Brower, Mayor, North Slope Borough (invited)
· Mayors from coastal Arctic villages
104th Meeting of the USARC, August 24-26, 2015 (Nome, AK, USA). USARC (Fran Ulmer, Chair) will hold its next meeting in Nome, where Ulmer will present the 2015-2017 Goals Report. The Commission will tour the new, light icebreaker vessel R/V Sikuliaq in the Nome port, and will hear from local researchers on topics such as health, social science, marine science, marine mammal co-management research, federal research, renewable energy, climate shipping, port development, and water and sanitation, among other topics. A draft agenda is here.
11th Conference on Hunting and Gathering Societies (CHAGS XI), September 7-11 (Vienna, Austria). The study of hunter-gatherer societies has become, since the landmark conference "Man and Hunter" in 1966, a major topic of study within the social and human sciences community. While scholarly foci have changed during the last 50 years, the principle goal generated during the initial conference, to establish a unified field of hunter-gatherer studies, is as valid today as it was then. CHAGS XI hopes to explore how research results since 1966 and new research agendas can be applied for present and future study.
Eighth Polar Law Symposium Alaska 2015, September 23-26, 2015 (Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska , USA). The Eighth Polar Law Symposium is co-hosted by Alaska Pacific University (APU), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage (through its Justice Center and its Institute of Social and Economic Research), the University of Washington School of Law, and Vermont Law School, in cooperation with the Arctic Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association. The symposium will be held on both campuses of the University of Alaska. The 2015 theme is: The Science, Scholarship, and Practice of Polar Law: Strengthening Arctic Peoples and Places.
2015 Arctic Energy Summit, September 28-30, 2015 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North's 2015 Arctic Energy Summit builds on our legacy efforts to address energy as a fundamental element of the sustainable development of the Arctic as a lasting frontier.Central to this concept is a focus on providing pathways for affordable energy development in the Arctic and for Arctic communities.
The Arctic Circle is the largest global gathering on the Arctic. It is attended by heads of state and governments, ministers, members of parliament, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists, and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic. The Arctic Circle highlights issues and concerns, programs, policies and projects; it provides platforms for dynamic dialogue and constructive cooperation. While the plenary sessions are the responsibility of the Arctic Circle, the breakout sessions are organized by various participating partners in their own name and with full authority over the agenda and the choice of speakers.
2015 Arctic Science Conference, October 1-3, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The conference theme is "Healthy Estuaries: Sustainability and Resilience." Conference topics include traditional scientific disciplines, science education, arctic social sciences, biomedical research, and artistic interpretation of the evolving North. Abstract submissions are now being accepted. The deadline is August 1, 2015.
The Polar Oceans and Global Climate Change, November 3-6, 2015 (La Jolla, California USA). The American Polar Society will host this Symposium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A flyer with a partial list of presenters is available on the Society's website (americanpolar.org) and from the Society's Membership Chairman by email.
Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis Meeting, November 3-6, 2015 (Cape Cod, MA, USA). On November 3rd, the 2015 School for young scientists will consider "Regional Oceanography of the Arctic marginal seas" with lectures covering major features of atmospheric, sea ice and oceanographic regimes of the: Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort, East-Siberian, Laptev Sea, Kara, Barents and Nordic seas. On November 4-6, the meeting portion will summarize project accomplishments for the last 3 years of activities and will focus on the formulation of scientific questions and directions for FAMOS future research (2016-2019) to: (a) improve Arctic modeling, employing very high resolution models; (b) develop and test new arctic monitoring/observing systems and (c) improve predictions of Arctic environmental parameters with reduced uncertainties.
Due North: Next Generation Arctic Research & Leadership, November 5-8, 2015 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) will convene an interdisciplinary conference of early career scientists working on Arctic issues. Topics will include: Arctic Communities, Arctic Sustainable Development, Arctic Wildlife, Ecosystem and Biodiversity, Arctic Food Security, Arctic Landscapes, Climate Change and Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, Policy, Politics and Leadership, Arctic Environment (Data and Techniques), Arctic Resources, and Future of Arctic.
Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting, November 17-19, 2015 (Seattle, Washington). The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will be 2.5 days and held at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic - from academia, agencies, industry, and other organizations. The meeting will be convened as a combination of plenary talks, parallel science sessions, and a poster session. The agenda and registration information will be forthcoming.
In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process 2015, November 24-26, 2015 (Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland).When the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the so-called Rovaniemi Process, was adopted in 1991, it aimed at overcoming divisions and turning the zone of Cold War military tensions into a region of peace and co-operation. In this joint effort focusing on the protection of environment, and later, sustainable development, the Arctic states supported by indigenous organizations laid grounds for institutionalized collaboration and the emergence of Arctic regional identity. The second international conference will bring together decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students to address these questions and discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives.
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External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site ( www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.
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