ALASKA TOURISM -- BUILDING A BETTER WAY TO GET AWAY

THE INSIDE SCOOP ON ECO-TOURISM IN ALASKA,
         As presented by Alaska Wildland Adventures.

Greetings:
   We are sending out a few small press kits via the internet in order to give you the basic information which you might need should you decide to publish a story which incorporates Alaska travel or eco-tourism. We hope that this is helpful, and look forward to further contact with you.    

Hot Story Ideas:

-Loophole in Sanitation Statutes encourages excessive cruise ship dumping in Alaska's pristine Inside Passage...

-Increasing numbers of urban professionals yearn for wilderness experiences...

-Responsible eco-tourism benefit the locals, the land and the clientele...

-Announcing an Alaskan experience, tangible vacations more than just the deck of a ship...

-Alaska Wildlife: observe nature's wild creatures, while retaining the creature comforts we love...

-Alaska businesses build a new paradigm for community based tourism development...

-Mature market discovers Alaskan Adventures...

Who are we?
   
             Alaska Wildland Adventures is an eco-tourism company dedicated to delivering rare experiences with nature, offering up close opportunities to make contact with the land and its wildlife through programs which combine off-the-beaten-track adventures with outstanding locales, knowledgeable guides, and modern-day comforts.
   What is eco-tourism? In its true sense it represents a means of protection for remote wild areas through sound and sustainable economic development. To be truly successful, ecotour operators not only tread lightly, but also set limits upon their use of the land and its resources.
I am available for comment via e-mail at wildland@gorge.net.

Why Alaska Wildland Adventures?

-Visit a wide range of places.
   Rocky seacoast and tidewater glaciers of the Kenai Fjords to the flowered tundra and mountain vistas of Denali National Park. The turquoise waters in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and the glacial rivers of the Alaskan Range.

-Amazing wildlife opportunities.
   Watch for fantastic creatures including, but not limited to: eagles, moose, Dall sheep, grizzlies, sea lions, whales, spawning salmon, and the resident and migratory bird populations.

-Experience a variety of activities.
   Float wild and scenic waterways, beachcomb a quiet lakeshore, stay overnight in cozy cabins, mountain bike in Denali National Park and end an evening with a fireside gathering. Many trips also include a ride on the world famous Alaska Railroad.

-Join trained guides and naturalists.
   We seek out the best, and many have worked with us for years. You will learn a great deal about Alaska, feel safe, and have your needs met with a delightful, and very knowledgeable staff.

Quotes from expert sources and guests.

   "Ask someone if they've been to Alaska and you'll see the answer first in their eyes. A sense of wonder, astonishment, beauty and grandeur beyond anything seen before pervades the traveler's memory. Alaska is a land of superlatives and often words defy an accurate description."       Kirk Hoessle (President, Alaska Wildland Adventures)

   "To truly experience Alaska, one must go beneath the surface, beyond the exterior and travel to its wild lands. This is the personal Alaska presented to you by Alaska Wildland Adventures. Our programs are designed to take you away from the crowds, beyond a cruise liner tour and deeper than a tour bus excursion -- to natural places that command respect and often humble travelers."   Kirk Hoessle (President, Alaska Wildland Adventures)

   "I have always been more than a little mystified about Alaska. Here you have the epitome of raw, untrammeled nature in an increasingly suburban world, peopled by bearded pioneers who are fluent in Thoreau and use floatplanes to visit their neighbors. Yet most visitors never experience this Alaska; they view it passively, as if watching an IMAX movie, through the window of an air-conditioned bus or from the deck of a luxury cruise ship."
         Andrew Bill (June 1999, Diversion magazine)

   "I could never understand why there wasn't a way to see Alaska on my terms. Certainly I wanted to experience its scale, sweat its trails, raft its frigid rivers, and finish up each day with a well-deserved meal. Yet I'm also fully aware of the evolutionary chasm that separates me from my trail-hardened, bedroll-toting forefathers. Was it too much to throw in a roof, a cold beer, a meal with different courses served on different plates, a hot shower, cotton sheets and a few incontrovertible benefits of our modern age? I didn't think so. Nor, fortunately does Alaska Wildland Adventures."
         Andrew Bill (June 1999, Diversion magazine)

   "We spent our days there hiking the surrounding Alaska Range, biking , gold panning (fun but ultimately fruitless), and listening to lectures about Alaska after dinners of grilled shrimp or chicken francaise. One night, after a talk about grizzlies, a bear wandered into our camp. When the "bear alarm" sounded, our visitor scurried away, but it reminded me how deep I'd ventured into the real, wild Alaska."
         Mary Lynn Mitcham (Holiday edition, Travel magazine)

   "How many people want to lumber with a backpack into a grizzly's backyard? Certainly not me, so I did a little research and found a brand-new option: the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna, a newly constructed grouping of cabins tucked away in a valley about 93 miles from civilization."      Linda Frahm (September/October 1999, The Walking Magazine)

   "If traveling where management cares about the environment matters to you, check out the Ecotourism Society's web site that lists dozens of such properties and vacation programs around the world. Meanwhile, here are a few suggestions:

Denali Backcountry Lodge: You have to drive the entire 95 miles through the Alaska Range to reach the end of the road and the Denali Backcountry Lodge. There, the tallest peak in North America, Mt Mckinley, looks down on you and your fellow residents -- grizzlies, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, wolves and eagles."
         Rudy Maxa (NPR 9/29/1999, The Savvy Traveler)

   "Whenever we think of Alaska in the future, we will first remember the staff, then the friends we acquired during the most fulfilling ten days of our lives."
         Ed and Elaine, Commack, NY

   "Awesome! Amazing! Words don't do it justice! One of the best vacations of my life. The country was beautiful... and the guides added more than I ever expected. Great job AWA!"
         Catherine R., Seattle, WA

For more information please contact Jim Wells at wildland@gorge.net or call (509) 395-02611