Every day, thousands of tourists flock to the waterfront of the Alaskan capital, disembarking from cruise ships that tower over the city center, Euronews has reported.
Vendors offer shore excursions, and rows of buses stand ready to transport the arrivals. Many of them head towards the region's natural gem, the Mendenhall Glacier.
Tourist helicopters fly over the giant masses of gray, white, and blue ice. Some arrive in kayaks, canoes, or on foot. So many people want to see the glacier and other wonders of Juneau that the city authorities have implemented special measures. Anticipating a record number of guests, the city reached an agreement with cruise companies to limit trips to Alaska. Some residents even leave for calmer places during the summer.
However, climate change is causing the Mendenhall Glacier to melt. It's shrinking so rapidly that by 2050, it might no longer be visible from observation platforms.
"We have to think about our glaciers and the ability to observe them as they retreat," says Alexandra Pierce, a tourism manager.
She also emphasizes the need to focus on reducing environmental impact.
"People come to Alaska to see what they perceive as untouched nature, and we must preserve it for the city's residents and guests."
The waters from the Mendenhall Glacier flow from the rocky mountain relief into a lake dotted with drifting icebergs. According to estimates from researchers at the University of Alaska Southeast, its area has decreased by about eight football fields from 2007 to 2021. Trails remain as a memory of the melted ice, winding around where the glacier once stood. Now they are overgrown with grass, shrubs, and moss.
According to Erin Hood, a professor of ecology at the University of Alaska Southeast, while huge chunks have broken off from the glacier, the main loss of ice occurred due to gradual thinning caused by rising temperatures. Scientists are trying to understand how these changes might impact the local ecosystem, including the habitat of salmon. Uncertainty for tourism.
Most people admire the glacier from trails around the lake of the same name or from the visitor center. The bright blue ice caves that attracted crowds of tourists a few years ago have collapsed. Where people used to walk down from the cliffs onto the ice, water puddles have formed.
On his day off, Manoj Pillai, a cruise ship worker from India, took photos from a popular observation point of the Mendenhall Glacier.
"The glacier looks so beautiful now, but what will it be like in 10 or 20 years? I'm just trying to imagine that!" he exclaims.
Representatives from the Tongass National Forest, which oversees the recreation area at the Mendenhall Glacier, are preparing for an increase in visitors over the next 30 years, up until the glacier disappears from sight.
The agency proposes creating new trails, establishing parking areas, constructing an additional visitor center, and communal cabins at the lakeside camping site. The glacier won't completely vanish, at least not until the end of this century, contrary to some scientists' predictions.
"We debated the question: 'Is it worth investing in these facilities if the glacier truly disappears from view?'" quotes Tristan Fluharty, a ranger for the Juneau district. "Will there be the same number of visitors?"
The thundering waterfall (also a popular selfie spot), salmon runs, black bears, and hiking trails will likely continue to attract tourists even when the glacier is no longer visible, but "it's still the main attraction," assures our interviewee.
It's anticipated that around 700,000 people will visit it this year, and by 2050, almost 1 million.
Looking to examples, in the 1990s, the annual visitors to the Begich and Boggs Visitor Center, located southeast of Anchorage, reached 400,000. The Portage Glacier served as a major draw. However, now only a small part of the glacier is visible from the center on clear days. Last year, only 30,000 visitors explored this center, laments a representative from the Chugach National Forest, which oversees it. According to Brandon Raila, officials are even considering permanently closing the center.
"What's our direction with the Begich and Boggs Center?" Rail questions. "How can we maintain its relevance in the future when the original purpose it was created for is no longer relevant?"
At Mendenhall, rangers educate visitors about climate change. According to Laura Buchheit, deputy federal forest supervisor in Juneau, their aim is to "evoke wonder and reverence for nature, as well as inspire hope and action."
This year, around 1.6 mn cruise ship passengers are expected to arrive in the capital during the season, which runs from April to October.
Juneau is a stop on week-long cruises of Alaska, typically beginning in Seattle or Vancouver. Tourists can disembark and within minutes, take the popular tram up the mountain slope, see bald eagles perched on lamp posts, and experience the vibrant artistic community of Alaskan natives.
During the peak season, around 20,000 people disembark from ships daily, constituting two-thirds of the city's population.
Juneau Tours and Whale Watch is one of roughly two dozen companies providing transportation or tours to the glacier. Its owner, Serene Hutchinson, says demand has been so high that the company reached its capacity halfway through the season. Glacier transfers had to be temporarily suspended.
Some bus operators faced a similar situation. Representatives from several tour agencies suggest alternative attractions to visitors or different ways to reach the glacier.
According to Hutchinson, limiting the number of tourists might actually benefit tour companies, as it would enhance the glacier visiting experience, and there would be no need to "cram tourists onto the glacier." She isn't concerned that Juneau will lose its charm when the glacier recedes.
"Alaska does all the work for us, right?" she says. "All we need to do is get out of the way and let people look around, smell, and breathe."
Tourism manager Pierce notes that discussions are arising about how to shape a sustainable tourism industry in southeastern Alaska.
In Sitka, where a dormant volcano is located, the number of cruise ship passengers in a single day during early summer exceeded the city's population of 8,400, leading to business overload, slower internet speeds, and prompting officials to question whether there are too many tourists for these places.
Juneau plans to conduct a survey that might help determine future strategies, such as creating new tourist routes.
Kerry Kirkpatrick, a resident of Juneau for around 30 years, recalls that Mendenhall "used to extend way out over the water, high above our heads." She calls it a national treasure and somewhat ironically remarks that helicopters and cruise ships emitting carbon dioxide are chasing the melting glacier.
In her view, when the Mendenhall Glacier retreats, plants and animals will need time to adapt.
"There are too many people on this planet wanting to do the same thing, Kirkpatrick analyzes. You don't want to be the person closing the door and saying, I got in last, you can't get in. But we have to be able to say, No, no more."
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