LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Aleutian Islands: Bering Sea
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Strewn like seeds in the wind, the Aleutian Islands are flung out into the stormy North Pacific for eleven hundred miles. Arched between North America and Siberia, this spine of volcanic mountains hems in the Bering Sea to the north and the Japanese current to the south, providing potential for storms of two opposing weather systems. The islands have unique vegetation unlike any other on earth, with a mingling of plant immigrants from east and west, survivors from Beringia, believed to have been an ancient land bridge connecting the two continents. Goldenrod, lupine, kinnikinnick and yarrow arrived from North America to the east. Iris, purple orchid, Kamchatka rhododendron and Chukchi primrose came from Asia to the west. Some species extend into both ends of the Aleutian chain, but have not yet reached the middle islands.
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The Aleutian Islands comprise one of the most beautiful and unique wilderness environments in the world. From rich seabird nesting habitat to active volcanoes, and from glaciers to hot springs, the beauty of the Aleutians is unmatched as a backdrop for backcountry adventure. Find the origins of modern sea kayaking, and discover one of the largest wilderness regions of Alaska that few visitors have experienced.
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Efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove introduced foxes from the Aleutian islands have been largely successful. Seabirds are beginning to make a comeback on islands previously colonized by foxes, and in some places the vegetation has begun to look lusher. But it is likely to take decades for the ecosystems to fully recover from the effects of the foxes, said James Estes, adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCSC and a coauthor of the paper.
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The Aleutian Islands tundra ecoregion supports many seabird colonies of extraordinary size and global importance. The Pribilof Islands, for example, provide breeding habitat for approximately 3 million seabirds including virtually all of the world's 250,000 red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris). Many of the islands ... support endemic species, including the Pribilof Island shrew (Sorex hydrodromus) and the Aleutian shield fern (Polystichum aleuticum), the only federally-listed endangered plant in Alaska.
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Aleutian Islands communities and Bering Sea fishermen painfully recall that the freighter Selendang Ayu ran aground and split in two on Unimak Island in December 2004. Despite the heroic efforts of the Coast Guard and others, six crew members were lost, and the fisheries important to local Alaska communities were damaged.
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The Aleutian Islands form a curving arc of volcanically active and earthquake prone islands stretching southwest for 1,900 km from the Alaska Peninsula towards the Siberian peninsula of Kamchatka. The islands — around 150 in number — form a barrier between the Pacific Ocean on the south and the Bering Sea on the north.
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