July 03, 2001

Very little wolf sign so far, but still a large area to check.

Mech and Medwid: Fresh snow has covered the nearby mountains. Temperatures are in the low 40's with strong winds producing a windchill that requires us to dress like Minnesota in January.

Very little wolf sign; track of one wolf that appeared to be about a week old; no sign of any at any of the dens we've checked; we still have a large area to check; very few musk oxen or arctic hares seen. It appears that the population of both species are at a 15 year low. We saw polar bear tracks that appeared quite recent-within the last few weeks. We've seen several arctic foxes; red knots at two nests with eggs; lots of long-tailed jaegers; a raven, arctic terns, snow buntings; and ruddy turnstones.

Our camp consists of two tents and spectacular views of the fjord. Rain has been frequent although it appears to be clearing as we write. Despite the feel of winter many plants are in full bloom-willow, dryas, arctic poppy, heather, and purple saxifrage are all adding touches of bright color.

Happy Fourth of July to all!

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