Polar Bears and Life in Kaktovik, Alaska

Steve Kohls, Brainerd Dispatch photographer, will show images and narrate his September trip to Kaktovik, the only surviving settlement in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Hearing of this isolated native village from fellow photographers, he found a guide who was also a resident of this village.   The villagers struggle to find food and to survive the constant pressure from oil companies who want to drill in the coastal region.   For four days he photographed and conversed with villagers who previously depended upon whaling to survive but are now only allowed an allotment of three Bowhead Whales per year to feed the 300 inhabitants. Steve’s photos capture life in this remote village and reveal the friendly spirit of these villagers.

He grew up on a farm in LacQuiParle County and has been a Brainerd Dispatch photographer for most of his career. He also teaches Underwater Photography at the Minnesota School of Diving and has taught Art at Central Lakes College for 25 years. Steve feels that his trips to Alaska have improved his photography and cultural understanding and have produced lifelong friendships with photographers encountered in the wilderness of Alaska.

non-members $5.00, visit “unlimitedlearning.net”

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