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Next Stop: Alaska What would noted 19th-century railroad tycoon Edward Harriman think of an expedition to Alaska in the summer of 2000, as masterminded by a Smith College professor and an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker? Would he be astonished that a distinguished liberal arts college and an award-winning film company have teamed up to retrace the footprints he left on Alaska's shores as he explored 9,000 miles of its coastline in 1899? Would he be flattered by all the attention currently given to what was officially known as the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition, which he organized and financed himself and to which he invited 25 of the nation's most renowned natural scientists? Would he be amazed that a feature-length documentary, weaving together the dynamic elements of both the 1899 and the 2000 expeditions, is already scheduled for national broadcast on PBS in 2001?
In preparation for this July's trip, Florentine Films started principal cinematography for the Harriman Alaska Expedition Retraced last summer. Producer/director Larry Hott (left) and cinematographer Allen Moore conducted location work. And would he be pleased that what was accomplished in Alaska by the esteemed members of his party-a veritable Who's Who in American natural history of the period-is being recognized and revisited some 100 years later? Whatever Harriman might think today, he would have to concur that the ambitious agenda for the retracing of the Harriman expedition in 2000, as co-sponsored by Smith College and Florentine Films/Hott Productions, is something of a wonder. After two years of plotting out every detail of this unique project, the key planners -- Tom Litwin of Smith's Clark Science Center, Lawrence Hott of Hott Productions, Phoebe Wood of ARCO Alaska Inc., Werner Zehnder of Zegrahm Expeditions, and the Alumnae Association of Smith College -- report that the official voyage of "The 1899 Harriman Expedition Retraced: A Century of Change" will soon set sail. The one-month expedition leaves port from Prince Rupert, British Columbia on July 11 and will follow a route through the Inside Passage, along the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands, north through the Pribilof Islands, and across the Arctic Circle to the Bering Strait. While in the Bering Sea the ship will stop in Provideniya, Russia, and continue along Siberia's Chukchi Peninsula. On board the chartered 285-foot World Discoverer will be a team of experts who together are known as the new "Harriman Scholars." In 1899 naturalist and mountaineer John Muir, nature writer John Burroughs and photographer Edward Curtis were among the elite on board. For the 2000 voyage, the renowned scholars on the passenger list include ornithologist Robert Peck, environmental scientist Stephen Kellert, anthropologist of Native cultures Rosita Worl, marine scientist Jane Lubchenco and environmental writer Richard K. Nelson. Along with the invited experts and dignitaries, who will occupy some 20 berths, Smith alumnae, their families and members of the Alaskan community have reserved another 100 berths. Three additional bunks go to the Smith students who have been selected to participate in an onboard special studies project: biological sciences major Allison Sayer '02, anthropology major Leana Dagan '01, and women's studies major Julia O'Malley '00 This voyage is not only expeditionary in nature but it also represents a national multifaceted education project, comprising three components: an expedition that revisits the sites explored in 1899, a feature-length film shot live using 16mm color cinematography and a companion book edited by Litwin, and an educational outreach initiative. The film, which will be broadcast on Alaska Public Television in spring 2001 and on PBS the following fall, will be accompanied by a study guide and curriculum for secondary and college students. Litwin, director of Smith's Clark Science Center, says of the project: "The historic Harriman voyage is being repeated this summer 2000 to explore the impact of 100 years of human activity on Alaska's environment. Since 1899, when Harriman visited Alaska, not only has Alaska changed, but also so has the nature of scientific inquiry, sensibilities about the environment, and awareness of indigenous people's rights." "At the heart of the new expedition," adds Litwin, who is also the expedition director for this summer's voyage, "is the 100-year benchmark that can be used to assess our relationship with the natural world, and society's current and future needs." None of this would be possible without the support of the Alaskan people. Through Alaskan-based friends such as Smith alumna Phoebe Wood '75, vice president for finance and planning for ARCO Alaska Inc., an ambitious effort to identify Alaskan funds and services for the project was undertaken. "For me, this project is a very satisfying coming together of my Smith heritage, my residency in Alaska and my professional background in the resource industry," says Wood. "It is a natural project for me to be enthusiastic about." Key Alaskan community and state leaders have signed on as members of the advisory committee that is helping to promote and coordinate the trip in Alaska. Alaskan First Lady Susan Knowles, wife of Gov. Tony Knowles, serves as honorary chair; Phoebe Wood chairs the committee. Commissioner Deborah Sedwick of the Alaska Department of Commerce and Economic Development has also signed up, as have Catherine Stevens, wife of Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, and former governors Jay Hammond and Walter Hickel, and other community leaders. Meanwhile, Phoebe Wood has been spearheading an effort to return to the Tlingit people of the Saanya Kwaan Tribe, via the World Discoverer, a number of the Native artifacts removed during the 1899 Harriman expedition. The effort is moving carefully forward, according to Litwin. He recently traveled with Larry Hott and representatives of the Saanya Kwaan Tribe of Saxman, Alaska to a Smithsonian Institution facility in New York to view the artifacts. The repatriation petitions filed on behalf of the tribe include objects ranging from a totem pole to ceremonial masks, blankets and carvings currently in the collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. A June meeting of the Smithsonian's board of trustees will consider the recommendation to repatriate the Alaskan artifacts. It is hoped that a potlatch celebrating the repatriation of the objects will be held when the expedition reaches the area in July. "This holds promise to be a spiritually powerful event," says Litwin, "and Smith College is honored to be a participant." To see highlights of the preliminary film location scouting trip through Alaska that took place in June and July 1999, go to www.florentinefilms.com. |
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