Anchorage hosts the 2004 Beringia Days conference: this free event brings together Russian and American scholars, researchers, environmentalists and more.

• Author: Pilkington, Steve
• Position: Alaska This Month

This month, members of an international community will again gather to share experiences, research and projects about life in our part of the world. The annual international conference--known as Beringia Days--will be held Oct. 21-23 at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. It is open to the public, free of charge, and brings together people from Alaska and Chukotka, Russia. Attending will be Russian and American scholars, researchers and environmentalists, as well as representatives of government and non-governmental organizations.

"The Russians hosted it last year," said Peter Richter, the park service's Beringia program manager. "It was their first time and they did a great job."

Members of the academic, scientific and cultural communities who receive funding and support from the program use the conference to report on the work they have done and what they have learned, Richter said. A highlight of this year's conference will be a keynote presentation by Charles Wohlforth, author of the book "The Whale and the Supercomputer." Another highlight will be the appearance of the Russian Native dance group "Ergyron." This professional dance group from Anadyr, Russia, performs traditional Chukchi and Yupik dances combined with modern music and choreography. In addition to the conference, Ergyron also will be performing at other venues in Anchorage, including at the Alaska Native Heritage Center and during the Alaska Federation of Natives banquet.

The name Beringia comes from Vitus Bering, a Danish explorer for the Russian czar in the 18th Century. The Bering Strait, which lies between Alaska and Northeast Russia, and Bering Island, in the Commander Islands, are named after him. In modern language, the term describes a vast area from the Kolyma River in the Russian Far East to the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is a region of worldwide significance for cultural and natural resources.

The National Park Service's Shared Beringian Heritage Program was established in 1991 after President George Bush and President Mikhail Gorbachev endorsed a proposal to establish an international park agreement between the two countries. The park would include already existing National Park Service units in Alaska and as of yet undesignated national park...