511 



both a scientific and a personal interest in this problem, since the 

 Arctic is our own backyard. 



In the matter we are addressing today, a framework for action 

 requires multinational and interdisciplinary linkages, and there is no 

 arena more conducive to svich collaboration than the dxctompolar 

 north and our own U.S. Arct c in Alaska. Here, by historical fact and 

 of Necessity, multinational and interdisciplinary linkages are 

 commonplace and extensive, 



Let ine give you Just a glimpse of what is already in place, because it 

 is through Alaska, and through the University of Alaska, that the 

 UniSd States has a front door to the Russian Far East. Our scientific 

 contacts go back to the 1950's and 60's. Scientific cooperation began 

 in the 1970's, expanded In [the 1980's, and during the past two to 

 three years has turned i!ito true collaboration and scientific 

 lerships. 



Indeed, the university's worse with Russian colleagues has long gone 

 past paper agreements (whi< Ji we have with the Russian Academy of 

 Sciences and its branches and institutes), to joint field operations, 

 Joint research, data gathering and analysis, and the common use of 

 fact ities including laboratones, computing and telecommunications 

 resources, and ships, aircraft, and other logistical resources. A 

 pan;iciilarly salient example is our University of Alaska - Russian 

 Academy of Sciences Joint Ir temational Scientific Center ARKTIKA in 

 Magadan. The center, AkKTIKA, represent a bilateral research 

 support consortium for fill scientific collaboration, including 

 periionnel, space, scientific equipment, informational and logistical 

 rescurces, and telecommunications which even include a telephone 

 line that is part of our university's telephone exchange. In other 

 wor3s, a local call in Fairbanks rings in Magadan and vice versk. The 

 center Is not only supportliig our own scientists; but also supports 



iniversities and the efforts of federal 

 the National Park Service, among others. 



colliboratlons with other 

 age: ides such as NOAA, EPA, 



Our 



extead 



Fir 



linkages into Russia 

 Yakitia, Kamchatka, 

 Pro^ridenya in the Russian 

 Mmmansk, andj indeed, 

 Provldenya. These contacts 

 sciences and also include 

 logistical resources. Suffice 



thj 



well beyond Magadan, into Chukotka, 



Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Novosybirsk, and 



Easi and into Moscow, St.Petersburg, 



entire Arctic between Murmansk and 



extend across the basic and applied 



^iformatlonal, telecommunications, and 



it to say that our working linkages are 



