Tom Skilling's Alaska: Sitka
July 9, 2005 Sitka
The WGN crew including Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling, producer Pam Grimes, web producer Amy Mowery and photographer Steve Scheuer begin our travels to Alaska today with a short stop over in Sitka, where we had the opportunity to interview Howard Ulrich, a survivor of the 1958 tsunami in Lituya Bay, near Glacier National Park.
47 years ago today, the father and his 7-year-old son survived the largest wave ever recorded, nearly 800 feet high, with a splash nearly 1,800 feet. It was so destructive that it literally stripped all vegetation off of the surrounding foothills near shore.
We then had the wonderful opportunity to meet with John Litten, who helped found the Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center. This amazing facility is the only one of its kind in Alaska and birds from all over the state are flown here to recuperate from various life threatening accidents and are either reintroduced into the wild or spend the rest of their life in this safe, yet native habitat. Not only do bald eagles reside here, but also red tail hawks and owls to name a few.
The center takes in more than 200 birds a year and has an indoor flight training facility that allows the rehab center volunteers to monitor a bird's progress and if its ready to be released into the wild. This is truly a must see facility in Sitka. For more information, go to www.alaskaraptor.org
Tomorrow the WGN crew heads out to Lituya Bay to see for ourselves the site of the 1958 tsunami and how the area continues to leave footprints of this tremendous natural disaster.