Shorebirds are among the most highly migratory creatures on earth, and many species are in peril.  Each summer, after breeding on the arctic tundra in places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, shorebirds prepare to migrate south to wintering grounds as far away as Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America.  For these tiny birds to make the trip, they must store huge amounts of energy as fat by feeding on the rich coastal mudflats at the edge of the Beaufort Sea.  Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences has been studying shorebird ecology and leading hemispheric conservation efforts for 40 years, and is currently working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct the first shorebird survey ever completed along the entire coastline of the Arctic Refuge.  Thousands of shorebirds collect where river deltas meet the Arctic ocean.  These special places are vulnerable to proposed oil and gas development, so finding the most important areas is critical for conservation and management of our declining shorebird populations.  Follow the journey here starting on July 25th 2009, as our scientists travel to the end of the earth on their scientific and conservation mission.

The map shows locations where we have camped as we make our way along the entire coastline of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  You can scroll the map to the left or right to see all the locations we have visited, and you can zoom in and out to see more or less of the area.