The Persistent and Pernicious

Abstract

The village of Savoonga is perched on the edge of the Bering Sea just 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle. It sits on the north shore of Alaska’s St. Lawrence Island, whose westernmost point—about 40 miles west of here—is only 40 miles from the Russian mainland. Low mountains rise east of the village, sloping up to the island’s volcano. It’s the third week of July 2007 and there is still snow on the higher ground. We are too far north for trees but the tundra is dotted with cottony blooms, tiny red sedum, shiny yellow buttercups, and violet gentians. When the clouds lift, the sky is a vibrant, cornflower blue. The sun will not set until after midnight.