Collins Sisters Present Next Offering for Speaker Series

Date: May 30, 2007
Contact: Kris Fister, 907-683-9583

Miki and Julie Collins, trappers, handcrafters and writers, will give a presentation entitled “A Continued Heritage: Two Lives, Subsistence, and Denali Park” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 7 in the Denali Visitor Center. The Collins twins will explain the sustainable-yield approach to subsistence needs, their challenging and sometimes dangerous lifestyle, and the problems and rewards of working in an extremely remote area of the National Park and Preserve. In addition to living a traditional lifestyle, Miki and Julie have written several books including, “Dog Driver: A Guide for the Serious Musher,” “Riding the Wild Side of Denali: Alaska Adventures with Horses and Huskies,” and “Trapline Twins.”

Miki and Julie Collins grew up in the Alaska bush just outside the northern corner of Denali National Park and Preserve. For several decades they have continued a long local tradition of harvesting wild resources by trapping, hunting and fishing for food and as a means to earn money to purchase items they can’t obtain in the bush. Running an 80-mile trapline by dog team into the park and preserve, they follow the footsteps left by trappers who have lived in and utilized the area for over 100 years. They make use of many subsistence resources, from berries and moose to marten and cabin logs, all harvested lightly over hundreds of square miles.

Copies of the books written by the Collins will be available for sales and for signing by the authors at the Denali Bookstore after their presentation.

This presentation is the second in the special 90th Anniversary Summer Speaker Series taking place as part of the year-long celebration of this significant milestone in Denali’s history. The schedule for the speaker series is available on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/dena, along with additional information on the park’s anniversary. The series features seven Alaskan authors who have written about Denali’s cultural heritage and natural history from a variety of viewpoints. The presentations are taking place in the Denali Visitor Center’s Karstens Theater approximately every two weeks and are free of charge.

General information on the park and other activities is also available on the web site, or by calling the park headquarters at [phone] from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily.

-NPS-