The waters of the Bering Strait separate the continents of Asia and North America but they do not divide the people, the resources or the heritage of "Beringia". An annual international conference sponsored by the National Park Service - "Beringia Days" - highlights the heritage shared by two countries as participants from the United States and Russia meet to share their knowledge and their experiences. The Anchorage Museum of History and Art cosponsors and hosts the event in their auditorium.
In 1996, Beringia Days International Conference began with a small group of government officials and scientists to share information about projects they were working on in the Beringia region. They also used this as an opportunity to jointly develop projects for the next year. After a couple of years, the conference expanded and was then opened to include public participation. Native peoples of Alaska and Chukotka, Russian and American scholars, researches, environmentalists, and representatives of government and non-governmental organization have gathered in October to report on their projects funded by the National Park Service's Shared Beringian Heritage Program. Other presentations at the conference include topics of interest to the Beringia region and to the proposed Beringian Heritage International Park.
The conference was held in Anchorage until 2003, when it was hosted by the regional government of Chukotka, in Anadyr, the capital of the Chukotka Autonomous Region. The 2005 conference was again held in Anadyr and demonstrated the continuation of two countries' joint efforts to work together and protect the unique and shared values of Central Beringia.
The Beringian Days conference is a true international forum at the crossroads of the Eurasian and American continents where people come to share and learn about the past, present, and future of the one of the most unique regions in the world - Beringia.
Beringia Days 2007 will be held in Anadyr, Chukotka, Russia in September of 2007. For more information please check this web site at a later date or call 907-644-3601.
If you would like to see the past conferences's posters, click here