Dormant plans for an international park spanning the Bering Strait have been revived, thanks to a gung-ho new governor in the Russian Far East. Under the last governor of Chukotka, western tourists and researchers got the cold shoulder, but Gov. Roman Abramovich is welcoming joint programs with Alaska, including research, conservation, tourism, and economic ventures. U.S. National Park Service reps plan to discuss the idea of the park during a conference in Anchorage tomorrow and Friday, and local officials say improved Alaska-Russia relations could be good news for whales and polar bears. Four existing federal conservation units in Western Alaska could be included in the park: Bering Land Bridge Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Noatak National Preserve. It is not yet clear which Russian lands would be included.
