Birds from across six continents and all 50 United States migrate to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge annually to take advantage of the 24-hour arctic summer daylight and plentiful, rich food sources. Hundreds of thousands of birds nest on the coastal plain of Alaska during breeding season, mating and storing up fat for the long migration to southern wintering grounds.

A new environmental photography exhibit at Seattle's Burke Museum explores the phenomenon of bird migration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a region that is environmentally crucial to the survival of over 190 bird species, yet is a hotbed for political controversy.

Featuring the photography of Subhankeer Banerjee, Paul Bannick, Michio Hoshino, Arthur Morris, Hugh Rose, Mark Wilson, and Brad Winn, Arctic Wings presents 30 large-format color photographs that capture global bird biodiversity abundantly represented in the ANWR ecosystem.

For the opening day of this exhibition, ornithologists will be on hand with a selection of Arctic birds from the Burke collection. Stephen Brown, editor of Arctic Wings, the book that inspired the exhibit, will be speaking along with Debbie Miller, Alaskan author of illustrated nature books, and Marilyn Heiman, founding director of the Boreal Songbird initiative.

Arctic Wings: Miracle of Migration was organized by the Burke Museum and Braided River, the conservation imprint of The Mountaineers Books. This exhibit is the third partnership between the Burke Museum and The Mountaineers Books in two years to present nature photography exhibits that engage the public in conversations about some of the most immediate environmental crises of our time, including biodiversity, habitat protection, and global warming.