Moving an entire village

Stephen took a trip into one of the most remote areas of Alaska, he stayed in the Yu'pik village of Newtok which is 100 miles from the nearest town and is only accessible by a tiny plane.

The permafrost under Newtok in the Yukon Delta is melting, causing the nearby river to erode into the village, threatening to wash it away.

This has caused a group of villagers to up sticks and move the entire community into the hills nine miles away, because of global warming.

A report to Congress found more than a hundred Alaskan villages are at risk from erosion, but Newtok is the first to receive official funding to help it move.

Stephen told us how bad the problem is. Listen to his report below.

Local pilot Chad Smith explains how planes link scattered populations in Alaska.

One wedding and a light show

Stephen spent time with the locals of the Yu'pik village of Newtok and found himself being invited to a wedding and was fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights. He also discovered the answer to a very famous urban myth.... How many words do the eskimos have for snow? Listen to his reports below.

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Bootlegging in Barrow

Stephen went to the Arctic Circle to visit a town called Barrow - which is a place where you can't buy alcoholic drinks.

There's a history of alcohol abuse among Alaska's native people, and many communities have chosen to make buying it or even carrying it illegal.

The town's police captain Leon Boyea says he'd prefer people to smoke marijuana than drink. Listen below to hear Stephen reporting from Barrow

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Searching for a polar bear

As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin's challenging a move to list polar bears as a threatened species. They were put on the list because of concern that their habitat is melting. One of the scientists behind the research, Rosa Meehan told Breakfast that the bear population was on the brink of collapse.

Stephen Chittenden went searching for polar bears. Listen to his report below to find out how he got on.

Some scientists believe the polar bears in Alaska could become extinct in 50 years' time. Inupiat Eskimo guide Sam Leavitt who led the search for polar bears explained what this would mean to him and the area.

Whale catching and striking oil

Sarah Palin has also made no secret of her desire to exploit the natural resources of Alaska. There's an estimated 20% of the world's unexploited oil reserves under the Arctic Ocean.

Stephen witnessed the landing of the first whale of the autumn season at Barrow and spoke to the whaling community about their fears of offshore exploration and how it could disrupt migration routes of whales.

American football in the snow

Stephen met the cheerleaders and players from the Barrow Whalers American football team at what is probably the most northerly American football pitch on the planet.

Before Stephen met the cheerleaders he asked the locals if they feel part of the election.