BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael Stark, a machinery technician onboard Coast Guard Cutter Alder, homeported in Duluth, Minn., ensures the operational readiness of Alder's small boat prior to transiting the system of locks that separate Lake Erie from Lake Ontario, July 17, 2010. Alder is underway as part of Operation Nanook, one of three major operations conducted per year in the Canadian Arctic, designed to demonstrate international cooperation and expand the international ability to respond to emergencies in the Arctic. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class George Degener).