Accessing Alaska’s rivers

Eric Downey rowing. Photo: Cathy Hart
Les Gara Rafting

 

 

 

Spring is in the air and the river ice is thawing out. Whether rafting, canoeing, kayaking, or inner tubing, there are plenty of ways to access Alaska’s rivers without a motor. This week on Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be speaking with Les Gara and Eric Downey about their experiences on Alaska’s rivers, and about how the rest of us can get out there and join them.

HOST: Adam Verrier

GUESTS:

  • Les Gara:  Represented downtown Anchorage as a representative in the Alaska Legislature for several terms. He likes going on rafting trips fishing.
  • Eric Downey: President of Knik Canoers and Kayakers (KCK) and teaches boating safety.

LINKS:

BROADCAST: Thursday, April 25th, 2019. 2:00 pm – 3:00 p.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST:  Thursday,April 25th, 2019. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

SUBSCRIBE: Receive Outdoor Explorer automatically every week via:

Eric Bork, or you can just call him “Bork” because everybody else does, is the FM Operations Manager for KSKA-FM. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the FM broadcast. He produces and edits episodes of Outdoor Explorer, the Alaska-focused outdoors program. He also maintains the web posts for that show. You may have heard him filling in for Morning Edition or hosting All Things Considered and can still find him operating the soundboard for any of the live broadcast programs.

After escaping the Detroit area when he was 18, Bork made it up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he earned a degree in Communications/Radio Broadcasting from Northern Michigan University. He spent time managing the college radio station, working for the local NPR affiliate, and then in top 40 radio in Michigan before coming to Alaska to work his first few summers. After then moving to Chicago, it only took five years to convince him to move back to Alaska in 2010. When not involved in great radio programming he’s probably riding a bicycle, thinking about riding bicycles, dreaming about bikes, reading a book, or planning the next place he’ll travel to. Only two continents left to conquer!

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