Eric Bork, Alaska Public Media
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!
LISTEN: Imagine hiking all the tallest summits of the Chugach Front Range in one trip. These people did it this year.
The Chugach Front Linkup is the connection of the 12 summits over 5000 feet in the Chugach Front Range in a single
outing. This past summer saw an unprecedented known number of people who have successfully linked the peaks;
between them they produced 6 new records.
Traveling Music 10-27-19
Traveling
Music
Date:
10-22-19
Shonti
Elder
Format: Tune
Title
Performer / Composer
Album Title
Recording Company
Length
Megan
and Jarrod (instrumental)
Alisdare Frasier and Brittany Haas
/ Alisdare Frasier
Ports of Call
Culburnie Records
5:45
Be
Thou My Vision
Shelley Biss / Traditional Irish
Heartsongs
Shellybiss.com
4:11
Fenario
Richard Shindell / Richard...
Ski swaps and Hatcher Pass Lodge
Winter is coming, and that means it’s ski swap time! This week on Outdoor Explorer, we'll talk to Sparky Anderson about how to buy and sell your outdoor winter gear at your local ski swap. Sparky is the head coach of the UAA Ski Team. And in the second half of the show, we’ll be speaking with Hap Wurlizer, proprietor of the Hatcher Pass Lodge.
Revisiting wildlife hazards in context
The terror of being attacked by a bear is a nightmare for many outdoors people, and a lot of time is spent worrying and planning for it. We’ll put wildlife hazards in context. What should you know to be safe, how can you improve your chances, and why aren’t you thinking about all the other things that could get you, and that are a lot more common.
Alaskans Abroad – Guyana
Alaskans are no strangers to the wilderness, but what about the remote jungle? This week on Outdoor Explorer we are talking about traveling and living in the South American country of Guyana.
Kodiak archaeology with Patrick Saltonstall
On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll be talking with Patrick Saltonstall. Patrick is the curator of archaeology at the Alutiiq Museum, which means part of his job is to explore the Kodiak Archipelago, documenting the ancestral culture of the area.
Hiking the Brooks Range
Ever wonder what it’s like to hike and packraft the Brooks Range? This week’s Outdoor Explorer features a series of field interviews with APU’s Dr. Roman Dial and his students as they studied tree growth while hiking the Brooks Range.
Sailing the Aleutians on the MV Tustumena
The Alaska Marine Highway System has been in the news a lot lately, beginning with the governor's veto of the ferry budget in the spring, and a ferry worker strike later in the summer....
Smart & Solo
This week on Outdoor Explorer, we'll be talking with Randell Carlton Green, author of the recently-published travel book, "Smart & Solo: The Blueprint for Efficient & Enjoyable Solo Travel". We'll be discussing ways to minimize the discomfort and maximize the fun and personal growth that comes from traveling solo, anywhere in the world.
LISTEN: Revisiting disc golf
The thrown disc, otherwise known as a frisbee, transferred a generation ago from a beach toy to a serious piece of sporting equipment, both in ultimate frisbee leagues and in disc golf. Even if...
Kikkan Randall: An unexpected year
In April of 2018, Kikkan Randall sat down with Charles Wohlforth on Outdoor Explorer and reflected on the final race of her skiing career. As all of Alaska knows, that race resulted in the...
Exploring Hatcher Pass
Hatcher Pass and the Independence Mine State Historical Park are popular summerdestinations for hikers, climbers, bikers and berry pickers. 60 miles north of Anchorage, near Palmer, the Park also has a fascinating human and...
The Lavaman Triathlon
Every spring, hundreds of Alaskan triathletes journey to the Big Island of Hawaii for the annual Lavaman Triathlon. At the end of a long winter the race is the draw, but it is really more about Alaskans gathering
together in the spirit of Aloha.
Dogs: Our Outdoor Explorer companions
Humans and dogs have shared physical and emotional lives for at least 9,000 years. On the next Outdoor Explorer we’ll
explore the science of the bond we have with dogs, the sports we enjoy together, and how an empathetic husky in Girdwood has become a hero to Crow Pass hikers.
Biking throughout Alaska
Bicycling is a great way to get outside, get fit, meet people, and exercise your competitive juices. The number of trails, organizations, and biking events continues to grow in Alaska. This show will feature folks from Anchorage and Fairbanks sharing thier passion for the sport.
Salmon and Alaska
Salmon are an iconic symbol of Alaska: plentiful and wild. On this week’s Outdoor Explorer we’ll being talking with Amy Gulick about her new book “The Salmon
Way.”
Revisiting adventures in field science
Alaskan geologists, biologists, archeologists, and lots of other kinds of ologists cover the wilderness in their work, in search of knowledge but avoiding something many outdoor folks are looking for: adventure. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’ll hear from field scientists about their challenges studying Alaska, and how they keep safe and work effectively in places where other people go to test themselves against the elements.
Volunteering in the outdoors
Volunteering in the outdoors is a great way to contribute to the quality of our outdoor experiences, and is rewarding in itself. More and more land managers rely on volunteers to maintain the quality of trails, pull invasive weeds, and monitor campsites. On this week’s show we’ll be talking about opportunities to volunteer in the outdoors.
Formidable women of Alaska
Alaskan women have a reputation for pushing the adventure boundaries. Lael Wilcox, an internationally known
endurance cyclist, and producer Lee Hart and rider Jill Simek of the fat bike short film Blue, have stories to tell about their epic adventures and projects.
Outdoor summer camps
On the next Outdoor Explorer we are learning about outdoor summer camps for kids. Once school is out camps are a ritual for many families, however camps have changed a lot in the last 20 years. Camps have become more professional and are not just a month living in the woods.