Elizabeth Jenkins, Alaska's Energy Desk - Juneau
In time of anxiety, therapist says there’s a lot the forest can teach us
Scientific evidence backs up the claim that being around the forest and other outdoor areas can lower blood pressure and stress hormones.
Alaska’s struggling timber industry can now hit pause on federal contracts
The U.S. Forest Service is allowing extensions on existing timber sale contracts with sawmills and timber operators during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid food supply chain concerns, tribal governments request emergency hunts
Some communities off the road system aren't counting on state promises to ship in packaged meats, and say that the emergency hunts are required to secure food resources during the coronavirus emergency.
State responds to ‘oily water’ spill at Trans-Alaska Pipeline terminal in Valdez
The amount of oil that was released is unknown at this time, but crews under contract with Alyeska have corralled a 30-foot by 30-foot area of oily water and are attempting a cleanup.
For SNAP and WIC recipients, buying groceries during a pandemic is complicated
Recipients of SNAP and WIC benefits are finding themselves in a tight spot trying to avoid catching the coronavirus while getting food for their families
Amalga Distillery in Juneau is making hand sanitizer for organizations in need
One Juneau distillery has gone from serving cocktails to serving its community in a different way: making hand sanitizer.
USDA opens investigation into why Forest Service grant was given to Alaska to work on Roadless Rule
The federal Office of the Inspector General is opening an investigation into how the U.S. Forest Service granted millions of dollars to the State of Alaska to work on a Roadless Rule decision in the Tongass National Forest.
‘Much of Alaska’s history is not here anymore’: The National Archives are moving again, this time even farther away
In 2014, despite public outcry, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget decided to move Alaska's federal archives to Seattle. Now those archives could be moving again, to California and Missouri.
Donald Trump Jr. is headed to Juneau for a hunting trip. The cost to join him: $150,000.
Donald Trump Jr. and his son will be embarking on a weeklong hunt for Sitka black-tailed deer and ducks in Southeast Alaska — and a spot to join them was auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Yellow cedar is dying. Can Southeast Alaska sawmills profit?
A recent study explores the business potential of salvage logging, or harvesting trees that are already dead.
State gives timber industry group $1.3M in federal money to work with U.S. Forest Service
Documents obtained by Earthjustice show a contract between the state Division of Forestry and the Alaska Forest Association worth up to $1.3 million, or $260,000 a year, for a span of five years.
State releases new guide on medication assisted treatment
As more Alaskans seek treatment for opioid use disorder, the state is taking measures to ensure enough medical providers are there to help.
Activists take to social media as comment period for Roadless Rule draws to a close
As the final deadline for public comments on a proposal to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the Roadless Rule loomed, environmental groups increasingly tried to get the word out to encourage people to weigh-in.
Salmon returns are down in Metlakatla. These junior scientists are discovering possible reasons why.
Ocean temperatures were well above average for much of Alaska this year, spawning questions about how warm water and abnormally dry conditions could affect salmon returns. In Metlakatla, a group of young scientists are logging their own data to better understand the future they’re inheriting.
Dunleavy defends use of federal grant for Roadless Rule decision
While two Democratic members of Congress have requested an investigation into why some federal grant funds were used to pay an Alaska timber industry group, the state maintains it spent the money appropriately.
Metlakatla, which depends on water, has moved quickly to accommodate the realities of drought
Following a season of drought, the Southeast Alaska community of Metlakatla is navigating a different relationship with water, like a number of other places in the region.
Metlakatla adapts to drought with grassroots conservation efforts
When you think of extremely dry conditions, California wildfires probably come to mind. But in 2018, some parts of Southeast Alaska were officially declared to be in drought. The...
Why was fire prevention funding used on the Roadless Rule process in Alaska? Congress members want to know.
A United States senator from Michigan and a representative from Arizona want an investigation into why federal dollars typically used to prevent wildfires were given to the State of Alaska to work on the Roadless Rule.
Forest Service kicks off Roadless Rule discussion in Juneau
People who attended the meeting had a lot of questions about the process.
A new inventory of old growth trees could be coming. Will it be too late?
A proposed exemption from the federal Roadless Rule means prohibitions on logging could be removed for millions of acres of old growth trees in the region.