Kavitha George, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage

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Kavitha George is Alaska Public Media’s climate change reporter. Reach her at kgeorge@alaskapublic.org.
An aerial view of Fort Yukon.

Four years into the Yukon salmon collapse, an Interior Alaska village wonders if it will ever fish again

Gwichyaa Zhee, also known as Fort Yukon, has always depended on salmon. But for the fourth year in a row, managers have severely restricted fishing, as the Yukon River king and chum salmon runs collapsed. Residents say the closures have been devastating to their way of life.
A woman is loading a bag of ice into the back of her car.

Hawaiian community in Alaska organizes relief for Maui fire victims

Tasha Kahele started making calls last week, and by the weekend, collected 60,000 pounds of items to donate.
burning fire

Are you an Alaskan impacted by the Maui wildfires? We want to hear from you.

Alaska Public Media is looking to speak with Alaskans with ties to Hawaii for our coverage on the widespread impacts of the devastating fires.
Exterior: salmon hanging up to dry

On the Yukon, Alaska and Canada are bound together by salmon – and their collapse

A 20-year-old treaty keeps Alaska and Canada working together, even through the devastating king and chum salmon collapse.
freshly caught salmon in a pile

Environmental activists work to reconnect Yukon villages with salmon amid subsistence restrictions

Amid the collapse of chum and chinook salmon on the river, the Smokehouse Collective is trying to build sustainable, resilient food systems for Native communities.
A gray-scale photo of a person in a mask, with just their eyes showing, and wearing a jacket.

Man who vandalized Alaska Jewish Museum with swastika stickers sentenced to 18 months in prison

Luke Foster, 28, was convicted on two acts of hate-motivated property damage and one drug trafficking offense.
A city street as seen from above

Anchorage’s main electric utility is proposing to raise base rates for the first time in 3 years

Chugach Electric wants to raise rates by 6%. It says it’s seen a decrease in sales and an increase in expenses due to inflation and supply chain disruptions.

Valdez presses its case to unseal Hilcorp’s finances before Alaska Supreme Court

More than three years after Hilcorp bought BP’s Alaska assets, Valdez wants assurances that Hilcorp has the money to safely maintain its operations — and clean up a potential oil spill.
water pools around houses and covers roadways

Rural Alaskans can still apply for spring flooding relief

Officials are holding in-person events to register for disaster funds next week in Kwethluk, Russian Mission and Fort Yukon.

Dunleavy says Alaska can boost fossil fuels and renewables. Clean energy advocates disagree.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy says Alaska is "going to be all-in" on developing energy, from oil to wind. Critics say that plan ignores climate impacts.
the trans-Alaska pipeline

Energy leaders in Anchorage make the case for Alaska LNG pipeline — again

U.S. officials say the proposed 800-mile pipeline, long plagued by its high cost, could be a “strategic tool” for the country.
A man signs a piece of paper at a table, surrounded by men and women.

Alaska is getting into the carbon market. What does that mean for the budget – and the climate?

Lawmakers hope the sale of carbon offsets will be a new revenue source. But many of the plan’s details are yet to be determined.
A view of Eklutna Lake.

Chugach Electric board election wraps up with renewable energy at the center

The election usually passes under the radar, but this year it’s been a fierce race, with nine candidates vying to guide the future of the electric utility.
Aerial photo of a large fire burning in brown tundra

Alaska fire season begins with almost two dozen human-caused blazes

Twenty-three of the 25 fires so far this year were ignited by human activity.
A river mostly covered in ice on a sunny day with a bridge in the distance.

Your photos could help scientists predict spring floods and track climate change

UAF’s Fresh Eyes on Ice program uses photos contributed by the public to monitor river ice.
A young Yup'ik and Samoan woman wearing a kuspuk and smiling.

A young Yup’ik climate advocate is committed to centering Indigenous knowledge in science

Charitie Ropati, 21, wants to reimagine scientific research to include her traditional values, like community and collective wellbeing.
A woman sits in a field of grass

As rural communities prepare for climate change, a UAA scientist is trying to connect them with data

Dr. Micah Hahn received an EPA grant to make air quality and health data easier to access in rural Alaska.
smoke over tundra

Will heavy snow cover dampen Alaska’s fire season? Experts say don’t count on it.

Alaska fire officials brace for hotter, more intense fire seasons to come.
A sign says Anchorage School District.

Service High principal placed on administrative leave amid ‘community concerns’

The Anchorage School District says it has initiated an “investigation into community concerns” about Allen Wardlaw.

Western Alaska chum bycatch limits are moving forward — slowly

Potential new limits on the accidental catch of chum salmon by pollock trawlers are still years away from being implemented.