Shady Grove Oliver, APRN Contributor
Lessons for Alaska: Oregon Shellfish Hatchery Tackles Ocean Acidification
A recent NOAA study pegged 2040 as the date for the potential end of Alaskan shellfish hatcheries. That is, unless serious mitigation efforts are put in place to combat ocean acidification. Last week we reported on the research, done at the Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery in Seward. Now, we’ll take a look at what a hatchery on the Oregon coast is doing to deal with these harmful changes in ocean chemistry.
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Ocean Acidification Threatens Shellfish Hatcheries
New research paints an unsettling picture of the future of shellfish in coastal Alaska. The effects of ocean acidification are worsening and could mean the end of hatcheries in the next 25 years if costly mitigation efforts aren’t put in place.
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Sea Shanties, Scurvy, and a Sailboat Regatta without Wind
Fair winds and following seas. A blessing for sailors, heading out onto the water, at the mercy of time and tides. It was what we hoped for the Arctica, a small but mighty sailboat, with its motley crew of recent surgery patients, pregnant women, and greenhorns.
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State assistance programs approved for Kenai Peninsula fire victims
Governor Bill Walker has approved a number of state assistance programs to help victims of Kenai Peninsula wildfires.
Soldotna Lodge Opens Doors to Fire Victims 2 Years Running
The Card Street fire near Sterling is diminishing and many evacuees are returning to their homes this week. Across the central peninsula, hotels and restaurants that helped with relief efforts are getting back to business as usual. But for one hotel in Soldotna, this isn’t the first time they’ve stepped up and the community now knows where to turn for help, year after year.
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Conflicting Water Rights at the Heart of Chuitna Mining Debate
PacRim Coal is proposing a strip mining operation on the west side of Cook Inlet, in the Chuitna watershed. It proposes removing the water completely from a tributary of the Chuitna River, which is a salmon stream.
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Kenai Peninsula fires slowly coming into containment
The Card Street fire near Sterling and two fires near Cooper Landing continue to burn on the Kenai Peninsula. As of Sunday morning, the Card Street fire was estimated to be around 7,700 acres.
Lightning Thought to Cause Cooper Landing Fires
Update: Wednesday, June 17. 5:45 pm.
Lightning strikes are thought to be the cause of two new fires that started Tuesday near the Kenai Peninsula community of Cooper Landing. Both fires are at zero percent containment and power lines have been shut off near the larger fire.
Small Fire Around Old Sterling Power Pole Quickly Extinguished
Power was out for residents from Diamond Ridge to the Old Sterling Highway for about an hour on Monday afternoon. The incident, which took place on the Old Sterling, also caused a small fire.
Card Street Fire Grows To 1,500 Acres
The Card Street Fire near Sterling on the Kenai Peninsula doubled in size overnight. Now at more than 1,200 acres, the fire has destroyed at least six structures.
Card Street Fire Grows On Kenai Peninsula
A wildfire burning on the central Kenai Peninsula had consumed about 150 acres and destroyed six structures near the community of Sterling by Monday evening.
Coastal Communities Rally to Protest Naval Activity in the Gulf of Alaska
Several coastal communities, including Kodiak, Cordova, and Homer, have held both land-based and fishing boat flotilla protests over the last few weeks to voice their concerns about planned Navy and joint military training exercises in the Gulf of Alaska.
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Cleanup continues for Cook Inlet diesel spill
Clean up and assessment work continues following a diesel spill in southern Cook Inlet over the weekend. The vessel in question is currently tied up in Seldovia, on the southern Kenai Peninsula.
Maps Merge Data on Birds and Ships to Mitigate Oil Spills
A local scientist and entrepreneur is leadinga mapping project to find out where potential oil spills could have the worst effects on seabirds.
Bandit the Runaway Wave Buoy Back in Service
A popular, yet troublesome, ocean monitoring buoy went back in service this spring in southern peninsula waters after being out of service for a year and a half.
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Self-Determination for the Future of Native Game Development
Indigenous game designers, coders, and artists will be in Santa Clara, California on Friday to talk about the future of the native gaming industry.
NOAA Seeks Public Comment on Beluga Whale Recovery Plan
NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on a draft recovery plan for Cook Inlet beluga whales. According to a release from NOAA, the plan will structure efforts to bring the whales back up to a healthy population size. Once there, the hope is to remove them from the federal endangered species list.
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KPBSD Schools Receive Threatening Automated Phone Calls
Two Kenai Peninsula Borough schools received threatening phone calls the afternoon of Wednesday, May 13th, which were later determined not to be credible. That’s according to a release from the district.
Ninilchik Community Library Hires New Director
This spring, the Ninilchik community library brought its number of paid staff up to… one. It hired a new director at 15 hours per week. Like many small libraries around the state is has a minuscule budget and relies primarily on volunteers to keep it running.
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Crews Continue Working on Nikolaevsk Fire, Now Contained
The fire started just before 4 p.m. Monday in the Jim Howard Road area near Nikolaevsk. Anchor Point Assistant Fire Chief Doug Loshbough says the wildfire grew to about five acres before it was contained.