Environment

The federal government is getting close to finalizing a plan that could shape the future of timber in the Tongass National Forest. Various stakeholders have given input through the years. But if the objection letters are any indication, several agencies and groups are still not content — for different reasons. Listen Now

For the first time since February, the statewide temperature index for Alaska dipped below normal earlier this week. Sunday and Monday were both slightly below normal, interrupting a 218 day stretch of above normal temperatures. Listen Now

Commercial fishing in Alaska is a multi-billion dollar industry. But every year, billions of dollars are lost to illegal fishing around the world. A new satellite-based surveillance system makes it easier to track illegal fishing. But some fishermen aren’t ready for Big Brother watching their every move. Listen Now

A federal appeals court has sided with United Cook Inlet Drifters Association [UCIDA] in a lawsuit seeking to return Cook Inlet salmon management to federal fisheries control.

Arctic Sea ice retreated to its second lowest level on record this summer. Scientists announced today the ice likely reached it s lowest extent on September 10th. The Arctic Ocean ended the summer season with 1.6 million square miles of ice, tying 2007 for the second lowest amount. Listen now

Hold onto those aluminum cans. Recycling is returning to Bethel, and ONC’s Environmental Coordinator Mary Matthias is leading the way. Listen now

Thousands of vessels every year move through Alaska's waters. If something goes awry, their cargo and fuel could end up in the ocean. Cleanup efforts for past groundings near Unalaska have proven difficult and costly.

In the most recent issue of The New Yorker, Alaska writer and longtime former ADN reporter Tom Kizzia looks back at the debate over offshore drilling in North Slope communities. Kizzia visited Point Hope to report on how climate change is affecting the region’s twin pillars: oil development and subsistence hunting.

The magazine Marie Claire sent a team of journalists and fashionistas to the Mendenhall Glacier in the summer. The story that appeared in its September issue is called On Thin Ice: Can the Fashion Industry Help Save the Planet? But as first reported in the Juneau Empire, the magazine got a couple of key things wrong. Listen now

What killed the woolly mammoths on St. Paul Island? Thirst. For the first time, scientists have pinpointed the date — 5,600 years ago — and a likely cause of extinction. They believe the environmental changes that killed the animals mirror today’s climate changes. Listen now

U.S. State Department officials are in Southeast Alaska this week to talk about transboundary mines. The Environmental Protection Agency also has sent representatives. Listen now

A Petersburg project is one of the finalists in Sealaska’s Path to Prosperity contest. For the second year, Petersburg’s tribe is in the running for $40,000 to grow the business of making compost.

As of Wednesday evening, the McHugh Fire was estimated at 842 acres, and 250 crew members from Alaska and the Lower 48 were working on stopping its growth. The community gathered to get more information. Listen now

Well-known chemist and mountaineer Arlene Blum to speak in Anchorage on Tuesday. Download Audio

The Bristol Bay Native Corporation announced plans to acquire Katmailand, Inc., a long running sport fishing and bear viewing operation in and around Katmai National Park. Download Audio

Zombies are real. They’re walking around on the bottom of Alaska’s ocean, mindlessly incubating the next generation of creatures that will, in turn, create even more zombies.

Fisheries researchers say the appearance of a warm water anomaly in the northeast Pacific Ocean likely added a new wrinkle into recent predictions of Alaska salmon runs that are used by commercial fishing industry for the upcoming season’s planning. Because of the variability of West Coast salmon populations, a simple cause and effect may be impossible to pin down.

A whaling crew from Savoonga landed its second bowhead of the season this week. The St. Lawrence Island community has been working non-stop to haul the whale out of the icy waters, harvest its meat, and distribute it around the village. Download Audio

KSKA: Thursday, April 14, at 2pm. When you fly into Anchorage, what do you really notice? It's not the buildings or the roads, it's the mountains that take your breath away. It’s a gift, but it didn’t have to be that way. 50 years ago, the land we now call Chugach State Park was open for development. The reason we have a park now is because citizens got together and were bold enough to demand one. We’ll be talking about the history of the park and how it came into existence. DOWNLOAD AUDIO