Sea Ice Changes Begin Affecting Vegetation On Land
The Arctic sea ice has been surprising scientists for the last six years. It set a new record for melting back during the International Polar Year in 2007. Last year it beat that record, but at the same time the seasonal ice in the Bering Sea has been increasing – also to a record last winter. Whatever is driving these changes is also beginning to affect the vegetation on land.
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Magone Sells Renowned Marine Salvage Business
After 40 years in western Alaska, salvager Dan Magone is selling his namesake diving and marine rescue business. But, Magone will still be there to help when disaster strikes.
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Pilot, Researchers Stranded Near Mt. Mageik
A helicopter, its pilot, and two researchers are still stuck near the top of 7,100-foot Mount Mageik in Katmai National Park and Preserve. They’ve been there since Wednesday evening.
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Rain Hammers Valdez, Cordova
Winds will not be significant for Southcentral Alaska this weekend, but rain is hammering the Valdez and Cordova area.
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Carnival Cruise Ships Installing Air Pollution ‘Scrubbers’
The world’s largest cruise corporation will soon install new pollution-control equipment on 32 of its ships. Carnival, Princess and Holland-America vessels sailing Alaska waters are likely to be among those getting the gear.
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Juneau Clinic For Homeless, Low-Income Residents Open Through April
The clinic for Juneau’s homeless and low-income residents will stay open at least through April 30 thanks to the fundraising efforts of local community members and organizations.
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SAFV Tackles Domestic Violence Crisis With Community Training
The domestic violence shelter in Sitka is stepping up its community training program following the release of new survey data last year. SAFV, or Sitkans Against Family Violence, has routinely offered volunteer advocate training, but now the organization is hoping to involve more of the community in how to recognize – and address – Sitka’s incredibly high rate of intimate partner violence.
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AK: Preservation
In June, the Keku Cannery in Kake was named one of the 11 most endangered historic places in the country by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The building is an artifact of Alaska’s salmon canning industry and its a reminder of the different people that worked there.
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300 Villages: Nelson Lagoon
This week, we’re heading to Nelson Lagoon, a tiny fishing community on the Bering Sea side of the Alaska Peninsula. Justine Gundersen is the administrator for the Nelson Lagoon Tribal Council.
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Alaska’s Winter Olympians
For some years now, Alaska has produced more than its share of competitive athletes for the Winter Olympics. Is it just because it’s cold up here? We’ll find out from the athletes themselves, as they take a break from training for Sochi to appear on the next Talk of Alaska.
KSKA: Tuesday, 9/10 at 10:00am
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Shell Agrees to $1M Fine for Arctic Air Permit Violations
Shell will pay the Environmental Protection Agency $1.1 million in fines for allegedly violating air permits during their 2012 drilling season in Alaska.
A Shrew-Eating Trout
This fish was caught on the Kanektok River during a rainbow trout project. It wound up being a mortality capture (it didn't survive), so it was cut open to see what it had been feeding on. Surprise! The answer was shrews, and a whole lot of them.
By my count, this trout ate twenty shrews. Twenty.
Read more. Environmental Enforcement Doesn’t Sit Well With Miners, Politicians
A recent sweep by government agents looking for environmental violations at gold mines in the 40 Mile region, has angered locals and Alaska politicians. The governor’s office has ordered an investigation, and area placer miners are organizing to protest the Environmental Protection Agency lead action.
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Hundreds Of Aftershocks Rock Aleutian Chain
Hundreds of aftershocks are rattling the Aleutian Chain following a 7.0 earthquake near Adak on Friday. Residents are ready for life to go back to normal – but it could be months before the quakes subside.
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Oil Tax Referendum To Appear On Ballot
It's official: A controversial tax cut on oil companies will be put to a vote. Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai certified the referendum on the new tax law this Tuesday.
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Geothermal Test Well Drilling Begins Near Nome
Drilling for a geothermal test well began today north of Nome at the Pilgrim Hot Springs. The Alaska Center for Energy and Power estimates two megawatts of sustainable power can be generated from the site. If the estimates are true, Nome residents may soon see the benefits of tapping into the resource.
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Weekend Winds Won’t Reach Last Year’s Levels
September winds in Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska may increase going into the weekend, but National Weather Service forecaster Christian Cassell says they won’t reach the intensity of last fall’s big storm.
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Budding Local Market For Local Blooms
The local food market in Alaska is well established. But there’s a quieter movement gaining momentum in Alaska agriculture: flowers. Peonies make up the largest share of flower farming in the state, and they’re exported around the world. And at Anchorage farmers markets zinnias, sunflowers and dahlias have moved in alongside the kale and potatoes.
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Coal Development Spurs Protest
Numerous coal development projects are slated for lands in the Matanuska Valley that are owned by the Alaska Mental Health Trust. Some Anchorage and Valley residents are concerned about mercury poisoning linked to coal development, and on Wednesday, they aired their concerns before the board of directors of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.
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Union Files For Arbitration Over State Office Space
The state’s largest public employee union and the Parnell administration will enter into arbitration over the issue of office space. An arbitrator has been selected, but the time frame for the negotiations are still unknown.
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