Alaska prepares for vessel disasters
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.
Save those cans, aluminum recycling returning to Bethel
Hold onto those aluminum cans. Recycling is returning to Bethel, and ONC’s Environmental Coordinator Mary Matthias is leading the way. Listen now
Arctic Sea ice at second lowest level on record
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
Court sides with UCIDA on Cook Inlet Salmon management
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.
New satellite-based technology aims to crack down on illegal fishing
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
Ask a Climatologist: Long temperature streak ends
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
One last chance to protest at the end of an era for the Tongass
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
Southeast weather: exceedingly beautiful and very unusual
The weather has been beautiful in Southeast Alaska for two weeks straight. That is very unusual. September and October are normally the rainiest months in the region. Listen Now
Fairbanks advocates file another lawsuit against EPA over air quality
Fairbanks area air quality advocates have filed another lawsuit aimed at forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to adhere to Clean Air Act deadlines. Listen Now
New Southeast atlas identifies valuable habitat and threats
Audubon Alaska recently released an atlas showing where the most valuable salmon streams and bird habitat are located in Southeast. It also identifies the biggest threats to those areas. Listen Now
Video: Whale skeleton takes flight in Anchorage
Researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks were at Kincaid Beach in Anchorage to finish recovering the skeleton of the humpback whale that washed up there in July. Listen Now
As objection hearings wrap, countdown to new Tongass plan
The U.S. Forest Service wrapped up objection hearings Wednesday on a plan that could shape the future of timber in the Tongass National Forest. Listen Now
Court ruling keeps bearded seals on Endangered Species List
An appeals court today upheld a federal decision to list a species of ice seals as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Listen Now
Glacial fjords home to surprise coral, but maybe not for long
Most people wouldn't expect coral to thrive in Southeast Alaska. But it exists in the silty waters of glacial fjords. Now scientists are wondering if the coral, which serves as important fish habitat, could be in danger from an invisible threat — ocean acidification. Listen Now
Video: Below ground in the Fairbanks permafrost tunnel
Ancient microbes, unusual ice structures, mammoth bones — there’s a lot happening below the surface in the Fairbanks Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility. The underground laboratory, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, is kept at a constant 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
State, Native Corps ask U.S. Supreme Court to enter fray over polar bear habitat
The State of Alaska and a dozen Native organizations have filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to overturn a ruling that designated vast swaths of coastal Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears.
Pribilof scientists work to bring back decimated blue king crab population
The last commercial harvest of Pribilof Island blue king crab was in 1999. Extremely low population numbers have kept that fishery closed. Listen Now
Melting permafrost changes Yukon River
A new study shows melting permafrost is changing the chemistry of the Yukon River, just one of many climate-related changes affecting the Yukon and beyond. Listen Now
State delays renewal of Pebble land use permit
Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources has delayed renewing a two-year land use permit for the Pebble Limited Partnership to give state regulators more time to review an “extensive” number of public comments. Listen Now
Restoring Ohmer Creek
The U.S. Forest Service is moving forward with a project to restore a stream damaged by decades-old logging and road-building south of Petersburg. The work will likely mean logging some other trees on another part of the island, and that’s generated some opposition.