Environment

All Alaska news stories about the environment, climate and weather. Could also include topics like animal die-offs related to the environment.

a whale

Rare fin whale found dead near Kodiak

Fin whales can live up to 90 years in the wild, but biologists say the whale found late last month on Kodiak Island was between 10 and 14 years old.
several Alaska Airlines planes parked at airport gates

Alaska Airlines is pitching an ‘eco-friendly’ alternative to the mileage run this year. How green is it?

The airline is offering customers elite-qualifying miles when they spend money on “sustainable aviation fuel” for Alaska’s fleet. 
an opossum

From Alaska outlaw to Oregon transplant, zoo welcomes captured son of Grubby the opossum

Homer, the 7-month-old opossum from the town of the same name, is one of the latest arrivals at the Oregon Zoo.
a landslide

Therapists talk about their role during Haines’ deadly 2020 landslide

All Haines residents were affected in one way or another by the slide that killed two people three years ago.
the Kodiak Animal Shelter

Kodiak dog tests positive for canine distemper

Kodiak Animal Shelter staff say the dog has been put down, with all other dogs put into quarantine and adoptions temporarily halted.
a landslide

Prince of Wales added to state disaster declaration for Wrangell landslide

Under the amendment, Prince of Wales Island residents affected by the Nov. 20 storm that hit Wrangell now qualify for state disaster relief.
a landslide

Wrangell search suspended for 12-year-old boy still missing in deadly landslide

Derek Heller was never found after the Nov. 20 slide that killed four other members of his family and 65-year-old Otto Florschutz.
A yellow plug hangs from the front of a black truck

Anchorage offers drivers free cords, timers amid call to plug cars in

Local officials say at 20 degrees or colder, drivers should plug in cars' engine heaters to reduce both carbon monoxide and wear on vehicles.
a landslide

‘We could still hear the hillside cracking’: How Wrangellites helped each other after the landslide

People stuck on the far side of the fatal Nov. 20 slide described a night of confusion and an improvised evacuation.
a landslide

Husband of sole Wrangell landslide survivor found dead in search

The Thursday recovery of 65-year-old Otto Florschutz's body brings the Nov. 20 disaster's official death toll to five. Derek Heller, 12, is still missing.
mining vehicles

An Alaska Native tribal council greenlit a gold mine. Some tribal members aren’t happy.

Some in the Native Village of Tetlin claim their leaders broke tribal laws when agreeing to the Manh Choh mine.
Kachemak Bay

Lawsuit decision reinstates jet ski ban in Kachemak Bay

Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman ruled in favor of environmental groups that challenged Fish and Game's authority to repeal the ban.
a landslide

Power restored to homes cut off by last week’s Wrangell landslide

Two people remain missing after the deadly Nov. 20 slide. State officials are taking applications for assistance from people affected by the disaster.
a landslide

As climate change raises landslide risk, Southeast communities look for solutions

After a deadly 2015 landslide, Sitka developed a new warning system. Six more communities are developing their own versions.
Japanese knotweed

Alaska experts try to untangle invasive Japanese knotweed

Japanese knotweed can survive being hacked into pieces and thrown into the ocean — and scientists say it has a growing hold in Southeast Alaska.
a landslide

Deadly Wrangell landslide is part of a pattern in vulnerable Alaska mountainous terrain

Scientists say climate change increases precipitation and extreme rainfall, adding to risks, and that more knowledge is needed for public safety.
Wrangell

Conservation group supports formation of new Alaska Native corporations

A leader within The Wilderness Society called the change "a significant step toward correcting injustices against Alaska Native communities."
Steller sea lions

Steller sea lions top list of Alaska marine mammals killed by human activities

According to a federal report, 710 of 819 human-mammal interactions reported from 2017 to 2021 caused the animals' removal from the population.
a woodstove pipe

EPA takes final action on plan to improve Fairbanks-area air quality

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced final action on a state plan to improve wintertime air quality in Fairbanks and North Pole.