Coast Guard Gears Up for Shell’s Chukchi Season
Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft says if Shell is allowed to drill in the Chukchi Sea this summer, the Coast Guard will be there with five ships and two aircraft. But, the admiral says, nothing about the Arctic is easy.
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Shellfish genetics could be the key to climate change adaptation
A recent NOAA study found that by 2040, Alaskan shellfish hatcheries may no longer be sustainable because of ocean acidification, unless serious mitigation efforts are put in place. We recently reported on a hatchery in Oregon that’s become a model for adapting to these different conditions. But the long term solution may actually lie in shellfish genes.
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Report: Alaska Heroin Use is Skyrocketing
A new report from the state health department shows a dramatic rise in heroin use in Alaska. The number of hospitalizations for heroin related causes nearly doubled in the state from 2008 to 2012.
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Governor’s Office Advises DOT To Proceed With Knik Arm Project
In a letter to state Department of Transportation commissioner Mark Luiken, state office of management and budget director Pat Pitney has advised DOT to proceed within existing appropriations, to continue work on the Knik Arm Crossing.
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Education lawsuit heads through appeals process
A flurry of briefs was filed by the June 30th deadline with the Alaska Supreme Court in the Ketchikan Gateway Borough’s ongoing lawsuit challenging the State of Alaska’s requirement that local governments earmark a certain amount of property taxes for public education.
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Falling debris from decrepit apartments closes Juneau park
The burnt-out Gastineau Apartments will finally be demolished by the end of November, according to Juneau’s city attorney. In the meantime, the city says the downtown buildings are a public safety concern. It’s temporarily closed the neighboring park due to falling debris.
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Juneau Considers Amending Land Use Code to Address Child Care Shortage
The Juneau Assembly is working on amending child care permit regulations in an effort to increase child care availability in Juneau.
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Nome Reindeer Ranch Cultivates A New Generation of Herders
In 1967, Larry Davis snow machined from Nome to Cape Espenberg. When he returned, he brought with him 200 reindeer — a herd that would eventually swell to 10,000 in the 1990s. But that’s just a piece of recent history.
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Willow Residents Outraged Over Sockeye Fire’s Reckless Ignition
News that the Sockeye wildfire was caused by negligence on the part of two Anchorage residents has hit the Willow community hard.
Alaska’s Marine Debris Stockpile To Be Shipped to Lower 48
A massive cleanup effort is getting underway in Alaska, with tons of marine debris — some likely sent to sea by the 2011 tsunami in Japan — set to be airlifted from rocky beaches and taken by barge for recycling and disposal in the Pacific Northwest.
Suspicious Duffel Bag at Federal Building Draws Juneau’s Bomb Squad
A suspicious duffel bag left in the post office parking lot outside Juneau’s downtown Federal Building on Monday drew out the bomb squad. Police cordoned off the area, but the building wasn’t evacuated.
Shell’s Fennica Vessel Limps to Oregon For Repairs
A Royal Dutch Shell PLC ship carrying required blowout response equipment for Arctic offshore drilling will be sent to a West Coast shipyard for repairs.
Records: Employees used leave time for charity golf tourney
Public records show nearly all of the employees of the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. who played in a charity golf tournament last month took personal leave time that day.
Coast Guard searches for a missing cruise ship passenger near Seattle
The Coast Guard is searching an area in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca near Seattle for a passenger reported missing from a Holland America cruise ship.
Alaska News Nightly: Monday, July 13, 2015
State Says Sockeye Fire Sprung From A Burn Pile, 2 Face Charges; Marriage Ruling Doesn't Protect LBGT Alaskans Against Workplace Discrimination; Calista Shareholders Vote to Enroll 'Afterborns'; Lessons for Alaska: Oregon Shellfish Hatchery Tackles Ocean Acidification; On the Nushagak, Sportfishers Struggle to Reel In the Kings; New RX Drug Drop Gives Community a Chance to Safely Purge Meds; Haines Sees A Spike in Avian Rescues
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Sockeye Fire Charges Filed
Charges have been filed agaianst two Anchorage residents for starting the Sockeye wildfire.
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Haines Sees A Spike in Birds Needing Rescue
The American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines has seen such a dramatic increase in bird rescues that they’re asking for the public’s help. The foundation plans to form a volunteer Avian Rescue Team to help respond to the unusually high number of injured birds.
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Calista Shareholders Vote to Enroll ‘Afterborns’
The prospect of enrolling the younger generation of Y-K Delta Alaska Natives has been discussed for years. Now after the historic vote, Calista communications manager Thom Leonard says it too will take time to bring on the tens of thousands of new shareholders, That’s expected to start in the first half of 2017.
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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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On the Nushagak, Sportfishers Struggle to Reel In The Kings
The Nushagak River is becoming one of Alaska’s premier destinations for king salmon sport fishermen. The king return to the Nushagak is proving stronger this year than last, and Fish and Game says they’re on track to meet the escapement goal. Sport fishing guides say the angling has only been average.
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