Avery Ellfeldt
Alaska Desk Reporter, HainesAvery Ellfeldt covers Haines, Klukwan and Skagway for the Alaska Desk from partner station KHNS in Haines. Her coverage touches on issues ranging from mining and conservation to climate change and tourism in the Lynn Canal. Avery joined the Alaska Desk in early 2025 after moving to Haines sight unseen.
Avery has covered climate change for Politico’s E&E News in Washington, D.C. and Denver, Colorado, her hometown. When Avery isn’t at work, you can find her hiking, backpacking and learning new outdoor sports. She also enjoys photography, cooking with friends and occasionally using her bachelor’s degree in Spanish, which she earned from St. Olaf College in 2019.
Reach Avery at avery@khns.org.
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The event will mark the first time the Freeride World Tour has visited Alaska since 2017. -
Four fatal landslides in Southeast Alaska over the last decade have sparked a region-wide effort to better understand and prepare for mounting risk. -
It’s unclear what the move will mean for programs that run senior centers, provide rides and distribute meals. -
Skagway has seen its population drop by over 2% on average per year, the largest decrease regionwide. -
The company is seeking permits to build a log transfer facility and storage site in Haines’ Lutak Inlet, a popular spot for commercial and subsistence fishing. -
About the same number of people registered for the Buckwheat International Ski Classic this year as last year. And nearly 70% were Canadian. -
The company says that if China’s lumber ban lasts much longer, the site will close permanently. -
The state has repeatedly studied and pitched such proposals before, including in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s. -
By and large, the formula that determines per student funding for a given district hasn’t budged since 2017 — even as inflation has surged roughly 18%. -
Business owners and residents say the policy could affect everything from produce prices to whether or not Canadian customers visit this year.
