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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New research finds that mountain goat populations require 11 years – or 1.5 generations – to recover from more extreme avalanche years. -
In Skagway, one of Alaska’s most popular cruise ports, food problems revolve around one big issue: The number of people in town can range from 900 to 10,000. -
That comes in sharp contrast to what's happened nationwide, where summer border crossings dropped by 24%. -
Logging hasn't begun yet, but the Oregon-based company won a contract years ago to carry out the Chilkat Valley’s largest timber sale in decades. -
A DOT spokesperson said finding ways to partner with industry is an important part of the process, adding that the potential project is not purely a “road to a ferry terminal.” -
Each proposal looks slightly different, but they all seek to take advantage of the busy summer season to generate local tax revenue. -
The charges are the most recent development in a years-long battle between Kroschel and the state over the Kroschel Films Wildlife Center. -
The state released an inventory this week that pinpoints thousands of past slides. The aim is to better understand the risk – and prepare for the future. -
The push to sell carbon credits off state land comes at a tumultuous time for so-called voluntary carbon markets, which have taken a major downturn in recent years. -
There are some promising signs for the whales, which were hit hard by the Exxon Valdez spill and then again by the marine heatwave known as the Blob.
