Lorien Nettleton

Governor Sean Parnell declared a state of emergency for Talkeetna at a press conference late Friday afternoon. Large areas of East Talkeetna are under several inches of water, affecting about 100 homes. The Talkeetna River began to rise Wednesday night, and breached its banks on Thursday morning, flowing in to East Talkeetna. NWS: Anchorage NWS: Alaska Water Levels Mat-Su Emergency Services Anchorage Conditions Hotline: 907-343-4701 Click for more links and information.

Three mountaineers were evacuated from the 17,200-foot camp on Denali’s West Buttress after an avalanche injured two in the party. They were the last climbers registered to climb this season, and were the only ones remaining on the mountain.

Studies related to the proposed Susitna Watana hydroelectric dam were put forward last week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The State Department of Environmental Conservation is considering a change to its pesticide regulations that would no longer require agencies to obtain a permit for chemical treatments on state-owned lands. This proposal has caught the attention of at least one state lawmaker.

An avalanche on Mt. McKinley’s West Buttress during the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 13 has claimed the lives of four Japanese climbers, leaving one survivor. National Park Service rangers believe the crevasse is the final resting place for 64-year-old Yoshiaki Kato, 50-year-old Masako Suda, 56-year-old Michiko Suzuki and 63-year-old Tamao Suzuki. 69 year old Hitoshi Ogi survived. National Park Service Spokesperson Maureen McLaughlin says this is the first time an avalanche on the west buttress has resulted in fatalities.

A group of disabled veterans landed on the Kahiltna Glacier Monday to begin their attempt to climb Mount McKinley. The group is part of the Disabled Sports USA’s Wounded Warfighter program, which encourages veterans to overcome physical setbacks to participate in sports at all levels.

For many Alaskans, any vacation planning starts with clearing room on the kitchen table and unrolling a map. Many of these maps have been made by the United States Geological Survey. Now USGS is carrying out its first nationwide mapping effort for the digital age, and Alaska is about to have its very own close up.

The first of a series of scoping meetings for the proposed Susitna Watana hydroelectric dam took place in Anchorage Monday, kicking off the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s environmental impact analysis of the proposed 700-foot dam. Talkeetna is the first community downriver from the Dam, and some residents are wary of the impacts the $4.5 billion project could have on local river ecology.

The Vernal Equinox means sunlight, warm snow and fast skiing. One Mid-March ski race has a distinctly spring break atmosphere that matches the community that hosts it. If it’s spring time in Talkeetna, it must be time for the Classic ski race.

As long as snows are deep and nights are dark, moose mingling in roadways is a fact of life everywhere in Alaska. With a higher -than-average number of moose killed in collisions with vehicles this winter, the roadkill salvage program in the Mat Su Borough is rotating through the list frequently. One name on the list is the Su Valley High School Moose Club.