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March 29, 2024

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No Time for Tuckerman -

Thursday, August 3, 2023

The Quitter Returns! -

Monday, March 21, 2022

Putting the goober in gubernatorial -

Friday, January 28, 2022

Board of Game Denies Wolf Protection

The Board of Game has voted not to stop hunting and trapping of wolves that reside in the area surrounding the perimeter of Denali Park. These “golden wolves” are the most seen, most photographed and most valuable in the state. But the Board of Game in their infinite wisdom, voted unanimously to reject a petition filed by multiple wildlife groups. These groups were requesting the return of the “buffer zone” east of the park boundary where many wolves from the Granite pack would stray over park boundary lines into land where trapping and hunting were permitted. After the zone was…

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Board of Game Trapped the Golden Goose

…and by “goose,” I mean wolf. For many years, I owned a gift shop in downtown Anchorage. There was nothing more fun than talking to sparkly-eyed tourists who’d just been on their bucket list adventure of a lifetime – a trip to Denali Park. I got to hear about the scenery, the back breaking 12-hour bus ride that they wouldn’t have missed for the world, and most of all, the wildlife – bears, moose, foxes, and most of all – wolves. Those who got to see a wolf, out in the wild, were changed. Sure they liked the bears and…

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Lost at Sea: The Man in the Fish Tote

By Tele Aadsen Friday, September 7th, is a bad day on the ocean. With the forecast calling for Southeast winds of 35 knots and 11-foot seas, the Nerka spends the morning trolling in the mouth of Gilmer Bay. We hadn’t expected to be fishing at all today. If we catch anything, we reason, they’ll be bonus fish, and we’ll already be safe in the harbor’s arms when the wind comes up. On Day 13 of a grueling trip, a relaxing afternoon on anchor sounds good. We eat lunch on the pick shortly after the wind bares its teeth, but any further thought…

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Alaska’s Relationship of Convenience with EPA

Ever had a boss so hard to read you didn’t know if you were going to be fired or promoted? Mixed messages on a daily basis? It’s horrible. How are you supposed know what to do? A relationship in which you don’t know if you’ll be hit or hugged is much worse. “Can’t you just be a jerk all the time? It would make things so much easier.” It’s the back and forth, the uncertainty that make these situations unbearable. That’s why I feel bad for the folks at the Environmental Protection Agency. Oh, before you start calling me a…

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Bob Bell is Oh So Super Special

You know those politicians whom nobody can stand – the ones that think the rules apply to absolutely everyone? No exceptions. Except for them. I got one for you. Remember that scandal that had Director of the Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation, Corey Rossi, in the headlines for weeks? Rossi and his croneys from the Board of Game got busted flying into rural Alaska and pretending to subsistence hunt muskoxen for food. You see, there’s a really really expensive way of hunting muskoxen, and there’s a much less expensive way. One way, you have to enter a lottery for a permit…

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Pebble Mine and History

Butte, Montana has a couple of distinguishing claims to fame; one controversial, the other, not so much.  What is controversial is that Butte boasts to being the headwaters of the Columbia River.  The Canadians and Wikipedia would sharply disagree, but state and federal government and non-profit websites point to Silver Bow Creek in Butte as the headwaters to the Clark Fork River, a “major headwaters stream” of the Columbia River.  Anyone who knows rivers knows that if you start with forks, you end up with the main body of the river sometime downhill. If you trace the Columbia River upstream from the Pacific Coast, you will…

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Kenai River Bear Cub Rescue!

Three Soldotna fishermen on the Kenai River had an unexpected heart-pounding adventure last weekend that didn’t involve fish. Mike Polocz of Soldotna (owner of Alaska’s H2O Pros), his son Dustin, and  Charles Mettile came upon a bear cub struggling in the river, exhausted and almost drowned. The mother bear was on land nearby, but the three fishermen decided they couldn’t just watch the little guy drown, so they set to work to try to push the cub out of the eddy in which it was trapped, and safely to the waiting paws of mother bear. Much of the event was…

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Bear Zombie-cam!

A trip to the world-famous Brooks Camp from the Lower 48 will set you back thousands. Even from Alaska, you’ve got to be lucky enough to win the bear lottery, and it still isn’t cheap. It’s almost 300 miles from Anchorage, and no roads lead there. Try to get there before 2014 at this point. You’ll be lucky if you do. Almost anyone who likes bears will recognize the area. If you’ve seen a picture of a grizzly standing in the river grabbing a salmon in mid-air as it tries to leap up the falls, it was almost certainly taken…

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The Time to Toss Pebble is Now. Really.

Here in Alaska, the proposed Pebble Mine project is not a partisan issue. It’s an issue of fish vs. cyanide, Alaskans vs. multinational corporations, Native culture vs. the bottom line, sustainable jobs vs. instant gratification, and food security vs. greed. It’s a battle between holding on to the best of our state, and the last great wild salmon run in the world, and letting it all slip away to line the pockets of the already wealthy multinational mining conglomerates. We have a lot at stake. And right now, we can actually help to influence how this all turns out. What…

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Parnell Tries to Silence Alaskans

If Alaskans’ drinking water, children or fishing streams are at risk, Alaskans should have a say. That’s the radical supposition of Rep. Les Gara (D-Anchorage). The governor, on the other hand, proposes to eliminate public input on pesticide use that could contaminate waters where Alaskans fish and get drinking water. Did you expect anything less? “If someone’s plans risk poisoning our drinking water or fishing streams, Alaskans should have a say,” said Rep. Gara. “Alaskans have a right to fish our streams, drink our water, and hunt without fear that our resources will be contaminated by toxic pesticides. If the…

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