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Kindergarten students at Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science acted out a scene from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Thursday, March 9, 2017 as the culmination of Artist In Residence Elizabeth Ware’s work with the students. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Kaleidoscope students channel the Bard

All the world’s a stage, and on Thursday afternoon, the students at Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science were the players. After two weeks with… Continue reading

Kindergarten students at Kaleidoscope School of Arts and Science acted out a scene from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Thursday, March 9, 2017 as the culmination of Artist In Residence Elizabeth Ware’s work with the students. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Ice Fishing Derby kid’s division winners claim prizes at awards ceremony, including 8-month-old Ariel Voight, the Derby’s youngest participant.

Ice Fishing Derby records first Royal Flush, youngest participant

There have been two decades of family ice fishing memories on the Kenai Peninsula thanks to the family-owned Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware &Fishing. And as the… Continue reading

Ice Fishing Derby kid’s division winners claim prizes at awards ceremony, including 8-month-old Ariel Voight, the Derby’s youngest participant.
Stephen Stringham talks to a small group of people about bear safety techniques during a presentation Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Library in Soldotna, Alaska.

Biologist shares dos and don’ts of bear encounters

Ever wonder what a grizzly is thinking when it wanders into a back yard, or comes face to face with a hiker somewhere in Alaska’s… Continue reading

Stephen Stringham talks to a small group of people about bear safety techniques during a presentation Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Library in Soldotna, Alaska.
In this May 2016 photo, harvested eulachon float in a personal use fisherman’s bucket on the north bank of the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska. Eulachon, also called hooligan, are a type of smelt that returns in schools to rivers all over Southcentral Alaska each spring. The state Board of Fisheries recently approved a measure doubling the quota a small comercial fishery in Upper Cook Inlet takes from 100 tons to 200 tons each year, a small fraction of the total estimated biomass of about 48,000 tons, according to a Feb. 9 memo from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Board of Fisheries doubles commercial smelt quota

Every spring, a few commercial fishermen jump out of their boats and net for eulachon by hand in the lower Susitna River. Eulachon, a type… Continue reading

In this May 2016 photo, harvested eulachon float in a personal use fisherman’s bucket on the north bank of the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska. Eulachon, also called hooligan, are a type of smelt that returns in schools to rivers all over Southcentral Alaska each spring. The state Board of Fisheries recently approved a measure doubling the quota a small comercial fishery in Upper Cook Inlet takes from 100 tons to 200 tons each year, a small fraction of the total estimated biomass of about 48,000 tons, according to a Feb. 9 memo from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Connections student invited to STEM congress

A Funny River Connections home-school student will travel to Massachusetts this summer as an Alaska delegate to the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders.… Continue reading

Assembly member files complaint against borough

A Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly member is challenging a clause included in a legal nonprofit’s contract to defend the borough in an ongoing lawsuit over… Continue reading

Program certifies green tourism businesses

Tourism businesses in Alaska are getting certified for green practices, both as a way to move toward sustainability and a way to attract customers. The… Continue reading

Path forward after Kodiak sockeye genetic study unclear

A revelation that a large portion of sockeye harvested by Kodiak commercial seine fishermen originate in Cook Inlet may change the way the fisheries are… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai. On Tuesday, the Alaska Board of Fisheries discussed proposals for Northern District setnetters. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

No change for northern district setnets

Despite a suite of requests for both further restriction or liberalization of the commercial set gillnet fishery in the northern district of Upper Cook Inlet,… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai. On Tuesday, the Alaska Board of Fisheries discussed proposals for Northern District setnetters. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Board passes sweeping change for early run kings

Early run Kenai River king salmon will now have more protection in the middle river and management will be more conservative after the Board of… Continue reading

Matthew Dollick, of Wasilla, untangles a sockeye from his dipnet on July 11, 2015 in Kenai. The state Board of Fisheries discussed proposals affecting the Kenai and Kasilof personal-use fisheries over the weekend. (Peninsula Clarion file photo)

On Kenai dipnet, a call for cooperation

Although people debate the value of the Kenai and Kasilof personal-use dipnet fisheries, they all find at least one thing that could be or is… Continue reading

Matthew Dollick, of Wasilla, untangles a sockeye from his dipnet on July 11, 2015 in Kenai. The state Board of Fisheries discussed proposals affecting the Kenai and Kasilof personal-use fisheries over the weekend. (Peninsula Clarion file photo)

Lack of coho data complicates fish board discussions

Although coho salmon populations have played an important role in many of the decisions made at the Board of Fisheries’ Upper Cook Inlet meeting so… Continue reading

A commercial drift gillnetting boat leaves the mouth of the Kasilof River at about 1 a.m. July 17, 2014 during an overnight fishing period in Kasilof, Alaska. (Clarion file photo)

Board of Fish adds 1 district-wide opener for drifters

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that the Board of Fisheries did not add an additional period, but added the option for… Continue reading

A commercial drift gillnetting boat leaves the mouth of the Kasilof River at about 1 a.m. July 17, 2014 during an overnight fishing period in Kasilof, Alaska. (Clarion file photo)

Most agree time to help early-run Kenai kings

Although fisheries users differ on technicalities, most of them agreed that the Kenai River’s early run of king salmon needs long-term help. The early run,… Continue reading

Board of Fish takes steps to prevent Kasilof terminal harvest area use

Managers, Board of Fisheries members and the public agree on at least one thing about the Kasilof River commercial fisheries management: Stay out of the… Continue reading

Attendees of various user groups crowd near the front of the room during a break at the Board of Fisheries’ Upper Cook Inlet meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 in Anchorage, Alaska. (DJ Summers/Alaska Journal of Commerce)

Board loosens some season restrictions on setnetters

Upper Cook Inlet’s east side setnetters may get more fishing time next season. The Board of Fisheries passed two proposals Tuesday that relaxed some of… Continue reading

Attendees of various user groups crowd near the front of the room during a break at the Board of Fisheries’ Upper Cook Inlet meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017 in Anchorage, Alaska. (DJ Summers/Alaska Journal of Commerce)

Board rewrites Kenai late-run king plan

After a day of heavy clashes and divided votes, the Board of Fisheries reformed late-run king salmon management on the Kenai River to loosen restrictions… Continue reading

A group of commercial east side setnetters gather to discuss proposals at the Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Truth in numbers: Board of Fisheries debates sockeye escapement, increases inriver goal

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that the Board of Fisheries changed the upper tier of the inriver goal from 1.3 million… Continue reading

A group of commercial east side setnetters gather to discuss proposals at the Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meeting on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Delayed information leads to confusion over king goals

One common thread running through the discussion over the new large-fish Kenai king salmon goals: Frustration at being late to the game. Members of the… Continue reading

Some question value of Kenai sockeye optimum escapement goal

There’s one thing that people at the Board of Fisheries agreed on on Sunday — the escapement goal management for the Kenai River late-run sockeye… Continue reading