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An Outdoor View: On having fun with fish

We humans have changed a bit since the 17th century, when for entertainment we suspended cats in a…

This Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015 photo shows sneakers, headphones, house keys and a cellphone displaying the Couch to 5K app - all the gear a jogger needs to head out for a run. The Couch to 5K app offers gentle guidance for novice runners looking to go from being a couch potato to being able to run 5 kilometers. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz)

Life

Learning to run in middle age with app’s help

NEW YORK — It’s the last five minutes of my 45-minute run. I’m panting. Sweating. Tuning out the…

Life

Refuge Notebook: In honor of turkeys

Did you know that you were not alone yesterday in eating turkey? According to the National Turkey Federation,…

Photo courtesy Wikipedia Simplified anatomy of the structural components used in bird flight. If you prefer eating white meat at Thanksgiving, you're eating the turkey's pectoralis and supracoracoideus muscles

Life

An outdoor view: On being thankful

Something I’m very thankful for is that I wasn’t present for what’s now called the “first Thanksgiving.” In…

In this Nov. 23, 2015, photo, Bob Zimmerman from Greensburg, Pa. walks up one of the restricted roads at Pennsylvania state game lands 74 as he hunts bear in Fisher, Pa. This area of the state game land is one of the more than 30 "Deer Hunter Focus Areas" the Pennsylvania Game Commission created throughout the state in hopes they will draw more hunters to spots where they're likely to see more deer when rifle season opens Monday (Nov. 29). Meanwhile, game commission foresters are hoping hunters will kill enough deer to safeguard the rebounding forest vegetation meant to attract deer to the focus areas in the first place. Zimmerman, who was out hunting bear, but was also scouting for deer hunting sites, said he was glad the commission is spending some of the money from hunting license fees to help the hunters. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Life

Deer here: Pennsylvania game commission to steer hunters to prime spots

FISHER, Pa. — Yo, hunters! Deer here. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is giving hunters an assist this year,…

A Chinese ring-necked pheasant is pictured near Morgan's Landing on the Kenai River. Feral pheasants likely support a breeding population in the wild on the southern Kenai Peninsula. (Photo courtesy Ken Marlow)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Feral wildlife can be a problem

A couple of weeks ago, the Peninsula Clarion carried a story about the Bunny Task Force, formed to…

Life

An Outdoor View: Buying space

Author’s note: With tongue only partly in cheek, I wrote this column, which appeared in the Clarion on…

This Dec. 2014 photo shows a drone hovering by a skier as he makes his way down mountainside at resort at Revelstoke, B.C., Canada. Some US ski resorts are exploring the possibility of "drone zones" where professionally operated drones can produce customized video that show off individuals skiers in action. (Jason Soll/Cape Productions via AP)

Life

Some US ski resorts explore possibility of ‘drone zones’

DENVER — A drone hovers about 30 feet above the skier’s head, then quickly swoops down for a…

This July 5, 2015 photo shows a bumblebee gathering pollen from a clump of eryngo, late-summer-blooming wildflowers, that are members of the carrot family, in a yard in Langley, Wash. Bees tend to confine their attention to one flower species during a single foraging trip, but they move from plant to plant, favoring cross-pollination. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Life

Keeping bees helps gardeners understand plants better

Want to become a better gardener? Then learn something about beekeeping. Become a matchmaker who ensures that flowering…

Photo courtesy Dave Atcheson Good fishing etiquette includes handling fish properly.

Life

Tight Lines: River etiquette

My reasons for fishing vary. Sure, sometimes it’s utilitarian, to fill the freezer, but more often than not…

In this undated photo, In fall, bright yellow quince fruits call out to be harvested from among the small tree's craggy stems in New York. (Lee Reich via AP)

Life

Quince: Grow and taste the ‘forbidden fruit’

In Genesis, the Bible mentions the “forbidden fruit.” Commonly identified as an apple, many people contend it was…

Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Manager Jeff Selinger collars a caribou from the Kenai Mountain herd in 2003. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Radio, GPS collars help manage moose, caribou on the Kenai

Opportunities to view wildlife around our neighborhoods on the Kenai Peninsula are one luxury we often take for…

Life

An Outdoor View: White kings

Author’s note: Readers with little or no taste will be overjoyed to see that I’m still working on…

ADVANCE FOR THE WEEKEND OF NOV. 14-15 AND THEREAFTER -FILE - In this July 24, 2014, file photo, packrafters hike up Youngs Creek Pass on a trip through Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness. Marshall, the co-founder of the Wilderness Society, was an early crusader for wilderness protections and the Wilderness is named after him. (Erin Madison/The Great Falls Tribune via AP, file) MANDATORY CREDIT NO SALES

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Photographer retraces Bob Marshall’s wilderness trek

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Bob Marshall hiked 288 miles over eight days through the northwestern Montana wilderness…

Gastropod shells collected near St. Lawrence Island were studied to assess if their populations affected hermit crab populations. (Photo provided by Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Local seashells provide more than just a home for hermit crabs

After beachcombing at low tide, perchance coinciding with a full or new moon to maximize your success, be…

Life

An Outdoor View: Passing stuff on

As Comic George Carlin said, “A house is just pile of stuff with a cover on it.” Lately…

Life

These fall-planted bulbs pay off later in flavor

When you think of fall-planted bulbs, it’s usually the flowering kind — old standards like daffodils, tulips and…

In this photo taken Sept. 15, 2015 and provided by Art Ekerson, Ekerson center, sits on the summit of Mount McLoughlin for his 80th birthday near Butte Falls, Ore.,with his daughter, Cheryl Krieg, left, and son Kevin Ekerson, 45 years after the first time he led them to the summit. During the previous 41 times climbing to the top of Mount McLoughlin, Art Ekerson would soak up the views of Southern Oregon and Northern California in a panorama like none other. But trip No. 42 had a distinctly familial feel. (Art Ekerson via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

Life

80-year-old climbs beloved peak one more time

BUTTE FALLS, Ore. (AP) — During the previous 41 times climbing to the top of Mount McLoughlin, Art…

Enjoy the wilderness adventure film "Arctic Son - Fulfilling the Dream" on Nov. 7 with filmmakers Tom Irons and Jeannie Aspen from Homer. (Photo courtesy of Tom Irons and Jeannie Aspen)

Life

Refuge Notebook: Upcoming free fall events at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

October marks the 6-month anniversary of the new Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. To celebrate, we are…

Life

An Outdoor View: Fish tacos

Fish tacos are a go-to meal at the Palmer house. As chief chef, I’ve made them with freshly…