Have you ever spent a weekend camping, maybe a long weekend, when the rain never seemed to quit? Where on the last day, all you… Continue reading
I woke up to the sound of a stranger crying and decided to go directly back to bed. It was a pang of depressing abnormality… Continue reading
2019 will be synonymous with wildland fire for most of the residents of the Kenai Peninsula, and as the details of date and time fade… Continue reading
Residents of the Kenai Peninsula are all too familiar with wildfire after the summer of 2019. Not only did the Swan Lake Fire burn for… Continue reading
I went to Homer a few weeks ago to find blue. For weeks I had wanted to paint nothing but blues and purples, but I… Continue reading
My coronavirus isolation started off strong. I was donning business casual for all my Zoom meetings and doing at least 20 pushups daily. I even… Continue reading
Last fall the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge was forced to close eight trails due to Swan Lake Fire activity. Through the fall, all eight trails… Continue reading
How do you find “the one” if you can’t even leave your home?
A HECM, or helicopter crewmember, performs an essential role in ensuring the safety and success of aviation operations during a wildland fire. To manage wildland… Continue reading
Around this time of year I start to include a pair of binoculars in my checklist of essentials for heading out the door on a… Continue reading
I ran into a stranger while enjoying some spring skiing on Bear Lake last week. I spent a warm spring morning skiing along the groomed… Continue reading
A friend told me recently that March is her favorite month. What? Not May, when our birds of summer come home to nest? Nor June… Continue reading
As I write this I am in my third day of working at home — or, as I like to think of it, an embedded… Continue reading
I set daily goals to accomplish during this universal pandemic, a different kind of frontier.
We’ve probably already met, but you didn’t realize it. We’re the other national wildlife refuge headquartered on the Kenai Peninsula. If you’ve taken a Kenai… Continue reading
Recently a friend asked me for information about spruce grouse. I am sure he saw the slight look of panic as I thought about what… Continue reading
What do column writing and cross-country skiing have in common? Sometimes, they’re like pulling teeth. There are some days when the words just don’t seem… Continue reading
I like low key, low tech, cheap science. That is part of why I became an entomologist. I love that I can walk out the… Continue reading
When my first Alaska Permanent Fund dividend hit my bank account, I did what every Alaskan wants to do, no matter how fiscally responsible they… Continue reading
In my ongoing quest to shake off my Florida roots and achieve the illustrious title of “Real Alaskan,” I recently managed to cross an important… Continue reading
