Life

Sean Carlson shows off the 50-inch king salmon he caught on the Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)

Kenai dipnet opens slow

The fishermen on the beach for the opening day of the Kenai River personal-use dipnet Tuesday got the benefit of a relatively uncrowded beach. However,… Continue reading

Sean Carlson shows off the 50-inch king salmon he caught on the Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)
Sean Carlson shows off the 50-inch king salmon he caught on the Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)

Kenai dipnet opens slow

The fishermen on the beach for the opening day of the Kenai River personal-use dipnet Tuesday got the benefit of a relatively uncrowded beach. However,… Continue reading

Sean Carlson shows off the 50-inch king salmon he caught on the Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)
Dipnetters carry their dipnets to the water at Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Tuesday marked the opening of the three-week dipnetting season, during which Alaska residents can harvest salmon and flounder for personal use. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Welcome, dipnetters!

By ERIN THOMPSON Peninsula Clarion… Continue reading

Dipnetters carry their dipnets to the water at Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. Tuesday marked the opening of the three-week dipnetting season, during which Alaska residents can harvest salmon and flounder for personal use. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Refuge Notebook: Our national bird more than meets the eye

If you have not checked out the city of Kenai Eagle Cam you are missing out. This is among the best in the world of… Continue reading

As part of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s July cultural heritage series, Sam Schimmel demonstrates how to cut ivory on Friday, July 6, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, near Soldotna, Alaska. Schimmel used the chunk of ivory to carve a small owl figurine. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge hosts cultural heritage workshops

Traditional beadwork, storytelling, fish processing and a tutorial on how to harvest local plants are just some of the cultural heritage workshops the Kenai National… Continue reading

As part of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s July cultural heritage series, Sam Schimmel demonstrates how to cut ivory on Friday, July 6, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, near Soldotna, Alaska. Schimmel used the chunk of ivory to carve a small owl figurine. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
In this July 2016 photo, a kayak floats on the surface of Kenai Lake in Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Floating the Kenai

Honestly, what’s left to say about the Kenai River? A commenter at a recent Kenai Planning and Zoning meeting called it “this body of water… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, a kayak floats on the surface of Kenai Lake in Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Bill Farrell, a volunteer host at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, tells a group about the refuge’s history during Take a Hike at the top of the Bear Mountain trail Friday, June 29, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Take a Hike is great way to take a hike

What’s a great way to commune with nature in a big group that provides safety from bears, collective knowledge on plants and animals, socializing and… Continue reading

Bill Farrell, a volunteer host at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, tells a group about the refuge’s history during Take a Hike at the top of the Bear Mountain trail Friday, June 29, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Bill Farrell, a volunteer host at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, tells a group about the refuge’s history during Take a Hike at the top of the Bear Mountain trail Friday, June 29, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Take a Hike is great way to take a hike

What’s a great way to commune with nature in a big group that provides safety from bears, collective knowledge on plants and animals, socializing and… Continue reading

Bill Farrell, a volunteer host at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitors Center, tells a group about the refuge’s history during Take a Hike at the top of the Bear Mountain trail Friday, June 29, 2018. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

App aims to be central fish information location

Whatever anglers want to know about fishing in Alaska, Jim Voss wants them to find it via smartphone app. This summer, he launched the app… Continue reading

This photo shows a Kenai River king salmon returning to the water after being released. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)

Fishing report: King fishing returns on lower Kenai, sockeye salmon hot at the Russian

With a holiday smack dab in the middle of the week, warm temperatures and sun predicted through Saturday and fish in the rivers, anglers will… Continue reading

This photo shows a Kenai River king salmon returning to the water after being released. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)
This photo shows a Kenai River king salmon returning to the water after being released. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)

Fishing report: King fishing returns on lower Kenai, sockeye salmon hot at the Russian

With a holiday smack dab in the middle of the week, warm temperatures and sun predicted through Saturday and fish in the rivers, anglers will… Continue reading

This photo shows a Kenai River king salmon returning to the water after being released. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)
The author’s catch is seen here on the bow of a boat in the Kenai River. (Photo provided by Kat Sorensen)

A banana boat

Bananas spoil quickly. One day you’ll have a bright, yellow bunch and the next, each banana will be plagued with its own brown patterns -… Continue reading

The author’s catch is seen here on the bow of a boat in the Kenai River. (Photo provided by Kat Sorensen)
The red stalks and whitish-yellow caps of yellow moosedung moss grow by Headquarters Lake on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on July 28, 2014. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

This moss grows in what?

When you think about where moss grows, where do you think of? Perhaps on a tree or a stump or just directly on the ground.… Continue reading

The red stalks and whitish-yellow caps of yellow moosedung moss grow by Headquarters Lake on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on July 28, 2014. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)
The author’s catch is seen here on the bow of a boat in the Kenai River. (Photo provided by Kat Sorensen)

A banana boat

Bananas spoil quickly. One day you’ll have a bright, yellow bunch and the next, each banana will be plagued with its own brown patterns -… Continue reading

The author’s catch is seen here on the bow of a boat in the Kenai River. (Photo provided by Kat Sorensen)
The red stalks and whitish-yellow caps of yellow moosedung moss grow by Headquarters Lake on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on July 28, 2014. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

This moss grows in what?

When you think about where moss grows, where do you think of? Perhaps on a tree or a stump or just directly on the ground.… Continue reading

The red stalks and whitish-yellow caps of yellow moosedung moss grow by Headquarters Lake on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge on July 28, 2014. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)
A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kasilof dipnet opens, fish counts still low

The Kasilof River personal-use dipnet is open, and fishermen are trying out their nets for sockeye with some mixed luck. A few dipnetters dotted the… Continue reading

A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Coho salmon and Arctic char aggregate while feeding on sockeye salmon eggs. While coho derive much of their summer growth from invertebrates, char may rely entirely on sockeye salmon eggs, fry, and smolt. (Photo by Jonny Armstrong)

Where the coho go: Study shows river systems behave like financial investments—diverse portfolios get better returns

Turns out finance and salmon survival have something in common: the importance of diversification. As a PhD student with the University of Washington’s Alaska Salmon… Continue reading

Coho salmon and Arctic char aggregate while feeding on sockeye salmon eggs. While coho derive much of their summer growth from invertebrates, char may rely entirely on sockeye salmon eggs, fry, and smolt. (Photo by Jonny Armstrong)
A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kasilof dipnet opens, fish counts still low

The Kasilof River personal-use dipnet is open, and fishermen are trying out their nets for sockeye with some mixed luck. A few dipnetters dotted the… Continue reading

A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Coho salmon and Arctic char aggregate while feeding on sockeye salmon eggs. While coho derive much of their summer growth from invertebrates, char may rely entirely on sockeye salmon eggs, fry, and smolt. (Photo by Jonny Armstrong)

Where the coho go: Study shows river systems behave like financial investments—diverse portfolios get better returns

Turns out finance and salmon survival have something in common: the importance of diversification. As a PhD student with the University of Washington’s Alaska Salmon… Continue reading

Coho salmon and Arctic char aggregate while feeding on sockeye salmon eggs. While coho derive much of their summer growth from invertebrates, char may rely entirely on sockeye salmon eggs, fry, and smolt. (Photo by Jonny Armstrong)
Goat yoga comes to the Peninsula

Goat yoga comes to the Peninsula

Amber Harrison had few expectations when she laid down her yoga mat at the Palmer Fairgrounds last year. She came all the way to the… Continue reading

Goat yoga comes to the Peninsula