Life
The art of giving up
Years of practice and I’m finally ready to admit it — I’m great at giving up. In high…
Life
Out of the Office: Outdoor adventures with mom
“Why do you adults always talk so much?” Those were the disapproving words my kid sister launched at…
Life
Refuge Notebook: Underestimate a raven? Nevermore!
I recently had an opportunity to make a quick dash up the Alcan. It has been 25 years…
Life
Polar Connections: Exploring Antarctic ice, and why it matters
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of monthly columns called Polar Connections. The columns explore…
Life
Refuge Notebook: Good birding etiquette isn’t for the birds
Spring is a rough time for migratory birds, particularly for arctic nesting shorebirds and waterfowl. They’re busy making…
Life
Refuge Notebook: Ent-draughts and birch sap
In Lord of the Rings, the two hobbits, Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took, grow taller as their hair…
Life
Out of the Office: Over, under
I learned how to wager an exacta, trifecta or across the board while sitting beside my grandfather at…
Life
An Outdoor View: Getting along with bears
Author’s note: The Clarion first published this column on Aug. 11, 2006. It has been edited it for…
Life
Getting ready for spring fever
It doesn’t take too many warm sunny days, coupled with almost three additional hours of daylight gained over…
Life
Refuge Notebook: Making Kenai Refuge data discoverable through Arctos
In December, I started a project I had hoped would be over rather quickly. But to my surprise,…
Life
Out of the Office: Spring’s mantra
There is a Zen proverb that says, “Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by…
Life
Refuge Notebook: Goodbye snow
The longer days and sun warming my office have me thinking somewhat disappointingly about trading out my skis…
Life
An Outdoor View: Strange fishing indeed
For some reason, this column doesn’t seem as crazy now as it did when I wrote it for…
Life
Refuge Notebook: A partnership approach to protecting fish habitats
What is being done collaboratively to ensure the Kenai Peninsula’s aquatic habitat remains healthy for fish? The Kenai…
Life
To everyone who made a great winter of recreation possible, thanks
A hike I did on the Carter Lake trail in mid-January is a perfect example of how we…
Life
Refuge Notebook: When the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers flowed backward
It must have been an alarming sight to see these two Kenai Peninsula rivers temporarily flow backward into…
Life
An Outdoor View: The fishing deal
Looking back at some of the crazy things I’ve done in the name of fishing in the past…
News
TEK: Another Way of Understanding Our Natural World
I had the privilege last week to participate in an interesting workshop hosted by Chugachmiut, an Alaska Native…
News
Nature in music and feeling
Frozen Portage Lake beneath me cracks and groans ominously. A bitter cold infects the skin between my wrist…
Life
An Outdoor View: A Winter Olympics dream
Not much has changed since I wrote this column during the 1994 Winter Olympics. Norwegians still dominate most…