Life

An Outdoor View: Thoughts on bears

Earlier this month, predatory black bears killed two people, and brown bears defending cubs mauled five others. While this number of attacks in a short… Continue reading

In this file photo, runners are shown starting the final Salmon Run Series race of the year on Aug. 5, 2015 in Soldotna. The Salmon Run Series at Tsalteshi Trails starts on Wednesday. The weekly event is in its sixth year and runs until Aug. 2. The trails will also be hosting the Soldotna Cycle Series on Thursday nights and the Unity Run on July 15. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Tsummer at Tsalteshi

Tsalteshi Trails will see a lot of action even before the first snowfall with a number of running and mountain biking events taking place on… Continue reading

In this file photo, runners are shown starting the final Salmon Run Series race of the year on Aug. 5, 2015 in Soldotna. The Salmon Run Series at Tsalteshi Trails starts on Wednesday. The weekly event is in its sixth year and runs until Aug. 2. The trails will also be hosting the Soldotna Cycle Series on Thursday nights and the Unity Run on July 15. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: A forest of two minds

East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet. True or not in geopolitics, it fits the Kenai Peninsula’s two landscapes.… Continue reading

Retiring Park Ranger Candace Ward (center) with her dynamic colleagues, Leah Eskelin (left) and Michelle Ostrowski (right) in front of Majesty the Moose (back). (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: The lure of the North and where it led me

I first experienced the Far North in 1960 on a family road trip up the Al-Can Highway from California to Alaska. My father fixed up… Continue reading

Retiring Park Ranger Candace Ward (center) with her dynamic colleagues, Leah Eskelin (left) and Michelle Ostrowski (right) in front of Majesty the Moose (back). (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Event organizer Vince Redford, standing, and participants of Friday Night Lights at the ConocoPhillips Kenai Multipurpose Facility in Kenai keep their eyes on the music booth during a game of musical chairs on June 16. The weekly event runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and offers a wide variety of games played on the ice. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Friday night on the ice

On a summer night in Alaska, there is no shortage of light but Friday Night Lights at the ConocoPhillips Kenai Multi-Purpose Facility is offering something… Continue reading

Event organizer Vince Redford, standing, and participants of Friday Night Lights at the ConocoPhillips Kenai Multipurpose Facility in Kenai keep their eyes on the music booth during a game of musical chairs on June 16. The weekly event runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and offers a wide variety of games played on the ice. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Oregon joins states where roadkill can be harvested for food

Oregon joins states where roadkill can be harvested for food

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM, Ore. — Some folks in Oregon might not want to ask, when served an elk burger or a venison… Continue reading

Oregon joins states where roadkill can be harvested for food
This undated photo shows blossoms of Strawberry Hill rose in New Paltz, N.Y. From breeder David Austin comes Strawberry Hill rose, which is one of many modern shrub roses that captures the look and fragrance of old-fashioned roses with today’s sought-after repeat-blooming and disease resistance. (Lee Reich via AP)

A rose may be a rose — but varieties vary

Seeing gardens awash in rose blossoms this time of year is undoubtedly what prompted my sister-in-law to call me for suggestions on what roses to… Continue reading

This undated photo shows blossoms of Strawberry Hill rose in New Paltz, N.Y. From breeder David Austin comes Strawberry Hill rose, which is one of many modern shrub roses that captures the look and fragrance of old-fashioned roses with today’s sought-after repeat-blooming and disease resistance. (Lee Reich via AP)
Lupine flowers grow bloom along the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday. A wide array of wildflower species can be found throughout the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

It’s time to stop and smell the wildflowers

It’s easy to find yourself among the wildflowers in Alaska. The approach of summer solstice brings peak wildflower season on the Kenai Peninsula. The roadways… Continue reading

Lupine flowers grow bloom along the Kenai Spur Highway on Tuesday. A wide array of wildflower species can be found throughout the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
The Intertidal Psuedoscorpion, Halobisium occidentale, is the second species of pseudoscorpion to be documented on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Alaska’s smallest sea monster

Lurking in some of Alaska’s woods, swamps, and rocky places is the tiniest monster one could conjure into existence. With oversized pedipalps (pincers) protruding far… Continue reading

The Intertidal Psuedoscorpion, Halobisium occidentale, is the second species of pseudoscorpion to be documented on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
This Jan. 25, 2016 photo provided by Kim Randolph shows Ruger, the “adventure” cat, and Jeremy Vick in Marquette, Mich. (Kim Randolph via AP)

Why should dogs have all the fun? Try adventure catting

NEW YORK — At the beach, in the snow or on a hiking trail, heading outdoors for adventures with a “house cat” runs counter to… Continue reading

This Jan. 25, 2016 photo provided by Kim Randolph shows Ruger, the “adventure” cat, and Jeremy Vick in Marquette, Mich. (Kim Randolph via AP)

Out of the office: A case for hiking alone

Not working Mondays is the bee’s knees. No start-of-the-work-week blues and no lines at the grocery store or other places most people frequent on a… Continue reading

Clouds and smoke curl around the top of Augustine Volcano on Sunday, June 4, 2017 on Augustine Island, Alaska. The remote island in Cook Inlet is composed of little more than the volcano and its surrounding debris. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Little-studied island holds life, geothermal energy potential

The nearest town is 37 miles of wilderness and ocean away from the shores of Augustine Island, but the island still brims with life. In… Continue reading

Clouds and smoke curl around the top of Augustine Volcano on Sunday, June 4, 2017 on Augustine Island, Alaska. The remote island in Cook Inlet is composed of little more than the volcano and its surrounding debris. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A Waitabu boy hides behind his mother and aunt while the village sings Isa Lei, their traditional Fijian farewell song. (Photo courtesy Tracy Melvin)

Refuge Notebook: Faces of climate inequality

An 11-hour flight from Los Angeles, 1 hour flight from Nadi, and a 2-hour 4-wheel-drive trek along the rugged, sun-drenched coast of Taveuni Island will… Continue reading

A Waitabu boy hides behind his mother and aunt while the village sings Isa Lei, their traditional Fijian farewell song. (Photo courtesy Tracy Melvin)
In this April 2017 photo taken with a smart phone, the tide rushes in on the north Kasilof beach in Kasilof, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Tips for taking a better cell phone photo

It’s easy to run into picture-perfect moments on the Kenai Peninsula, from a beautiful vista above Skilak Lake to a moose and her calf in… Continue reading

In this April 2017 photo taken with a smart phone, the tide rushes in on the north Kasilof beach in Kasilof, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

An Outdoor View: How to catch kings

By way of celebrating the 50th anniversary of catching my first king salmon, I thought it would be fun to remember some of the more… Continue reading

Acidifying oceans are killing pteropods, a favorite food of Alaska salmon. (Photo provided)

Refuge Notebook: Pteropods: Beer Nuts of the ocean

Remember Beer Nuts? Those sweet and salty peanuts with a crunchy outer shell used to be a staple of football parties and baseball games. Plus,… Continue reading

Acidifying oceans are killing pteropods, a favorite food of Alaska salmon. (Photo provided)
A false morel grows on the forest floor on Friday, May 26 near Sterling. Toxic false morels are redder, lumpier, and have fatter ridges and shallower pits than edible true morels. Unlike true morels, their stems are solid rather than hollow inside.

Hunting the elusive morel mushroom

“Once you find one, you’ll know what you’re looking for,” Rodney Pierce said with his eyes glued to the charred ground of the Funny River… Continue reading

A false morel grows on the forest floor on Friday, May 26 near Sterling. Toxic false morels are redder, lumpier, and have fatter ridges and shallower pits than edible true morels. Unlike true morels, their stems are solid rather than hollow inside.
An Outdoor View: Consequences

An Outdoor View: Consequences

“You’re OK,” I told myself over and over again, a mantra more wish than fact. I was not OK, in fact. I was hanging off… Continue reading

An Outdoor View: Consequences
Partially digested carcass of a springtail caught by a hairy butterwort at Headquarters Lake, May 22. Note the glistening glands discernable in this image. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Butterworts: carnivorous and easily overlooked beauties

At first glance the insect-eating hairy butterwort, one of the smallest flowering plants on the Refuge at about two inches tall in full flower and… Continue reading

Partially digested carcass of a springtail caught by a hairy butterwort at Headquarters Lake, May 22. Note the glistening glands discernable in this image. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)
Volunteers clear vegetation in Kachemak Bay State Park in summer 2016. This year, volunteers will have the opportunity to cross the bay and volunteer to clear trails on Saturday, June 3, as part of National Trails Day, or can volunteer for work parties on every Saturday throughout the summer through the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. (Courtesy Christina Whiting/Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation)

Clearing the way across the bay

The quiet forests of Kachemak Bay State Park carry magic for Kathy Sarns. After moving to Homer in 2008, she began visiting the park on… Continue reading

Volunteers clear vegetation in Kachemak Bay State Park in summer 2016. This year, volunteers will have the opportunity to cross the bay and volunteer to clear trails on Saturday, June 3, as part of National Trails Day, or can volunteer for work parties on every Saturday throughout the summer through the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. (Courtesy Christina Whiting/Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation)