Life

The Lake Iliamna cryptid saga

Many people do not realize that there has been thoughtful consideration taken of the presence of a creature(s) that needs explaining in the depths of… Continue reading

An Outdoor View: On variety in fishing

Author’s note: Not much has changed about fishing on the Kenai Peninsula in the 18 years since I wrote this piece, first published by the… Continue reading

This July 6 photo, taken at the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, N.C., shows a Three Sisters Garden which is a traditional grouping of corn, squash and beans that thrive when planted together. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

For easy meals, plant ‘menu gardens’ of favorite foods

If you’re looking for fresh meal ideas, consider planting “menu gardens.” Grow a few of your favorite foods together in pots or raised beds, following… Continue reading

This July 6 photo, taken at the Biltmore Estate near Asheville, N.C., shows a Three Sisters Garden which is a traditional grouping of corn, squash and beans that thrive when planted together. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
Tom Lyman of Michigan holds up a sockeye salmon he caught in the Kenai River on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lyman, who is visiting Alaska with his son, said he hadn’t been casting for long when he hooked into the fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing report: Some sockeye showing on Kenai, big pulse yet to come

Kenai River sockeye salmon are making their way up the river in growing numbers, though it’s still a little slow. Tom Lyman, a Michigan resident… Continue reading

Tom Lyman of Michigan holds up a sockeye salmon he caught in the Kenai River on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. Lyman, who is visiting Alaska with his son, said he hadn’t been casting for long when he hooked into the fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Clarion reporter Kat Sorensen demonstrates how to tie an angler’s loop knot to create a stringer so sportfishermen can hang onto their catches on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. For a full video demonstration, check out the Peninsula Clarion’s Facebook page. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Learn to tie an angler’s loop knot

By Elizabeth Earl Peninsula Clarion… Continue reading

Clarion reporter Kat Sorensen demonstrates how to tie an angler’s loop knot to create a stringer so sportfishermen can hang onto their catches on Wednesday, July 12, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. For a full video demonstration, check out the Peninsula Clarion’s Facebook page. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Avery Walden, then 9, poses at the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with her father Chris Walden (right) and a family friend on Jan. 6, 2017. The group climbed the famous mountain in January, making Avery the youngest female to ascend the mountain. (Photo courtesy Chris Walden)

Mountain-climbing family plans rock gym, next adventures

Editor's note: This article has been edited to clarify that because Mt. Kilimanjaro is near the equator, January is not technically winter there. A little… Continue reading

Avery Walden, then 9, poses at the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with her father Chris Walden (right) and a family friend on Jan. 6, 2017. The group climbed the famous mountain in January, making Avery the youngest female to ascend the mountain. (Photo courtesy Chris Walden)
June Searcy-Josten, of Happy Valley, gears up for a day of beachcombing in the cold wind with a large bag for driftwood and smaller bags for miscellaneous shells and rocks. (Photo courtesy/June Searcy-Josten)

Combing the peninsula — tips for beachcombing

The beaches of the Kenai Peninsula are a treasure trove to those who are willing to keep their head down. Beachcombing in the area doesn’t… Continue reading

June Searcy-Josten, of Happy Valley, gears up for a day of beachcombing in the cold wind with a large bag for driftwood and smaller bags for miscellaneous shells and rocks. (Photo courtesy/June Searcy-Josten)

Out of the Office: Bear encounters bring the noise

The woods are getting a bit louder these days. With the uptick in bear encounters this summer in Alaska, the trails and backcountry wonderlands are… Continue reading

A pellet dropped by a snowshoe hare. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: The story behind snowshoe hare pellets

Few people are aware of a unique tradition that happens annually here at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. For the past thirty years only the… Continue reading

A pellet dropped by a snowshoe hare. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Survivalist Kellie Nightlinger lays out seaweed to dry during a walk in early June. Nightlinger has been voted the top female survival expert in the world, and has chosen Alaska as her home for the past five years. (Photo by Alex McCarthy/Juneau Empire)

‘Wild Woman’ finds home in Juneau

There’s a fine line between a plant causing a blood infection and a plant making a healthy snack, and Kellie Nightlinger knows the difference. As… Continue reading

Survivalist Kellie Nightlinger lays out seaweed to dry during a walk in early June. Nightlinger has been voted the top female survival expert in the world, and has chosen Alaska as her home for the past five years. (Photo by Alex McCarthy/Juneau Empire)
A pressed herbarium specimen identified in 1941 as Kenai Birch by Eric Hult&

Refuge Notebook: A tale of two birches

Did you know there are two species of native birches on the Kenai Peninsula? Well, actually three if you count the dwarf birch (Betula nana),… Continue reading

A pressed herbarium specimen identified in 1941 as Kenai Birch by Eric Hult&

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)