Life

Tom Collopy and Mary Frische of Wild North Photography based in Homer spent over four years photographing the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Celebrate Refuge’s 75th birthday with special event

Celebrate Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s 75th Birthday year with a grand opening art show event on Oct. 8, from 6-8 p.m., at the Kenai Chamber… Continue reading

Tom Collopy and Mary Frische of Wild North Photography based in Homer spent over four years photographing the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Sheep Creek, which receives meltwater from Dinglestadt Glacier that straddles the boundary between Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Kenai Fjords National Park, should sustain good salmon habitat regardless of warming air temperatures for the foreseeable future. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Where salmon streams get their water matters

Did you know that the Kenai Peninsula has 1,800 miles of anadromous streams and rivers that flow into our surrounding salt waters from 374 outlets?… Continue reading

Sheep Creek, which receives meltwater from Dinglestadt Glacier that straddles the boundary between Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Kenai Fjords National Park, should sustain good salmon habitat regardless of warming air temperatures for the foreseeable future. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: A dangerous word

Author’s note: I took many fishing trips with my friend, Doug Green, who died 10 years ago. This story features two of those trips. —… Continue reading

This undated photo shows flowering bulbs in New Paltz, N.Y. Over time, spring flowering bulbs, especially narcissuses like the ones shown here, can multiply to the point of becoming overcrowded, at which time they need to be dug up, separated, and replanted. (Lee Reich via AP)

Plan and plant now for spring-flowering bulbs

It’s nearly that time of year when gardeners think of spring — of planting bulbs that are going to bloom then.Bulbs are “pre-packaged” flowers, so… Continue reading

This undated photo shows flowering bulbs in New Paltz, N.Y. Over time, spring flowering bulbs, especially narcissuses like the ones shown here, can multiply to the point of becoming overcrowded, at which time they need to be dug up, separated, and replanted. (Lee Reich via AP)
McKenzy Johnson poses with the Dall ram she shot on an Aug. 10 hunt with her father and a family friend. McKenzy was the only one to draw a sheep tag for the hunt, which occurred out past Tok.

The family that hunts together …

The first time 13-year-old McKenzy Johnson took a shot at the Dall ram she missed. Though McKenzy, her father Doug Johnson, and a family friend… Continue reading

McKenzy Johnson poses with the Dall ram she shot on an Aug. 10 hunt with her father and a family friend. McKenzy was the only one to draw a sheep tag for the hunt, which occurred out past Tok.
Strands of Elodea spew out of the Eyak Lake spillway in Cordova during March 2015. Rapid management response to early detection of Elodea in Stormy and Daniels Lakes makes this an unlikely future scenario on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by J. Morton)

Refuge Notebook: Invasive plants: Planning for the future

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to take part in the course “Field Techniques for Invasive Plant Management” taught by instructors from the National… Continue reading

Strands of Elodea spew out of the Eyak Lake spillway in Cordova during March 2015. Rapid management response to early detection of Elodea in Stormy and Daniels Lakes makes this an unlikely future scenario on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by J. Morton)

An Outdoor View: Fishing for memories

Fall caught me by surprise this week. One day, it was summer. The next day held that chilly dampness that says summer has gone south… Continue reading

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo, Ken Hudonjorgensen and his friends take flight above Provo, Utah. (Dominic Valente/The Daily Herald via AP)

Paraglider shares passion for the sport

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Ken Hudonjorgensen peers into the deep blue New Zealand sky; the year is 1989, and he sees someone flying up there… Continue reading

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo, Ken Hudonjorgensen and his friends take flight above Provo, Utah. (Dominic Valente/The Daily Herald via AP)
This Mourning Cloak was visiting tires at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge headquarters on Aug. 24. It may be licking mineral salts picked up from roads. (Photo by Todd Eskelin, USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Versatility in the game of climate change

September 19 was one of the first frosty mornings of the fall last year and I had moose calls on the brain. Deep in the… Continue reading

This Mourning Cloak was visiting tires at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge headquarters on Aug. 24. It may be licking mineral salts picked up from roads. (Photo by Todd Eskelin, USFWS)

An Outdoor View: The process

If fish mean anything to you, grab your calendar and circle Oct. 18, 2016. That’s when the Alaska Board of Fisheries will be in Soldotna… Continue reading

This Aug. 2, 2015 photo taken in Langley, Wash., shows a beekeeper pulling frames from a box to check honey and larvae production. Marking the hives and frames with a registered brand is one way to recover stolen hives. Opportunistic "bee rustlers" bolster their honeybee numbers with pilfered hives and frames. Bee hive burglaries are difficult to prevent but there are a number of ways to catch a thief. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Beekeepers, growers get financially stung by hive thefts

Bee rustlers are driving up the cost of one of nature’s sweetest enterprises: Honeybee hives valued at over $350 apiece are disappearing in large numbers.That… Continue reading

This Aug. 2, 2015 photo taken in Langley, Wash., shows a beekeeper pulling frames from a box to check honey and larvae production. Marking the hives and frames with a registered brand is one way to recover stolen hives. Opportunistic "bee rustlers" bolster their honeybee numbers with pilfered hives and frames. Bee hive burglaries are difficult to prevent but there are a number of ways to catch a thief. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
A mountain biker follows the Lost Lake Trail toward Lost Lake on a recent afternoon. Portions of the Lost Lake and Primrose trails in Chugach National Forest near Seward are some of the most technically challenging mountain bike rides on the peninsula. (Photo by Will Morrow/Peninsula Clarion)

Photo: Misty mountain hop

… Continue reading

A mountain biker follows the Lost Lake Trail toward Lost Lake on a recent afternoon. Portions of the Lost Lake and Primrose trails in Chugach National Forest near Seward are some of the most technically challenging mountain bike rides on the peninsula. (Photo by Will Morrow/Peninsula Clarion)

Refuge Notebook: Kenai National Wildlife Refuge helps reduce, reuse and recycle

Plastic water bottles have been around since the 1940s helping humans transport fresh, clean water. During Roman times, aqueducts were built to provide water to… Continue reading

An Outdoor View: The big one that got away

Author’s note: This is among my favorite the-big-one-got-away stories. It first appeared in the Clarion in 1998. Gary Dennis, the charter-boat captain who told it… Continue reading

This undated photo provided by Lee Reich shows blackberries growing in New Paltz, N.Y. No need to fear here; canes bearing this heavy crop of blackberries are thornless, so won't "bite" you. (Lee Reich via AP)

Growing blackberries without the blood

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been picking and eating what are arguably the best fruits I have ever tasted (a belief I often… Continue reading

This undated photo provided by Lee Reich shows blackberries growing in New Paltz, N.Y. No need to fear here; canes bearing this heavy crop of blackberries are thornless, so won't "bite" you. (Lee Reich via AP)

Bees, wasps wreck havoc upon peninsula crowds

For those that have been making the most of the pleasant, warm weather that has impacted Southcentral Alaska this summer, bee aware.Now that summer 2016… Continue reading

The 2009 Shanta Creek Fire, located in Congressionally-designated Wilderness on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, was managed as a natural ecosystem process. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Options for managing wildfires in Alaska

Over 100 years ago, our nation adopted its first policies about dealing with wildfires. A gigantic forest fire in Idaho, which burned 3 million acres,… Continue reading

The 2009 Shanta Creek Fire, located in Congressionally-designated Wilderness on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, was managed as a natural ecosystem process. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Fish and Game applied a radio tag to this Keen's myotis bat as part of their research for the Threatened, Endangered and Diversity Program.

Tracking Juneau’s endangered bats

“It sounds a little bit crackly,” Courtney Pegus said, putting his ear to what looked like an oversized walkie talkie.“Turn the volume up,” Fish and… Continue reading

Fish and Game applied a radio tag to this Keen's myotis bat as part of their research for the Threatened, Endangered and Diversity Program.
This May 13, 2016 photo shows apple trees in a Langley, Wash., orchard. Smaller fruit trees are safer and easier to manage than the standard varieties. Choosing the right rootstock will result in miniature orchards, like these apple trees shown here. But even dwarf trees need to be pruned and trained to keep their fruit closer to the ground. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Backyard mini orchards: Smaller apple trees a popular option

Miniature trees have become a popular way to grow apples in backyards. Dwarf and semi-dwarf trees are smaller than standard varieties, yet faster to mature… Continue reading

This May 13, 2016 photo shows apple trees in a Langley, Wash., orchard. Smaller fruit trees are safer and easier to manage than the standard varieties. Choosing the right rootstock will result in miniature orchards, like these apple trees shown here. But even dwarf trees need to be pruned and trained to keep their fruit closer to the ground. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
In this July 19, 2016 photo provided by WildPlay Ltd., tourists suspended above the water from zip lines make their way at speeds of up to 40 mph toward the the mist of the Horseshoe Falls, on the Ontario side of Niagara Falls. The overhead cables have evolved from a fun way to explore jungle canopies to trendy additions for long-established outdoor destinations. (Kien Tran/WildPlay Ltd. via AP)

Niagara Falls latest natural wonder to add zip line

Niagara Falls is the latest natural wonder to add a zip line, offering honeymooners and everyone else the chance to take an adrenaline-pumping plunge toward… Continue reading

In this July 19, 2016 photo provided by WildPlay Ltd., tourists suspended above the water from zip lines make their way at speeds of up to 40 mph toward the the mist of the Horseshoe Falls, on the Ontario side of Niagara Falls. The overhead cables have evolved from a fun way to explore jungle canopies to trendy additions for long-established outdoor destinations. (Kien Tran/WildPlay Ltd. via AP)