An Outdoor View: What’s a fisherman to do?

It happened a couple of weeks ago on one of those foggy, fall days when the temperature likes to hover around the freezing mark. I… Continue reading

This Friday, Oct. 9, 2015 photo shows Autumn Joy sedum's flowers that offer a long season of beauty as they morph from pink to rose to bronze and, finally, to coppery red, in New Paltz, N.Y. (Lee Reich via AP)

Autumn Joy sedum lives up to its name

For some visual joy in autumn, plant Autumn Joy sedum.The plants’ domed flower clusters now smile skyward like heads of pink broccoli. Autumn Joy is,… Continue reading

This Friday, Oct. 9, 2015 photo shows Autumn Joy sedum's flowers that offer a long season of beauty as they morph from pink to rose to bronze and, finally, to coppery red, in New Paltz, N.Y. (Lee Reich via AP)
The invasive white sweetclover spreads down the Seward Highway toward the 10-mile wide isthmus at Portage that separates the Kenai Peninsula from the Anchorage area. Photo by John Morton)

Refuge Notebook: The Kenai Isthmus is a management conundrum

The Kenai Peninsula is a big chunk of land. With more than 6 million acres, it’s about the size of Belgium or Maryland. You could… Continue reading

The invasive white sweetclover spreads down the Seward Highway toward the 10-mile wide isthmus at Portage that separates the Kenai Peninsula from the Anchorage area. Photo by John Morton)

An Outdoor View: On salmon

Author’s note: This column first appeared in the Clarion in 1993. I still believe this stuff. — LPBy the time you’re through reading this, you… Continue reading

Brian Beeson rounds the corner on the Tsalteshi Trails Oct. 8 at the first Chainwreck Cyclocross event.

‘Crossed up: Cyclocross comes to Soldotna

A herd of cyclists gathered outside Skyview Middle School on the Tsalteshi trailhead Oct. 8 for the inaugural Chainwreck Cyclocross event.“Hopefully we won’t have anybody… Continue reading

Brian Beeson rounds the corner on the Tsalteshi Trails Oct. 8 at the first Chainwreck Cyclocross event.
Tight Lines: Autumn fishing: So many options, so little time

Tight Lines: Autumn fishing: So many options, so little time

With our summer visitors long gone, and school well underway, the restlessness that accompanies the long days of an Alaskan summer has begun to fade.… Continue reading

Tight Lines: Autumn fishing: So many options, so little time
In this photo taken Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Joe Neumann goes pheasant hunting near St. Joseph, Minn. with his dog Bam, an 8-month-old English pointer. (Briana Sanchez/St. Cloud Times via AP)  NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT

For some, pheasant season starts at preserve

AVON, Minn. (AP) — The 8-month-old English pointer followed the pheasant scent, sometimes ranging in circles, sometimes diving into cover so thick only the tip… Continue reading

In this photo taken Friday, Sept. 25, 2015, Joe Neumann goes pheasant hunting near St. Joseph, Minn. with his dog Bam, an 8-month-old English pointer. (Briana Sanchez/St. Cloud Times via AP)  NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT
In this photo taken Aug. 28, 2015, Bethany Hughes shows six tattooed footprints on her foot that represent countries she has lived in. Growing up with missionary parents has fostered a wandering spirit in Hughes, who plans to spend five years in an attempt to become the first woman to trek from the southern tip of South America to the northern tip of Alaska all by non-motorized means. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Walking the Americas: Woman preps for 5-year trek

SMITHVILLE, Mo. — The night before Bethany Hughes started on the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile hike from Mexico to Canada, she was so wired… Continue reading

In this photo taken Aug. 28, 2015, Bethany Hughes shows six tattooed footprints on her foot that represent countries she has lived in. Growing up with missionary parents has fostered a wandering spirit in Hughes, who plans to spend five years in an attempt to become the first woman to trek from the southern tip of South America to the northern tip of Alaska all by non-motorized means. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
The Yellow-rumped Warbler was one of seven bird species examined in detail as part of this pilot study. (Photo courtesy Doug Lloyd)

Refuge Notebook: A summer of birdsong

The early bird catches the worm they always say, but what if you want to catch the bird? You get up even earlier. Hiking through… Continue reading

The Yellow-rumped Warbler was one of seven bird species examined in detail as part of this pilot study. (Photo courtesy Doug Lloyd)

An Outdoor View: Extreme fishing

At daybreak one morning this week, I was fishing from the bank of the Kenai River for silver salmon. The air temperature was a balmy… Continue reading

A male hooded oriole perches on sign at the Juneau Community Garden on Sept. 22. (Photo by Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)

Teen IDs hooded oriole in Juneau

When 14-year-old Owen Squires first looked through a pair of binoculars and told his mother the bird she’d seen flitting around the Juneau Community Garden’s… Continue reading

A male hooded oriole perches on sign at the Juneau Community Garden on Sept. 22. (Photo by Michael Penn/Juneau Empire)
Second and third grade participants in this summer's Critter Camp learn how salmon transform as they migrate from saltwater to freshwater enroute to their birth stream.  (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Refuge intern has best summer by far

I didn’t know what to expect when I accepted the visitor services internship at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. I’m from Oklahoma, also known as… Continue reading

Second and third grade participants in this summer's Critter Camp learn how salmon transform as they migrate from saltwater to freshwater enroute to their birth stream.  (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: The king of Alaska’s rivers, Part 3

Author’s note: This is the third and final part of a story that first appeared in the the December/January 2003 issue of Alaska magazine. It’s… Continue reading

A platform feeder with a high roof can attract Pine Grosbeaks, as well as woodpeckers and White-winged Crossbills, to your backyard this winter. (Photo courtesy Todd Eskelin)

Refuge Notebook: More to a bird feeder than just its contents

As much as we hate to admit it, winter is approaching. For some of us winter means snow dances, aurora photos, and ski waxing clinics.… Continue reading

A platform feeder with a high roof can attract Pine Grosbeaks, as well as woodpeckers and White-winged Crossbills, to your backyard this winter. (Photo courtesy Todd Eskelin)

An Outdoor View: The king of Alaska’s rivers, Part 2

Author’s note: This is the second part of a story that first appeared in the the December/January 2003 issue of Alaska magazine. It’s my take… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, SEPT. 12-13 - In this photo taken Aug. 11, 2015, Kenzie Hill feeds Largent a bacon strip atop Tatoosh Peak, Wash., with Mount Rainier looming on the horizon.   October is national adopt-a-dog month, according to the American Human Society, the perfect time to pick up a new hiking partner. But before you hit the trail it's vital that you prepare your pup. (Craig Hill/(/The News Tribune via AP)  )

Tips on getting your four-footed friend ready for hiking

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — My new best friend has sketchy bowel control, is banned for life from national parks and I’ve caught him in bed… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, SEPT. 12-13 - In this photo taken Aug. 11, 2015, Kenzie Hill feeds Largent a bacon strip atop Tatoosh Peak, Wash., with Mount Rainier looming on the horizon.   October is national adopt-a-dog month, according to the American Human Society, the perfect time to pick up a new hiking partner. But before you hit the trail it's vital that you prepare your pup. (Craig Hill/(/The News Tribune via AP)  )
ADVANCE FOR SATURDAY SEPT. 19, 2015 AND THEREAFTER  In this photo taken Sept. 2, 2015, a fallen tree blocks the main entrance of Noyes Slough to a kayaker in Fairbanks, Alaska. Noyes Slough provides a behind-the-scenes tour of urban Fairbanks, complete with passage under nine bridges, glimpses into backyards and the occasional smell of sewage. It's not for everyone, but recommended for anyone who enjoys seeing the city from a different angle and is willing to tolerate the contamination that comes with navigating a semi-stagnant urban channel. (Sam Friedman/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)

Trip through slough provides different perspective

FAIRBANKS (AP) — Noyes Slough provides a behind-the-scenes tour of urban Fairbanks, complete with passage under nine bridges, glimpses into backyards and the occasional smell… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR SATURDAY SEPT. 19, 2015 AND THEREAFTER  In this photo taken Sept. 2, 2015, a fallen tree blocks the main entrance of Noyes Slough to a kayaker in Fairbanks, Alaska. Noyes Slough provides a behind-the-scenes tour of urban Fairbanks, complete with passage under nine bridges, glimpses into backyards and the occasional smell of sewage. It's not for everyone, but recommended for anyone who enjoys seeing the city from a different angle and is willing to tolerate the contamination that comes with navigating a semi-stagnant urban channel. (Sam Friedman/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP)
Densities of Varied Thrush males singing in the breeding season in south-central Alaska. Map part of the Boreal Avian Modelling Project with data hosted on DataBasin (www.databasin.org)

Refuge Notebook: Varied Thrush still around on the Kenai

Fall is in the air. Last week, I took a quick walk through the woods. I watched golden leaves sail to the ground. A Varied… Continue reading

Densities of Varied Thrush males singing in the breeding season in south-central Alaska. Map part of the Boreal Avian Modelling Project with data hosted on DataBasin (www.databasin.org)

An Outdoor View: The king of Alaska’s rivers

Author’s note: The December/January 2003 issue of Alaska magazine contained a photo-essay about the Kenai River, in which I wrote:“The Kenai River is many things… Continue reading

A ptarmigan stands near the park road, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. The park is an adventurer's paradise with few marked trails, inviting backcountry exploration. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)

Summer season winding to close at Denali park

DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE — Summer travel is winding down at Denali National Park and Preserve, ending the season that sees the vast majority… Continue reading

A ptarmigan stands near the park road, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. The park is an adventurer's paradise with few marked trails, inviting backcountry exploration. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)