Life

An Outdoor View: Fish wars

Seduced by the word “fish,” I watched the reality TV show “Alaska Fish Wars” on National Geographic Channel last year. The most exciting part of… Continue reading

Students Ella Keenan, Laurel Rand-Lewis and Eric Van Dam listen as Polly Bass, kneeling, introduces them to a variety of alpine flora. (Photo by Mary Catharine Martin/Juneau Empire)

JIRPers start 68th summer on Juneau Icefield

JUNEAU ICEFIELD, CAMP 17 — At the Juneau Icefield Research Program’s Camp 17 this week, 32 students — and more faculty — got comfortable on… Continue reading

Students Ella Keenan, Laurel Rand-Lewis and Eric Van Dam listen as Polly Bass, kneeling, introduces them to a variety of alpine flora. (Photo by Mary Catharine Martin/Juneau Empire)
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion King salmon fishermen ride upriver during the first day of fishing on the late run of Kenai River king salmon on Wednesday July 1, 2015 near Kenai, Alaska.

Fishing report: Slow start for kings, but plenty of other options

The Kenai River opened to sport fishing for king salmon on Wednesday, and despite restrictions on bait and the area open to king fishing, a… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion King salmon fishermen ride upriver during the first day of fishing on the late run of Kenai River king salmon on Wednesday July 1, 2015 near Kenai, Alaska.
Once spruce-covered hills in the Deep Creek watershed on the Kenai Peninsula were converted to extensive bluejoint grasslands in the aftermath of a spruce bark beetle outbreak and the 2007 Caribou Hills Fire. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Common grass has uncommon attributes

Perhaps the most common plant on the Kenai Peninsula is Calamagrostis canadensis, the bluejoint reedgrass. This perennial grass grows in dense colonies near the coast… Continue reading

Once spruce-covered hills in the Deep Creek watershed on the Kenai Peninsula were converted to extensive bluejoint grasslands in the aftermath of a spruce bark beetle outbreak and the 2007 Caribou Hills Fire. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Tourist trap

Wikipedia defines “tourist trap” as “an establishment, or group of establishments, that has been created or re-purposed with the aim of attracting tourists and their… Continue reading

In this photo taken on June 16, 2015, a young angler participating in the Next Cast Flyfishers camp ties on a small streamer while preparing to fish for rainbow trout in Shevlin Park pond, in Bend, Ore. (Ryan Brennecke /The Bulletin via AP)

Fly-fishing camp hooks the next generation

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Like a fly-fishing veteran, Branson Broderick set the hook, stripped his line in, then bent down to net the flopping rainbow… Continue reading

In this photo taken on June 16, 2015, a young angler participating in the Next Cast Flyfishers camp ties on a small streamer while preparing to fish for rainbow trout in Shevlin Park pond, in Bend, Ore. (Ryan Brennecke /The Bulletin via AP)
Rickey Scott, Bradden Scott and fishing buddy Clayton Hindman pose with the barn door halibut which weighed in at 265.6 pounds. The fish was caught on June 20 and was in first place in the $10,000 Seward Halibut Derby until an angler from Michigan landed a 291.2-pound halibut.

Hefty halibut

… Continue reading

Rickey Scott, Bradden Scott and fishing buddy Clayton Hindman pose with the barn door halibut which weighed in at 265.6 pounds. The fish was caught on June 20 and was in first place in the $10,000 Seward Halibut Derby until an angler from Michigan landed a 291.2-pound halibut.

An Outdoor View: Words too good to die

They don’t make words like they used to. Some of my favorite words not only convey meaning, but are fun to say and hear. Words… Continue reading

Refuge Notebook: Legacy of a tiny leg-banded bird found on the refuge

Thirty-three years ago on June 4, 1982 a husband and wife — the Peralas — decided to take a walk one evening along one of… Continue reading

This Aug. 27, 2014 photo shows hikers making their way down Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park in Maine. The mountain is nearly a mile high and is the tallest mountain in Maine. Its peak is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz)

Maine mountain climbing

BAXTER STATE PARK, Maine — I don’t remember much about my climb up Mount Katahdin 25 years ago. I was young and fit. It was… Continue reading

This Aug. 27, 2014 photo shows hikers making their way down Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park in Maine. The mountain is nearly a mile high and is the tallest mountain in Maine. Its peak is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz)
File--In this Aug. 30, 2007, file photo, Andrew Schurr leads Cal Seabaugh up the Pacific Crest Trail near Santiam Pass, Ore., in the Oregon Cascades. For the first time, the U.S. Forest Service has restricted, to 50 per day, the number of "thru-hikers" embarking from the trail's southernmost point in Campo, Calif. (David Patton/Albany Democrat Herald via AP, file) MANDATORY CREDIT

Trail drawing upsurge of hikers seeking a ‘Wild’ adventure

MEDFORD, Ore. — Build a trail from Mexico to Canada, and a trickle of hardy souls will see if they can cover it, pushing through… Continue reading

File--In this Aug. 30, 2007, file photo, Andrew Schurr leads Cal Seabaugh up the Pacific Crest Trail near Santiam Pass, Ore., in the Oregon Cascades. For the first time, the U.S. Forest Service has restricted, to 50 per day, the number of "thru-hikers" embarking from the trail's southernmost point in Campo, Calif. (David Patton/Albany Democrat Herald via AP, file) MANDATORY CREDIT
FILE - In this May 20, 2014 file photo, pedestrians walk along the boardwalk past the Wonder Wheel Tuesday in the Coney Island section of the Brooklyn borough of New York. Summer fun at Coney Island just got some new attractions in addition to the beach and amusement park rides. Now visitors can enjoy colorful murals and artisanal food vendors selling everything from truffle fries to hibiscus ice pops. Coney Art Walls launched this week a block from the boardwalk and right behind Nathan's Famous, the hot-dog emporium. Some of the same street artists whose work can be seen in Miami's popular Wynwood neighborhood were brought in to decorate outdoor walls for the food-and-art experience. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Coney Island

NEW YORK — Summer fun at Coney Island just got some new attractions in addition to the beach and amusement park rides. Now visitors can… Continue reading

FILE - In this May 20, 2014 file photo, pedestrians walk along the boardwalk past the Wonder Wheel Tuesday in the Coney Island section of the Brooklyn borough of New York. Summer fun at Coney Island just got some new attractions in addition to the beach and amusement park rides. Now visitors can enjoy colorful murals and artisanal food vendors selling everything from truffle fries to hibiscus ice pops. Coney Art Walls launched this week a block from the boardwalk and right behind Nathan's Famous, the hot-dog emporium. Some of the same street artists whose work can be seen in Miami's popular Wynwood neighborhood were brought in to decorate outdoor walls for the food-and-art experience. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Fishing report: Reds rush to the Russian

With plenty of sockeye salmon making their way up the Russian River, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has upped the bag limit and… Continue reading

This March 16 2015 photo shows sockeye salmon in Concord, NH. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead

A salmon primer: sockeye salmon

Sockeye, also called red salmon, is known for its distinct, bright red flesh that retains its color even once cooked. It is prized for its… Continue reading

This March 16 2015 photo shows sockeye salmon in Concord, NH. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead
This March 16, 2015 photo shows seared king salmon with lemongrass porcini jus in Concord, NH. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

A salmon primer: king salmon

King salmon, also known as “chinook,” earns the title. The largest of the Pacific salmon, a single king can weigh more than 100 pounds, though… Continue reading

This March 16, 2015 photo shows seared king salmon with lemongrass porcini jus in Concord, NH. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)
The inflated bladder of the common bladderwort (U. macrorhiza) is used to capture live prey such as insect larvae, water fleas and even small fish and tadpoles! (Photo by Jenny Archis/USFWS )

Refuge Notebook: Carnivorous plant common in Kenai Peninsula lakes

Bugs beware: there’s more than just fish in the water! It’s a very unassuming predator — you might even find it pretty. But it can… Continue reading

The inflated bladder of the common bladderwort (U. macrorhiza) is used to capture live prey such as insect larvae, water fleas and even small fish and tadpoles! (Photo by Jenny Archis/USFWS )

An Outdoor View: ‘Jaws’ at 40

Three shark attacks occurred recently off East Coast beaches, a reminder that fish that sometimes try to eat people are still out there, somewhere. On… Continue reading

Race to Alaska winner Elsie Piddock in Tongass Narrows approaching Ketchikan. (Photo by Rosie Roppel)

Race to Alaska has a winner

Team Elsie Piddock sailed into Ketchikan harbor, and small boat history, to win the inaugural Race to Alaska boat race Friday 100 miles ahead of… Continue reading

Race to Alaska winner Elsie Piddock in Tongass Narrows approaching Ketchikan. (Photo by Rosie Roppel)
In this May 31, 2015 photo, a cluster of heuchera and their assortment of long-blooming flower spikes, provide color and texture against a birdbath, tree and split rail fence and make for easier, more efficient watering on a property near Langley, Wash. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Garden out of control? Simplify

Too many plants, too little time? A lot of unnecessary effort can be weeded out with some time- and energy-saving shortcuts, from plant selection to… Continue reading

In this May 31, 2015 photo, a cluster of heuchera and their assortment of long-blooming flower spikes, provide color and texture against a birdbath, tree and split rail fence and make for easier, more efficient watering on a property near Langley, Wash. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Anglers descended on the Russian River Thursday June 11, 2015 for the season's sockeye salmon opener near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The period, which opens at midnight, drew enough anglers that many waited for more than an hour to gain access to the campground which was filled to capacity.

Russian River offers fun, fish for the whole family

The annual stampede for Russian River sockeye kicked off on June 11 after a midnight opener saw several hundred people descend on the campgrounds for… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Anglers descended on the Russian River Thursday June 11, 2015 for the season's sockeye salmon opener near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The period, which opens at midnight, drew enough anglers that many waited for more than an hour to gain access to the campground which was filled to capacity.