Life

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.
Angler Karl Paulsen from Wyoming poses with his 234.2-pound halibut he caught fishing near Seward on Sunday. His catch puts him in the top spot in the Seward Halibut Derby. (Submitted photo)

Fishing report: Sockeye move up Kenai, Kasilof rivers

Sockeye fishing on the upper Kenai and Russian rivers was reported as fair this past weekend, but Alaska Department of Fish and Game managers are… Continue reading

Angler Karl Paulsen from Wyoming poses with his 234.2-pound halibut he caught fishing near Seward on Sunday. His catch puts him in the top spot in the Seward Halibut Derby. (Submitted photo)

Les Palmer: Stuff to wonder about

I fished for many years before asking myself any hard questions. A few years ago, I finally asked, “What’s fun about getting the best of… Continue reading

Photo courtesy/Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Little Brown Bats are the only bat species known to occur on the Kenai Peninsula. This one was captured near Skagway and was tagged with an aluminum band (right forearm in the background).

Kenai Refuge is looking for bats

“Gross” is the response I often get from my mother when I talk about bats. Stories that make me smile usually make her cringe. I’ve… Continue reading

Photo courtesy/Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Little Brown Bats are the only bat species known to occur on the Kenai Peninsula. This one was captured near Skagway and was tagged with an aluminum band (right forearm in the background).

National Park Service supports Mount McKinley name change

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The National Park Service is not against changing Mount McKinley’s official name to Denali, but Alaskans continue to be in a… Continue reading

Rising economic tide lifts Rogue Valley boat makers

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Bruce Wassom knows the highs of raging currents and the lows of getting swamped in the boat business.Along with his fellow… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Tim McCormick, of Soldotna, fishes for sockeye salmon on the Kenai River in a spot off of Keystone Drive on Wednesday June 10, 2015 near Soldotna, Alaska.

Tight Lines: Beating the crowds

At midday on Wednesday, the sockeye salmon were slow to show in a fishing hole on Keystone Drive in Soldotna. But the cool, breezy, weather… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Tim McCormick, of Soldotna, fishes for sockeye salmon on the Kenai River in a spot off of Keystone Drive on Wednesday June 10, 2015 near Soldotna, Alaska.

Fishing report: Ready for the rush to the Russian?

As of Wednesday morning, anxious anglers had already started to converge on the Russian and upper Kenai rivers in anticipation of today’s opening. And early… Continue reading

An Outdoor View: On salmon fishing

You can spend a lot of time, effort and cash in pursuit of the wily salmon, and you can have years of experience, but none… Continue reading

In this picture taken on Friday, May 29, 2015, female Iranian slackliner Samaneh Hasanzadeh balances on a slackline while she is watched by her sister, left, and instructor Hamed Heidari in a sports club in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Extreme sport of slackling gains a foothold in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Kiavash Sharifi can hardly describe the feeling of tip-toeing across an abyss on a thin ribbon of webbing that bends ever… Continue reading

In this picture taken on Friday, May 29, 2015, female Iranian slackliner Samaneh Hasanzadeh balances on a slackline while she is watched by her sister, left, and instructor Hamed Heidari in a sports club in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

King salmon fishing continues to pleasantly surprise

Anglers on the central Kenai Peninsula have been pleasantly surprised with opportunities to catch a king salmon.“We’re still right at beginning stages on the Kasilof,… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Mike Matheny, of Kasilof, tries to see his fish as Matt Buta, of Soldotna, runs around him to keep a hold of his own as the two fished the Kasilof River on Tuesday June 2, 2015.

Tight Lines: Fish on! on the Kasilof

Just before 11 p.m. Tuesday as the last of the suns rays bounced off of the Kasilof River, an hours-long lull in fishing broke when… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion Mike Matheny, of Kasilof, tries to see his fish as Matt Buta, of Soldotna, runs around him to keep a hold of his own as the two fished the Kasilof River on Tuesday June 2, 2015.