Word clouds are a fun way to show words, where the most important ones are bigger than the others. This cloud shows the responses that participants at a recent workshop on climate change gave when asked what they value about living on the Kenai Peninsula.

Refuge Notebook: What do you value about living on the Kenai Peninsula?

The League of Women Voters recently hosted a “Climate Change in our Backyard” workshop. Over 100 people gathered to learn about climate change impacts on… Continue reading

Word clouds are a fun way to show words, where the most important ones are bigger than the others. This cloud shows the responses that participants at a recent workshop on climate change gave when asked what they value about living on the Kenai Peninsula.

An Outdoor View: That got me thinking

My dentist loves to fish. Like me, he also likes to talk about fishing, which he often does while he has me in a position… Continue reading

This 2006 photo provided by ArcticCycles.com shows Arctic Cycles guiding a fat-tire biking trip in the summer in south central, A.K. Fat bikes are the ultimate year-round adventure bikes. (AP Photo/ArcticCycles.com, Erica Koitzsch)

Stability, extra grip make fat-tire biking a hit

There’s a new trend in mountain biking: Fat is in.Not the riders. The tires.Big, puffy tires that look like something NASA developed in case someone… Continue reading

This 2006 photo provided by ArcticCycles.com shows Arctic Cycles guiding a fat-tire biking trip in the summer in south central, A.K. Fat bikes are the ultimate year-round adventure bikes. (AP Photo/ArcticCycles.com, Erica Koitzsch)
Mosaic of high-resolution aerial photographs of 110,000 acres of the Funny River Fire was captured in less than eight hours of flying. The inset shows the clarity of one segment of the Kenai River. (Image courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: New aerial photography technology – little camera, big picture

There are myriads of ways to measure and describe an area, but as they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” At work I… Continue reading

Mosaic of high-resolution aerial photographs of 110,000 acres of the Funny River Fire was captured in less than eight hours of flying. The inset shows the clarity of one segment of the Kenai River. (Image courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Proper care of dead fish

Author’s note: Second of a two-part series, this column was first published by the Clarion on Sept. 10, 2004. Last week in this column, I… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A rack of gear hangs at Redoubt Rock Climbing in Nic and Natalie Larson's home on Wednesday April 1, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Larsons offer climbing lessons and open gym periods in their Soldotna home.

Getting a grip: Soldotna couple share love of climbing

For one Soldotna couple, climbing is more than just a business.“It’s like an art form,” said Nic Larson, who along with his wife Natalie opened… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion A rack of gear hangs at Redoubt Rock Climbing in Nic and Natalie Larson's home on Wednesday April 1, 2015 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Larsons offer climbing lessons and open gym periods in their Soldotna home.
Does climate change affect bluff erosion on the Kenai Peninsula?  Find out this Saturday at a free workshop on climate change and what to do about it at the Kenai Peninsula College. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Living with climate change in our backyards

Here on the Kenai Peninsula we can all agree that this winter has been strange. The effects of a changing climate are becoming obvious in… Continue reading

Does climate change affect bluff erosion on the Kenai Peninsula?  Find out this Saturday at a free workshop on climate change and what to do about it at the Kenai Peninsula College. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Handle with care

Author’s note: First of a two-part series, this column was first published by the Clarion on Sept. 3, 2004.A common mistake hereabouts is to freeze… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR THE WEEKEND OF MARCH 21-22 AND THEREAFTER - In an undated photo provided by BearSpray.com, Tim Lynch sprays the Bear Attack Pack backwards out of a backpack in a demonstration. The canister can be discharged much like pulling the ripcord on a parachute. The pack fits any size can of bear spray. (AP Photo/courtesy of BearSpray.com)

Movie stuntman hopes bear spray backpack will save lives

LIVINGSTON, Mont. (AP) — It may sound contradictory, but the people taking the biggest risks are usually the most safety conscious.Take Billy Lucas, for example.… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR THE WEEKEND OF MARCH 21-22 AND THEREAFTER - In an undated photo provided by BearSpray.com, Tim Lynch sprays the Bear Attack Pack backwards out of a backpack in a demonstration. The canister can be discharged much like pulling the ripcord on a parachute. The pack fits any size can of bear spray. (AP Photo/courtesy of BearSpray.com)
Silhouette of the Steller's Jay, one of five corvid species found on the Kenai Peninsula. Georg Steller, its namesake, was the naturalist who accompanied Commodore Vitus Bering on his exploration of Alaska in 1741-42. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Ode to Crows, Ravens, Jays and Magpies

I recently co-authored an article in Bird Conservation International on the demographics of Mariana Crows. While always pleased to have a paper published in a… Continue reading

Silhouette of the Steller's Jay, one of five corvid species found on the Kenai Peninsula. Georg Steller, its namesake, was the naturalist who accompanied Commodore Vitus Bering on his exploration of Alaska in 1741-42. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Fishing 2015

With early-run king salmon and razor clams pretty much out of the picture for the coming season, let’s take measure of what’s left.Below are some… Continue reading

In this Monday, March 9, 2015 photo provided by Lee Reich, having a few tricks to conserve water, this aloe plant can go months without a drop of added water in New Paltz, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lee Reich)

Jade plants (and other succulents): Go easy on watering

A friend phoned me a few weeks ago concerned about the sunken, blackened areas on the trunk of her jade plant. When I suggested that… Continue reading

In this Monday, March 9, 2015 photo provided by Lee Reich, having a few tricks to conserve water, this aloe plant can go months without a drop of added water in New Paltz, N.Y. (AP Photo/Lee Reich)
A mountain bike outfitted for a fishing excursion should include a rack for holding gear and rod tubes. Other available accessories include panniers and trailers. (Photo courtesy Dave Atcheson)

Tight Lines: Access great backcountry angling via bicycle

It’s usually not difficult to distinguish the real bicyclist from the occasional fisherman spotted riding our local trails. For one thing, the fisherman won’t likely… Continue reading

A mountain bike outfitted for a fishing excursion should include a rack for holding gear and rod tubes. Other available accessories include panniers and trailers. (Photo courtesy Dave Atcheson)

Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware and Fishing 2015 Ice Fishing Derby Results

2015 Ice Fishing Derby Results Kids Division 1st PlaceEllie Burns – 3.07 lb. RainbowBrayden Gagnon – 2.11 lb. Dolly VardenAdrein Krastas - .70 lb. KokaneeTanner… Continue reading

Bouillabaisse: King of the soups

Bouillabaisse, a fancy French word for fish soup, just might be the most delicious thing you’ll ever wrap a lip around. No one seems certain… Continue reading

Make preparations now for wonderful, safe, springtime walks

Make preparations now for wonderful, safe, springtime walks

“Hurumph!” This is a sound you never want to hear from the woods when you are walking along a trail. This guttural bellow followed by… Continue reading

Make preparations now for wonderful, safe, springtime walks
Handmade fish decoys are displayed Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Belgrade, Minn. Dennis Bertram uses glass eyes for his decoys and has been carving them for 35 years. (AP Photo/St. Cloud Times, Jason Wachter) NO SALES

Carver finds niche with handmade fish decoys

BELGRADE, Minn. (AP) — Dennis Bertram worked the curved blade in an unhurried rhythm, releasing thin curls of redwood. The emerging decoy lost its band-saw… Continue reading

Handmade fish decoys are displayed Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, in Belgrade, Minn. Dennis Bertram uses glass eyes for his decoys and has been carving them for 35 years. (AP Photo/St. Cloud Times, Jason Wachter) NO SALES
An angler enjoys a day of fishing on the banks of the upper Kenai River within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Permitting Kenai National Wildlife Refuge commercial guides and outfitters

It’s a slow Tuesday morning in February, when suddenly the phone rings for the first time all day. It’s Betty Lou from Arlington, Texas, and… Continue reading

An angler enjoys a day of fishing on the banks of the upper Kenai River within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Shooting around the house

Author’s note: This column first appeared in the Clarion on Sept. 23, 1993. It has been edited slightly for brevity. — LPOne advantage of living… Continue reading

This undated photo provided by the Olympic Regional Development Authority shows  a person taking a skeleton ride at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y.  For $75, visitors on winter Saturdays can take a sled ride belly down, head first on a sled the size of a throw rug. While racers take running jumps onto their sleds and can exceed 80 mph, visitors are pushed off about halfway down the run and can hit 30 to 40 mph.  (AP Photo/Olympic Regional Development Authority)

On the wild slide: Lake Placid site offers skeleton rides

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Sledding can be pleasant and pastoral, with big toboggans, snowy hills and rosy cheeks. And then there’s skeleton sledding: belly down,… Continue reading

This undated photo provided by the Olympic Regional Development Authority shows  a person taking a skeleton ride at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y.  For $75, visitors on winter Saturdays can take a sled ride belly down, head first on a sled the size of a throw rug. While racers take running jumps onto their sleds and can exceed 80 mph, visitors are pushed off about halfway down the run and can hit 30 to 40 mph.  (AP Photo/Olympic Regional Development Authority)