A great horned owl sits in a tree. (USFWS/Colin Canterbury)

Refuge Notebook: Finding perfection in the imperfect

The new snow brought our refuge manager outside for a morning walk

A great horned owl sits in a tree. (USFWS/Colin Canterbury)
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Out of the Office: On Andrews’ legacy

I thought it would be appropriate to rerun my column, originally published on June 5, 2001

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Cook Inlet is seen from Clam Gulch State Recreation Area on Feb. 7, 2020, in Clam Gulch, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion file)

Free parking at Alaska State Parks the day after Thanksgiving

The move aims to encourage Alaskans to get outside during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend

Cook Inlet is seen from Clam Gulch State Recreation Area on Feb. 7, 2020, in Clam Gulch, Alaska. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion file)
Freshwater invertebrates after processing in a kitchen blender. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

Invertebrates recover at Miller Creek

Just over a year ago, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game applied the pesticide rotenone to two lakes and a stream in the remote… Continue reading

Freshwater invertebrates after processing in a kitchen blender. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)
Two roses washed up with the tide on the Homer Spit on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Finding grace on the beach

Last Monday while walking the Homer Spit beach I came across two red roses and a scattering of petals that had washed up on the… Continue reading

Two roses washed up with the tide on the Homer Spit on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Invasive green crab. (Photo by Ryan Munes, USFWS)

Crabby about invasive green crabs

They’re described as one of the biggest threats to Alaska’s marine environment, and you’ve probably never heard of them. This year, they were found in… Continue reading

Invasive green crab. (Photo by Ryan Munes, USFWS)
The sun rises over the mountains on the Sterling Highway on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, outside of Sterling, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: Deep breath, long drive

I’ve made the drive between Soldotna and Anchorage probably hundreds of times, including twice a week for a large part of the last two years… Continue reading

The sun rises over the mountains on the Sterling Highway on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, outside of Sterling, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
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Refuge Notebook: Day two, the day my life changed forever

Picture this; you have just flown over 3,000 miles from Anchorage to Washington, D.C. It’s two o’clock in the morning, and you wait an hour… Continue reading

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Out of the Office: Walking

“Only ideas won by walking have any value,” 20th century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote. Given the whole host of dilemmas that can mount… Continue reading

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Signage points the way to the Swan Lake Cabin in the Chugach National Forest on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Users weigh in on plan for public use cabin

As the U.S. Forest Service prepares to expand the quality and quantity of Alaska’s public use cabins, cabin users are asking for a balance of… Continue reading

Signage points the way to the Swan Lake Cabin in the Chugach National Forest on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Snow falls around the Peninsula Clarion building on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: One day at a time

So, it snowed this week. Not, like, a little bit — it snowed a lot. I’d guess about 10 inches around where I live and… Continue reading

Snow falls around the Peninsula Clarion building on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 in Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Time on the canoe system is both beautiful and relaxing. (Photo by Matt Bowser)

Refuge Notebook: From the Boundary Waters to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge — No longer a race across the continent

Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a four-part series. “Those who have never seen Superior get an inadequate, even inaccurate, idea by hearing it… Continue reading

Time on the canoe system is both beautiful and relaxing. (Photo by Matt Bowser)
This artwork placed Sept. 11, 2022, on "Breathe," the 2022 Burning Basket in Homer, Alaska, expressed the author's hope that his prostate surgery would remove the cancer from his body. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Out of the Office: Journey to Cancerland

These Out of the Office columns give the writers of the Homer News and Peninsula Clarion an opportunity to tell of exciting adventures in our… Continue reading

This artwork placed Sept. 11, 2022, on "Breathe," the 2022 Burning Basket in Homer, Alaska, expressed the author's hope that his prostate surgery would remove the cancer from his body. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
The 17-foot, 45-pound beauty Nate Grinnell built for the expedition. (Photo by Julie Grinnell)

Refuge Notebook: The Boundary Waters to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge — A coyote among humans

May 1, Lachine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. I finally found myself standing on a dock on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, above the Lachine Rapids, the traditional… Continue reading

The 17-foot, 45-pound beauty Nate Grinnell built for the expedition. (Photo by Julie Grinnell)
The cedar-built kayak Nate Grinnell built to follow the voyageur's journey. (Photo by Julie Grinnell)

Refuge Notebook: From the Boundary Waters to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge — To build a boat

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a four-part series. Now I have done a fair amount of whitewater kayaking and canoeing, but trying to… Continue reading

The cedar-built kayak Nate Grinnell built to follow the voyageur's journey. (Photo by Julie Grinnell)
A room in the process of being painted Ultra Pure White. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Ultra Pure White

I recently painted the living room of the house in which I am living. The wall had once been a pleasant silver, but (lesson learned)… Continue reading

A room in the process of being painted Ultra Pure White. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
This is the artwork, of the voyageurs "Shooting the Rapids," that hung in the author's family cabin that inspired his trip. (Credit: Frances Anne Hopkins / Library and Archives Canada)

Refuge Notebook: From the Boundary Waters to the Kenai refuge: The beginning

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a four-part series. Starting at the western tip of Lake Superior, the Quetico-Superior Country runs along 150 miles… Continue reading

This is the artwork, of the voyageurs "Shooting the Rapids," that hung in the author's family cabin that inspired his trip. (Credit: Frances Anne Hopkins / Library and Archives Canada)
A rainbow is seen on Aug. 28, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: Eye-opener

It’s a cliche that folks from Alaska take Alaska for granted. I know I definitely always have. I was never an outdoorsy person. The last… Continue reading

A rainbow is seen on Aug. 28, 2022, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Community soccer players after a special match celebrating the life of Drew Brown at Homer High School Field on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. (Photo by Uliana Reutov)

OOTO: Our Soccer Community

Imagine a park ranger, a lawyer, a teacher, an artist, a fisherman, a student, an engineer and more all working together. The group possesses a… Continue reading

Community soccer players after a special match celebrating the life of Drew Brown at Homer High School Field on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. (Photo by Uliana Reutov)
Aerial photo of the Kenai River in Alaska. (Photo by Dave Merz/FWS)

Refuge Notebook: Flying a remote sensing mission on the refuge

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and final part of a series the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is doing on the history of remote sensing… Continue reading

Aerial photo of the Kenai River in Alaska. (Photo by Dave Merz/FWS)