Life

Les Palmer: Angling ethics

Angling — fishing with hook and line — has a long history. It was already highly developed when Stone Age artists were painting fishing and… Continue reading

This photo provided by courtesy of Dave Estis shows duck calls created by Tate Estis in a workshop at his home in New Kent, Va. Tate Estis was so fascinated by the duck calls he and his father used to duck hunt, he started pulling them apart to see how they worked and eventually he made them. Every duck call he creates is unique. (AP Photo/Dave Estis)

Handmade duck calls attract a following

When Scott Simmons received a wooden duck call in college, he was instantly intrigued by the possibility of making one.“I recognized then that those little… Continue reading

This photo provided by courtesy of Dave Estis shows duck calls created by Tate Estis in a workshop at his home in New Kent, Va. Tate Estis was so fascinated by the duck calls he and his father used to duck hunt, he started pulling them apart to see how they worked and eventually he made them. Every duck call he creates is unique. (AP Photo/Dave Estis)
This Jan. 18, 2014 photo shows an unidentified climber making her way up the Ouray Ice Park in Ouray, Colo. Chicks with Picks, a company founded to introduce the sport of ice climbing to women, holds several clinics each winter in in the Ouray Ice Park, a city-owned facility with man-made ice in a natural gorge. (AP Photo/Donna Bryson)

Empowering women, one ice pick at a time

OURAY, Colo. — The timpani beat of cramponed boots thudding into ice. The treble tick-tock of scythe-like picks digging the next foothold. A sudden chord… Continue reading

This Jan. 18, 2014 photo shows an unidentified climber making her way up the Ouray Ice Park in Ouray, Colo. Chicks with Picks, a company founded to introduce the sport of ice climbing to women, holds several clinics each winter in in the Ouray Ice Park, a city-owned facility with man-made ice in a natural gorge. (AP Photo/Donna Bryson)

Five recreational activities to explore before tourists arrive

Now that the calendar has rolled over to May and the days have grown longer, the great outdoors is beckoning to be explored. Don’t let… Continue reading

Photo by John Morton, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Greater White-fronted, Lesser Snow and Canada Geese, and a few ducks (Northern Pintail, Mallard, Green-winged Teal) flock together on the Kenai Flats.

Refuge Notebook: Spring migration comes to Kenai

Periodically, even through the cold of winter, I drive into Boat Launch Road at the Port of Kenai to use the wildlife viewing platform. It’s… Continue reading

Photo by John Morton, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Greater White-fronted, Lesser Snow and Canada Geese, and a few ducks (Northern Pintail, Mallard, Green-winged Teal) flock together on the Kenai Flats.

Les Palmer: Life’s Great Questions

I have a few questions, but one of them isn’t “What is life all about.” If you live on the Kenai Peninsula, you don’t have… Continue reading

Fly fishing humorist to host TU film fest

Fly fishing humorist to host TU film fest

Looking for his next great fishing adventure, the self-proclaimed, “world’s greatest fly fishing guide” Hank Patterson is making his first trip to Alaska this weekend… Continue reading

Fly fishing humorist to host TU film fest
Kids who participate in the first-ever Youth Game Warden Camp will receive a t-shirt with this cool logo.

Refuge Notebook: Kenai Refuge sponsors first Game Warden Camp for Youth

Have you ever wondered what a game warden does? How about boating on some of the Kenai Peninsula’s largest lakes and popular rivers to check… Continue reading

Kids who participate in the first-ever Youth Game Warden Camp will receive a t-shirt with this cool logo.

Les Palmer: Don’t run!

Author’s note: This column first appeared in the Clarion Jan. 23, 2004. With both bears and people starting to emerge from their dens this month,… Continue reading

Samantha and Eric Tipler head out with dogs Cash, right, and Gadget for a hike in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness area near Klamath Falls, Ore., March 23, 2014. Exploring the endless trails in the Klamath Basin has to offer is made even more enjoyable when your faithful companion, your dog, is along for the journey, too.(AP Photo/Herald and News, Steve Silton)

Hiking with dogs: know your pets’ limitations

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — Exploring the endless trails the Klamath Basin has to offer is made even more enjoyable when your faithful companion, your… Continue reading

Samantha and Eric Tipler head out with dogs Cash, right, and Gadget for a hike in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness area near Klamath Falls, Ore., March 23, 2014. Exploring the endless trails in the Klamath Basin has to offer is made even more enjoyable when your faithful companion, your dog, is along for the journey, too.(AP Photo/Herald and News, Steve Silton)
ADVANCE FOR TEH WEEKEND OF APRIL 19-20 AND THEREAFTER - Reflective clothing, lights and other gear make for a safe bicycle commute for a bicyclist in Boise, Idaho, in this April, 2014, photo. Making yourself highly visible is one of many safety tips for bike commuters. (AP Photo/Idaho Statesman, Pete Zimowsky)

Commuting by bike: be seen, be safe, and enjoy

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Amid mirror-like puddles from an overnight spring rain on the Boise Greenbelt, Neil Jenkins leaned into a curve on his daily… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR TEH WEEKEND OF APRIL 19-20 AND THEREAFTER - Reflective clothing, lights and other gear make for a safe bicycle commute for a bicyclist in Boise, Idaho, in this April, 2014, photo. Making yourself highly visible is one of many safety tips for bike commuters. (AP Photo/Idaho Statesman, Pete Zimowsky)
Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge/Berkley Bedell Join in a special Earth Day Event on Kenai Refuge Wilderness, April 22 (7 PM), at the Kenai Peninsula College.

Refuge Notebook: Kenai Refuge celebrates Wilderness on Earth Day

The first Earth Day began on April 22, 1970 and was the product of local grassroots action to increase environmental awareness and to garner support… Continue reading

Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge/Berkley Bedell Join in a special Earth Day Event on Kenai Refuge Wilderness, April 22 (7 PM), at the Kenai Peninsula College.

Les Palmer: In praise of drift boats

If you’ve never fished from a drift boat, you might want to add it to your bucket list. No one should exit life without having… Continue reading

In this Friday, April 4, 2014 photo, Joe Murdzek scrambles up a snowfield while climbing Mount Adams in the Northern Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Murdzek, 47, of East Hartford, Conn, and three high school friends have made a tradition of getting away on overnight climbing trips as a way to "hit the reset button" from the daily grind. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Stretching winter: Recreationists take to mountains to get winter fix

MOUNT ADAMS, N.H. — Joe Murdzek was leading a group of friends when he encountered a short, steep snowfield about a mile and a half… Continue reading

In this Friday, April 4, 2014 photo, Joe Murdzek scrambles up a snowfield while climbing Mount Adams in the Northern Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Murdzek, 47, of East Hartford, Conn, and three high school friends have made a tradition of getting away on overnight climbing trips as a way to "hit the reset button" from the daily grind. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Shawn Hutchings prepares to shoot as volunteer coach Stu Goldstein watches his form at a trap shooting clinic at the Snowshoe Gun Club on April 6. Alice Kerkvliet holds the controller to the clay target machine which releases a clay disc when the shooter yells "Pull."

Gun club offers shooting sport pointers

Since Alice Kerkvliet gave sport shooting a shot three years ago, it has grown into an addiction. She first learned the game at the Snowshoe… Continue reading

Photo by Dan Balmer/Peninsula Clarion Shawn Hutchings prepares to shoot as volunteer coach Stu Goldstein watches his form at a trap shooting clinic at the Snowshoe Gun Club on April 6. Alice Kerkvliet holds the controller to the clay target machine which releases a clay disc when the shooter yells "Pull."

Recreation briefs

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. On Earth Day, April 22 the first of the refuge’s “Wilderness” events for this year… Continue reading

Refuge Notebook: Know the regs for black bear baiting season

With bear baiting season just around the corner, I thought I’d take this opportunity to review the rules and regulations for baiting black bears on… Continue reading

Les Palmer: Fish board politics

I get an anxious feeling whenever state legislators talk about fishing, so I’ve been anxious lately.Most recently, it happened during “Fish Week,”when user-groups and state… Continue reading

This March 22, 2014 photo shows a ladybug on a residential property in Langley, Wash. Many gardeners use pesticides - organic or otherwise - only as a last resort. They opt instead for such predatory insects as ladybugs, which individually can consume up to 5,000 aphids during their lifetime, and can be bought commercially and released from containers into the garden. (AP Photo/Dean Fosdick)

Benign neglect? Garden pest control naturally

Gardeners worried about the safety of synthetic pest-control products sometimes turn to botanically derived compounds instead. But many of those also contain toxic ingredients, such… Continue reading

This March 22, 2014 photo shows a ladybug on a residential property in Langley, Wash. Many gardeners use pesticides - organic or otherwise - only as a last resort. They opt instead for such predatory insects as ladybugs, which individually can consume up to 5,000 aphids during their lifetime, and can be bought commercially and released from containers into the garden. (AP Photo/Dean Fosdick)
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge photo Looking to the right of the boat launch across glacially-carved Hidden Lake is 2,890 foot Hideout Hill.

Refuge Notebook: Hidden Lake Campground – a ‘hidden gem’ on the Kenai Refuge

I am often asked thought provoking questions while working in the Kenai Refuge Visitor Center. Recently, I was asked how Hidden Lake Campground received its… Continue reading

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge photo Looking to the right of the boat launch across glacially-carved Hidden Lake is 2,890 foot Hideout Hill.