Suicide Basin, with Suicide Glacier in the top left corner, seen on Friday, June 21, 2019. (Nolin Ainsworth | Juneau Empire)

Suicide Basin, with Suicide Glacier in the top left corner, seen on Friday, June 21, 2019. (Nolin Ainsworth | Juneau Empire)

Opinion: Start a Juneau Jökulhlaup Classic

Model it after the Nenana Ice Classic.

I would like to suggest for our community a “Juneau Jökulhlaup Classic” charitable raffle modeled after the Nenana Ice Classic. The winner(s) would be the closest guess to the timing of the sudden drop in water level in Suicide Basin as monitored by the National Weather Service, heralding the onset of a Jokulhlaup in the Mendenhall watershed. This could provide awareness about jökulhlaups, raise money for a worthwhile charitable cause and provide fun legal gambling. I am unaware of any existing such raffle and apologize if this is an old idea. My votes for worthy charitable causes are the local chapter of the American Red Cross and/or the AWARE shelter, to transform a potentially hazardous and stressful event into fundraiser for those of us in greatest need. I would be happy to volunteer for any such endeavor but the organization for such is beyond my experience. The Juneau Empire readership is invited to help realize this idea or something similar.

Ian Dinneford,

Juneau


My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.