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Killdeer can be seen in winter and nest here in spring. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

News

On the Trails: Breaking out the snowshoes

Surprise! A starlit night, a nice day, lower temperatures, and then some lovely snow.

Ravens like this one inspire people to respond to their calls, and sometimes to pick up a pencil. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Butterflies and ravens as poetic inspiration

Both poets and scientists are deep observers who interpret the world in different ways.

The red flowers of the native columbine are caused by anthocyanins. (Courtesy Photo / Deana Barajas)

News

On the Trails: The many roads to red

Red and reddish colors can be produced in many ways, by a variety of pigment molecules.

This week's Slack Tide is all about matters of the heart. For example, while the heart has long been a symbol for affection, exactly what inspired the shape that bears little resemblance to the human heart is up for debate. (Unsplash / DESIGNECOLOGIST)

Neighbors

Slack Tide: There’s more to Valentine’s Day than chocolate and disappointment

Find out how much more.

Jane Hale (Courtesy Photo)

Neighbors

Coming Out: Amjad Ali Khan in Wisconsin

Jim becomes Johnny becomes Jane. It’s all one song.

A raven vocalizes on the west side of Fairbanks in April 2021. (Courtesy Photo / Hannah Foss)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Making sense of raven talk

Do we really want to know what ravens are saying about us?

T

Neighbors

Living & Growing: Stumbling toward success

I’m enjoying the trying, and that’s success to me.

Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File 
A porcupine dines in mid-August near the Mendnehall Glacier.

News

On the Trails: Putting a finer point on porcupines

Plants such as roses and devil’s club aren’t the only prickly ones…

A Compton tortoiseshell butterfly pauses between flights in Two Rivers resident Rod Boyce’s garage in January 2023. Photo by Rod Boyce.

News

Alaska Science Forum: Butterflies in the middle of winter

Waiting in the wings for spring.

This photo shows frozen salmonberries for use all winter. (Courtesy Photo / Vivian Faith Prescott)

News

Planet Alaska: Salmonberries in winter

Sometimes in the winter, I dream of salmonberries…

Alpine meals are great, but it's tough to beat the satisfaction of a hot meal on the shore after fishing through a run for steelhead. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

News

I Went to the Woods: Either or, probably not both

It’s really difficult to double-major both in college and in life.

Bog laurel plants are toxic to mammals; pollinating bees that feed on the pollen make toxic honey. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

News

On the Trails: A green world

Five decades ago, some well-known ecologists looked around and noted that their terrestrial world was very green. Why…

An Alaska blackfish that once lived in a tank at the Fairbanks office of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Alaska blackfish in a world of its own

It is an evolutionary loner.

A deer eats alder leaves (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

News

On the Trails: Nitrogen — an essential element

It’s involved with almost all aspects of life.

Courtesy Photos / Dan Joling
Dan Joling of Anchorage captured these images of the full moon over Alaska’s largest city on Jan. 6, 2023.

News

Alaska Science Forum: Magnetic declination and finding the moon

Dan Joling of Anchorage was set to photograph the full moon rising over the Port of Anchorage on…

Growth is good but the strain on resources makes for tough decisions going forward. The author peers through the brush at anglers on the Russian River and sees the byproduct of economic growth. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

News

I Went to the Woods: Growth mindset

Growth is good but within certain context.

A dipper searches for insects in a log jam, underwater. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

News

On the Trails: The afterlife of trees

Dead wood is an important basis for many new uses.

Visitors take images of Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau in summer 2022 from inside the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Alaska’s small glaciers are on the way out

Even optimistic projections show half of glaciers gone by end of century.

A trail cam photo shows a beaver emerging from its snowy lodge and went foraging for branches in December (Courtesy Photo / Jos Bakker)

News

Mild temperatures and busy beavers

I noticed two uncommon things that this beaver did…

A wood frog pauses in the forest just off the Yukon River near the mouth of the Nation River. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Report of frog’s death greatly exaggerated

Alive and hopping.