Columns

A little fish called a graveldiver had hidden under a flat rock. (Courtesy Photo / Aaron Baldwin)

On the Trails: Bricolage — this and that, bits and pieces

There were good minus tides in May and June, and I went out with some friends to take a look at the intertidal zone in… Continue reading

A little fish called a graveldiver had hidden under a flat rock. (Courtesy Photo / Aaron Baldwin)
Red salmon gather at a Gulkana Hatchery fish weir that prevents them from going upstream on the east fork of the Gulkana River.(Courtesy Photo/ Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: High-country Eden for sockeye salmon

“It’s the largest sockeye hatchery in the world. Two-hundred and sixty miles from the ocean.”

Red salmon gather at a Gulkana Hatchery fish weir that prevents them from going upstream on the east fork of the Gulkana River.(Courtesy Photo/ Ned Rozell)
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Gimme a Smile: Inflation 111

I was going to title this essay, “Inflation 101,” but the number keeps going up

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Wild iris (Iris setosa) comes in a variety of shades, from the usual purple to pale lavender or reddish. (Courtesy Photo / Denise Carroll)

On the Trails: Considering variation in flower colors

There’s way more than blue genes.

Wild iris (Iris setosa) comes in a variety of shades, from the usual purple to pale lavender or reddish. (Courtesy Photo / Denise Carroll)
A Hills Bros. coffee can found at an old cabin on the Fortymile River. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: A field guide to old coffee cans

Can you dig it?

A Hills Bros. coffee can found at an old cabin on the Fortymile River. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
White sand beaches aren’t entirely rare in Southeast Alaska, but they are special nonetheless, especially on warm summer days. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: Adjusting the itinerary

It’s not that anglers want things to be difficult, we just enjoy the payoff of time and experience…

White sand beaches aren’t entirely rare in Southeast Alaska, but they are special nonetheless, especially on warm summer days. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
Courtesy Photo / KMHocker photo Recently emerged mayflies landed on our caps and hands, perhaps resting from the rigors of courtship dances.

On the Trails: Fun in Gustavus

A walk near a shallow lake was the highlight.

Courtesy Photo / KMHocker photo Recently emerged mayflies landed on our caps and hands, perhaps resting from the rigors of courtship dances.
The Valley of 10,000 Smokes pictured during a visit in 2018. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Gillis)

Alaska Science Forum: 110 years since the largest Alaska eruption

“Stretching as far as the eye could reach … were hundreds — no, thousands — of little volcanoes.”

The Valley of 10,000 Smokes pictured during a visit in 2018. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Gillis)
Dan Mann wades Echo Creek looking for a spot his scientific party can cross safely. The group ended up crossing the creek upstream of this point. (Courtesy Photo by Ned Rozell)

A half century in a difficult, dynamic place

Tasting 13,000-year-old volcanic ash.

Dan Mann wades Echo Creek looking for a spot his scientific party can cross safely. The group ended up crossing the creek upstream of this point. (Courtesy Photo by Ned Rozell)
A very young oystercatcher chick waits for a parent. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Oystercatchers, pinesap and spittlebugs

At the mouth of Cowee Creek, sometime in mid-June, we’d found a vigilant pair of black oystercatchers, presumably with a nest nearby. A couple of… Continue reading

A very young oystercatcher chick waits for a parent. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
The author’s wife with her first keeper king salmon of the 2022 season. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: King size problem

We didn’t find the fish. We found a fish. A fish that was too small.

The author’s wife with her first keeper king salmon of the 2022 season. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
Ben Gaglioti, an ecologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, stands next to a mountain hemlock tree damaged in winter on the outer coast of Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska. (Courtesy Photos / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Bonsai trees tell of winters long past

By Ned Rozell A GREEN PLATEAU NORTH OF LITUYA BAY — “These are museum-class bonsais,” Ben Gaglioti says as we walk through an elfin forest.… Continue reading

Ben Gaglioti, an ecologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, stands next to a mountain hemlock tree damaged in winter on the outer coast of Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska. (Courtesy Photos / Ned Rozell)
The author's wife seasons a fresh chunk of king salmon for dinner at the Point Amargura forest service cabin near Craig. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: The cabin life

What says love like a Forest Service cabin?

The author's wife seasons a fresh chunk of king salmon for dinner at the Point Amargura forest service cabin near Craig. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
A male cloudberry flower resembles a female flower but has no visible ovaries. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)

On the Trails: Blooms, birds and bears in June

Notes from June.

A male cloudberry flower resembles a female flower but has no visible ovaries. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)
Katey Walter Anthony and Peter Anthony in Cherskii, Russia. (Courtesy Photo / Katey Walter Anthony)

Alaska Science Forum: Scientist’s memoir is revealing and brave

“Chasing Lakes: Love, Science, and the Secrets of the Arctic.”

Katey Walter Anthony and Peter Anthony in Cherskii, Russia. (Courtesy Photo / Katey Walter Anthony)
Jane Hale (Courtesy Photo)

It Is Germane. Part 1

What does my recent sojourn in Florida have to do with my coming out? Reader, it is germane.

Jane Hale (Courtesy Photo)
If warm weather and blue skies aren't enough to tell it's summer in Juneau, Slack Tide offers up 36 other sure signs of the season. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Slack Tide: 36 Signs Summer is Back in Juneau

The return of whales, salmon and tourists… and, of course, closeout deals on steer manure.

If warm weather and blue skies aren't enough to tell it's summer in Juneau, Slack Tide offers up 36 other sure signs of the season. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)
The author takes a few shots of the sun and lantern-lit tent after sunset on a bear hunt earlier this spring. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: At the speed of sound

Being reflective is not about high ground. It’s not about your place compared to others…

The author takes a few shots of the sun and lantern-lit tent after sunset on a bear hunt earlier this spring. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
Mary Goddard holds salmon filets wrapped in deer heart leaves. (Courtesy Photo / Bethany Sonsini Goodrich)

Planet Alaska: The gift of deer heart

Deer heart is one of the early and most abundant greens in Tlingit Aaní.

Mary Goddard holds salmon filets wrapped in deer heart leaves. (Courtesy Photo / Bethany Sonsini Goodrich)

Alaska Science Forum: The worst fire year we can remember

Here’s how it happened.