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Photo by Jeff Lund/Juneau Empire The point of fishing is to catch fish, but there are other things to see and do while out on a trip.

Sports

I Went to the Woods: Fish of the summer

I was amped to be out on the polished ocean and was game for the necessary work of…

A female brown bear and her cub are pictured near Pack Creek on Admiralty Island on July 19, 2024. (Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire)

Sports

Bears: Beloved fuzzy Juneau residents — Part 2

Humor me for a moment and picture yourself next to a brown bear

A gray-headed chickadee feeds along the Canning River in northern Alaska in 2015. Photo by Aaron Lang.

Neighbors

Alaska Science Forum: Calling lost chickadees in far north poplars

If and when beavers do arrive, they could completely change habitats along North Slope river corridors

Photo by Don Miller Don Miller took this photograph of a Lituya Bay hillside shortly after the giant wave in 1958.

Neighbors

Alaska Science Forum: The giant wave of Lituya Bay

In 1958, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake triggered a tremendous landslide into the ocean.

Old growth habitat is as impressive as it is spectacular. (Photo by Jeff Lund/Juneau Empire)

Sports

I Went to the Woods: The right investments

Engaged participation in restoration and meaningful investment in recreation can make the future of Southeast special

Chloe Anderson for the Juneau Empire A black bear eats dandelions in a field on June 20 in Juneau.

Sports

Weekly Wonder: Bears: Beloved fuzzy Juneau residents — Part 1

My favorite sight, often visible from Egan drive, is the black bear

Broad-petaled gentian flowers were almost hidden in the other vegetation. (M.F. Wilson)

Sports

On the Trails: Late summer flowers

A stroll on the dike trail yielded floral signs that it was now late summer

A young bear scampers up from the slough. (Photo by Dawn Halls/courtesy)

Sports

On the Trails: Fun in the sun

Sometimes there is good fun right outside one’s doorstep

Chloe Anderson / Juneau Empire A pod of killer whales is pictured in the Lynn Canal on June 3.

Sports

Weekly Wonder: The gray area around black and white

Orcinus orca loosely translates to “barrel-chested creature from hell”

Photo courtesy Jeff Lund The author’s wife with a Dolly Varden.

Sports

I Went to the Woods: The fly fishing ecosystem

Anyone who didn’t drop rent on a single rod on their first trip into a fly shop remembers…

Humpback whales bubblenet feed in Saginaw Channel on July 18, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Photo by Chloe Anderson/Juneau Empire)

Sports

Weekly Wonder: Bubblenet feeding shows the humanity in humpback whales

Bubblenet feeding is a complex cooperative behavior handed down from one generation of whales to the next

A flying bat shows its extended hand and fingers of its “hand-wing.” (Photo by Bob Armstrong/courtesy)

Sports

On the Trails: Bats in the belfry

There are now six species of bat known to be resident in Southeast

The Treadwell Ditch Bridge (Photo courtesy of Trail Mix, Inc.)

News

Treadwell Ditch Trail fully reconnected from Eaglecrest to South Douglas, project organizers announce

The milestone marks the first time in over a century that the trail is fully connected

Photo by Jeff Lund Cruise ships are needed and welcome, but why can’t we find money to accommodate the local way of life rather than catering to the tourism industry?

Sports

I Went to the Woods: The original Southeast Alaska cruise

The ferry is charming. It demands patience.

Photo by Dave Harris/courtesy A toad tadpole and a dragonfly nymph meet head-on.

Sports

On the Trails: Pleasures of taking a daily walk

Sometimes we enjoy seeing something expected; sometimes there are surprises

Dark-eyed juncos make a typical nest cup of woven plant fibers. (Photo by Bob Armstrong/courtesy)

Sports

On the Trails: Bird nests: Variations on a theme

Within the range of more ordinary cup-like woven nests, there is a lot of variation in construction, using…

The shoot killed by last year's willow rose is surrounded by exuberant new shoots. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)

Sports

On the Trails: Spittlebugs, shore pines and avian juveniles

A friend and I strolled out to Nugget Falls, accompanied by the songs of warbling vireos

Cow parsnip inflorescences often attract crowds of small insects. (Photo Bob Armstrong/courtesy)

Sports

On The Trails: Some early summer observations

At the very end of June, with just one monster cruise ship in, a friend and I ventured…

Public lands are a unique privilege that Americans should relish and protect. (Photo courtesy Jeff Lund)

Sports

I Went to the Woods: The comment section: Where discourse goes to die

Someone always takes it upon themselves to filter a post, headline, story or ideas through their political view…

The dainty little flowers of sheep sorrel are either male or female, but not both. (Photo courtesy Mary F. Willson)

Sports

On the Trails: Butterworts, leaf rollers, and invasive flowers

On a bright, sunny day in mid-June, a friend and I strolled on the Lower Loop trail at…