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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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

Alive and hopping.

The new year holds promise like new stretches of the same river. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

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I Went to the Woods: New year, new water

Attacking the new water with a solid program allows better transitions to the next phase.

This photo shows a so-called "mummy berry." "The best-studied type of Monilinia attacks a blueberry species that is native to eastern North America but is also widely cultivated (e.g., in Pacific Northwest and British Colubmia)." writes Mary F. Willson. "When Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi infests Vaccinium corymbosum, the vegetative parts are blighted and the fruits become hard, wizened 'mummy berries.'" (Courtesy Photo / Matt Goff, sitkanature.org/photojournal)

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On the Trails: Climate warming and disease spread

The effects of climate change are being felt far and wide.

William Dall’s sketch of the mouth of what is now called the Melozitna River, which enters the Yukon River near the village of Ruby, from “Alaska and its Resources.”

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Alaska Science Forum: A scientist’s view of Alaska, 150 years ago

One year before Alaska became part of America, 21-year old William Dall ascended the Yukon River on a…

A black-capped chickadee pecks at a frozen turkey carcass in Fairbanks. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

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Finding a midwinter night’s roost

During the darkest days of Alaska’s winter, black-capped chickadees stuff themselves with enough seeds and frozen insects to…

This photo available under a Creative Commons license shows a great bustard. These birds, especially the males, selectively eat blister beetles that contain toxic cantharidin, but because the toxin is lethal to the birds except at very low doses, only one or two at a time. This toxin is known, from in vitro experiments in the lab, to kill fungi, round worms, and bacteria. (Francesco Veronesi / Flickr)

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On the Trails: Self-medication by many animals

Examples come from many kinds of critters.

Wilson's warblers are sometimes seen in early winter (Courtesy Photo / Gus van Vliet photo)

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On the Trails: Surviving winter is no small feat

Here’s how some diminutive vertebrates do it.

he Alaska Range sits beneath a December sunrise as seen from the UAF campus. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

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Alaska Science Forum: The dark season turns on winter solstice

One winter day not long ago, a reporter from the Sacramento Bee called. She had read a story…

Rain drizzles on a sign Wednesday morning at a trailhead leading into the Montana Creek Wetlands area. A public meeting was held Wednesday evening presenting a revised Montana Creek draft master plan. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

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Residents get a new view of the Montana Creek draft master plan

It proposes projects like new public use cabins, trails and maintenance.

The author was able to look at his new watch and see exactly what time the sun set so he could get to a location to photograph it. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

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I Went to the Woods: Watch and learn

Wrist-y business.

Male harlequins earn their name with their patchwork colors. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

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On the Trails: The colorful world of harlequins

On a cold, windy day in late November, I wandered out to Point Louisa. A strong, cold north…

People and dogs traverse the frozen surface Mendenhall Lake on Monday afternoon. Officials said going on to any part of Mendenhall Lake can open up serious risks for falling into the freezing waters. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

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Officials warn residents about the dangers of thin ice on Mendenhall Lake

Experts outline what to do in the situation that someone falls through ice

Juneau crowds flock to Eaglecrest Ski Area on Saturday to enjoy the official opening of the ski season. The mountain was limited to only utilizing the Porcupine Chairlift, but additional lifts are expected to open in the coming months, according to staff. (Jonson Kuhn / Juneau Empire)

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Eaglecrest Ski Area successfully lands soft opening

Additional lifts to open soon.

This photo shows Point Louisa at Auke Recreational Area. (Courtesy Photo / Kenneth Gill, gillfoto)

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Wild Shots: Photos of Mother Nature in Alaska

Superb reader-submitted photos of wildlife, scenery and/or plant life.

Harbor seals have a face full of whiskers, which the seals use to follow hydrodynamic wakes left by prey fish; even a blind seal can track a fish this way, discriminating victims by size and shape and direction of movement. (Courtesy Photo / Jos Bakker)

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On the Trails: The sense of touch

Touch is a mechanical sense, detecting physical stimuli such as pressure, texture, stretch, vibrations and flow. Touch receptors…

Alan Alda, center, was host of PBS’s “Scientific American Frontiers” when he visited Alaska in 2004. To his right is By Valentine, who worked in the glaciers lab at the Geophysical Institute with glaciologist Keith Echelmeyer (on Alda’s left). Echelmeyer died of brain cancer six years after Alda’s visit. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell, enhanced 18 years later by JR Ancheta)

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Alaska Science Forum: Alan Alda and the Alaska messengers

Climate change in the Arctic and Alaska is substantial; we can see signals it has arrived…”