Alaska Outdoors

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On the Trails: Whelks learning and hemlocks fluting

Whelk-learned individuals.

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UAF ecologist Knut Kielland listens for a lynx he collared last year not far from Wiseman, Alaska. Mount Dillon, part of the Brooks Range, stands in the background. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Happenings north of the Arctic Circle

Though the calendar calls it springtime, the thermometer on the truck reads minus 28 F…

UAF ecologist Knut Kielland listens for a lynx he collared last year not far from Wiseman, Alaska. Mount Dillon, part of the Brooks Range, stands in the background. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
The author thought this reel was about five years old, but this photo from a trip to the Truckee River in California seven years ago made him realize just how long his favorite reel has been around. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: What makes a favorite

By Jeff Lund I was doing some math, which can be difficult. Not just because I’m an English teacher, but because it can be hard… Continue reading

The author thought this reel was about five years old, but this photo from a trip to the Truckee River in California seven years ago made him realize just how long his favorite reel has been around. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
An injured coyote with only three usable legs has survived over a year, hunting small mammals. (Courtesy Photo / Cheryl Cook)

On the Trails: Wild animals surviving serious injuries

To be adaptive, the benefits have to outweigh such costs.

An injured coyote with only three usable legs has survived over a year, hunting small mammals. (Courtesy Photo / Cheryl Cook)
Henry Allen a few decades after he — as a 26-year-old — crossed Alaska on foot and by boats in a U.S. government-sponsored expedition. (Public domain photo)

Alaska Science Forum: Across Alaska in one summer

Rotten moose meat unlikely to supplant birthday cake.

Henry Allen a few decades after he — as a 26-year-old — crossed Alaska on foot and by boats in a U.S. government-sponsored expedition. (Public domain photo)
A brown bear sleeps after taking a break from grazing on spring vegetation. (Courtesy Photo / Bjorn Dihle)

Pride of Bristol Bay: The brown bears of Bristol Bay and Alaska Peninsula

Bristol Bay and Alaska Peninsula makes up about one third of Alaska’s entire brown bear population.

A brown bear sleeps after taking a break from grazing on spring vegetation. (Courtesy Photo / Bjorn Dihle)
Blueberry flowers bloom in some sites in early March (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Waiting for spring

Critters and plants are getting ready for spring

Blueberry flowers bloom in some sites in early March (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Chignik Lake is the first of two lakes in the Chignik River system; it is longer and deeper than the second lake, Black Lake, which is wide and shallow. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

The Salmon State: A tale of two salmon

Chignik has two genetically distinct runs of sockey

Chignik Lake is the first of two lakes in the Chignik River system; it is longer and deeper than the second lake, Black Lake, which is wide and shallow. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
A hawk owl surveys the ground around its perch; note the white patches on the side of the head and the facial disc. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Eagle-eyed birders spot a hawk owl

Owl’s well on the trails.

A hawk owl surveys the ground around its perch; note the white patches on the side of the head and the facial disc. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
This photo shows a least and crested auklet on Kasatochi Volcano in 2012 (Gary S Drew / United States Geological Survey)

On the Trails: Birds’ sense of smell

Old myth doesn’t pass the sniff test.

This photo shows a least and crested auklet on Kasatochi Volcano in 2012 (Gary S Drew / United States Geological Survey)
Concept art from the U.S. Forest Service's draft environmental impact statement should what a proposed expansion at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center could look like. The Forest Service is currently taking public comment on the expansion and will hold an open house at the visitor center on March 15. (Courtesy Image / U.S. Forest Service)
Concept art from the U.S. Forest Service's draft environmental impact statement should what a proposed expansion at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center could look like. The Forest Service is currently taking public comment on the expansion and will hold an open house at the visitor center on March 15. (Courtesy Image / U.S. Forest Service)
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Alaska Science Forum: Dave Covey made the world a calmer place

He left us last week — a quiet exit that was totally Dave.

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I really want a tent with a stove. But by not buying one, I can afford a caribou hunt in the Brooks Range. Luckily, my buddy who owns a tent with a stove is bringing his. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: Wants vs. needs

I started to see the value of the middle ground.

I really want a tent with a stove. But by not buying one, I can afford a caribou hunt in the Brooks Range. Luckily, my buddy who owns a tent with a stove is bringing his. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
Pine siskins are feisty little birds, frequently aggressive against other birds and each other.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: February foragers were out and active

It’s a ‘seedy’ world.

Pine siskins are feisty little birds, frequently aggressive against other birds and each other.(Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
An olive-sided flycatcher perches atop a tree in Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Sara Germain, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Alaska Science Forum: Bird havens on a trans-continental journey

Right about now, songbirds in Brazil are shifting on their perches…

An olive-sided flycatcher perches atop a tree in Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Sara Germain, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
This photo shows a cross-section of a tree trunk, showing the asymmetrical growth induced when the tree leaned. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)

On the Trails: Wringing information out of wood

Wood as a biological entity, not as a commodity to be sold or a nuisance to be removed.

This photo shows a cross-section of a tree trunk, showing the asymmetrical growth induced when the tree leaned. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)
A pair of Long-tailed Ducks, Statter Harbor, Auke Bay, Southeast Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Kenneth Gill, gillfoto)

Wild Shots: Photos of Mother Nature in Alaska

Reader-submitted photos of Southeast Alaska.

A pair of Long-tailed Ducks, Statter Harbor, Auke Bay, Southeast Alaska. (Courtesy Photo / Kenneth Gill, gillfoto)
Todd Sformo looks for overwintering insects in the forest near Chena Hot Springs. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Hardy gnats survive winter half frozen

As sometimes happens in science, a chance decision led to a discovery.

Todd Sformo looks for overwintering insects in the forest near Chena Hot Springs. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
Glacial retreat will create thousands of miles of new salmon habitat by 2100 — which means, scientists say, that managers need to be thinking proactively about how to manage that land. Pictured is a king salmon on a Southeast Alaska shore. (Mary Catharine Martin / SalmonState)
Glacial retreat will create thousands of miles of new salmon habitat by 2100 — which means, scientists say, that managers need to be thinking proactively about how to manage that land. Pictured is a king salmon on a Southeast Alaska shore. (Mary Catharine Martin / SalmonState)
Moving to the other side of town has provided new views for the author on morning walks. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: Home is where the baleen is

It seems like a real, authentic Southeast home needs to be centered around a good piece of baleen.

Moving to the other side of town has provided new views for the author on morning walks. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)