Alaska Outdoors

On the Trails: Fungi and wildlife

Taking a bite of mushroom or truffle is quick and easy.

Jeff Sauer and his wife, Theresa Svancara, stop for a picture in Glacier National Park in Montana while hiking the Continental Divide Trail in September 2018. (Photo courtesy Jeff Sauer)
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Juneau hiker finishes country’s three major trails

He’s one of just under 400 people to do it.

Jeff Sauer and his wife, Theresa Svancara, stop for a picture in Glacier National Park in Montana while hiking the Continental Divide Trail in September 2018. (Photo courtesy Jeff Sauer)
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Sockeye salmon splash their way up Steep Creek in 2012. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

Glacier center starts ‘Mendenhall Minis’ program for young children

The Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center will host a series of activities for young children this winter on the second Saturday of every month. The events… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon splash their way up Steep Creek in 2012. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)
Labels and group identities are complex. Just because the author is conflicted about Prop 1, doesn’t mean he doesn’t Stand for Salmon. (Courtesy Photo | Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Longing to belong

I sat under the cover of a massive cedar tree on top of a steep hill hidden from Google Earth satellites, hoping a deer will… Continue reading

Labels and group identities are complex. Just because the author is conflicted about Prop 1, doesn’t mean he doesn’t Stand for Salmon. (Courtesy Photo | Jeff Lund)
High-bush cranberries on Douglas Island on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

On the Trails: Berries and cherries

It is advantageous for plants to disperse their seeds away from the parent plant. If all the seeds just fell under the parent, the high… Continue reading

High-bush cranberries on Douglas Island on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Dr. Kevin Maier. (Courtesy Photo)

Sustainable Alaska: An autumnal mediation on salmon and sustainable decision making

As Alaskans, we know this — salmon are a defining characteristic of our state’s cultures.

Dr. Kevin Maier. (Courtesy Photo)
The remains of a caribou not far from the Dalton Highway north of Atigun Pass. (Courtesy Photos | Ned Rozell)

Wildlife Wednesday gets brainy

At the next Wildlife Wednesday on Nov. 7, naturalists Mary Willson and Kathy Hocker will share images, stories from the field and hands-on skull examples… Continue reading

The remains of a caribou not far from the Dalton Highway north of Atigun Pass. (Courtesy Photos | Ned Rozell)
Andrea Odell, an undergraduate student in the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, tosses dead sockeye salmon onto the bank of Hansen Creek in southwest Alaska in August 2018 while other researchers record data and look for salmon in the stream. (Courtesy Photo | Dan DiNicola via University of Washington)

Researchers threw salmon carcasses on one side of a creek for 20 years. Here’s what happened.

New study proves something Alaskans always knew.

Andrea Odell, an undergraduate student in the University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, tosses dead sockeye salmon onto the bank of Hansen Creek in southwest Alaska in August 2018 while other researchers record data and look for salmon in the stream. (Courtesy Photo | Dan DiNicola via University of Washington)
Unsplash.com stock image.

Cooperative Extension closes to move locations

The Juneau Cooperative Extension Service office will close today to move locations. The office helps interpret and extend research-based knowledge to locals. From family and… Continue reading

Unsplash.com stock image.
Golden hour on Auke Lake. 30 Seconds from the road. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)

Photos: Resting in Juneau

I guess it’s OK to take a break.

Golden hour on Auke Lake. 30 Seconds from the road. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
Blue waters of the Taku Inlet. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)

Photo blog: Taku Glacier Flight

Nothing fills your lungs, your eyes and your soul like Alaska.

Blue waters of the Taku Inlet. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
A bat hibernates in a cave. (Courtesy Photo | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Glacier sends up bat signal with weekend activities

Just in time for Halloween, the U.S. Forest Service will celebrate National Bat Week at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center this weekend. Youth-oriented activities and… Continue reading

A bat hibernates in a cave. (Courtesy Photo | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Katie McCaffrey racing the Herbert Glacier Trail. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)

Photos: Biking and hiking Herbert Glacier

Over the weekend Katie McCaffrey and I spent almost eight hours approaching and exploring the Herbert Glacier at mile 28 on the Juneau road system.… Continue reading

Katie McCaffrey racing the Herbert Glacier Trail. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)

On The Trails: Bears in autumn

What happens to bears in years when food sources are poor?

If irrational anger follows viewing an image of the lone steelhead of a trip, one needs some perspective. (Jeff Lund | For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: A little perspective

We live at a time and in a country when we have so much free time and so much money, we can spend $700 on a fly rod and go to rivers to catch and release fish.

If irrational anger follows viewing an image of the lone steelhead of a trip, one needs some perspective. (Jeff Lund | For the Juneau Empire)
Soaking in the warmth of the sunshine at the top. (Gabe Donohoe | For Juneau Empire)

Photos: Fall Colors on Mount McGinnis

Definitely a Gucci view.

Soaking in the warmth of the sunshine at the top. (Gabe Donohoe | For Juneau Empire)
A fledgling murrelet tests its water skills before being re-released into the wild. (Courtesy Photo | Pat Bock)

Security guard helps save bird

At the end of August, a security guard helped save a bird in Salmon Creek. Jeff Williams, an office for Juneau Goldbelt Security, found a… Continue reading

A fledgling murrelet tests its water skills before being re-released into the wild. (Courtesy Photo | Pat Bock)

This October, think about blood-sucking ticks

This tick is very rare in Alaska, but that could change.

The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States at 17 million acres. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

USFS offers email updates on Tongass projects

People interested in keeping up-to-date project happenings on the Tongass National Forest can sign up for email lists. The U.S. Forest Service uses these lists… Continue reading

The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States at 17 million acres. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Kayaking into a scientific adventure

Is this a glimpse of the “new normal” for Endicott Arm?

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