Site Logo
The author's wife waits for a steelhead to hit. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

News

I Went to the Woods: A solid skunking

But learning never stops and often happens best when reflecting upon failure.

A pair of rough-skinned newts beginning the process of mating in a local pond this spring.  (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

News

On the Trails: Rough-skinned newts

Breaking new(t)s.

This photo was taken at Point Bridget State Park. (Courtesy Photo / Nicholette Villarreal)

News

Wild Shots

Reader-submitted photos of Mother Nature in Southeast Alaska.

In October 2007, 1-year-old Anna Rozell admired a statue of Balto in Central Park of New York City. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Long after run to glory, Balto lives on

Balto gives scientists insight into what makes Alaska sled dogs and other working breeds unique.

Blueberry flowers provide early-season food for bumblebees. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

News

On the Trails: Setting the seasonal clocks

Our spring is slow in coming.

Kristen Rozell skis past grizzly bear tracks pressed into a snowmachine trail near Fairbanks on April 23, 2023. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Bear tracks on snow a sign of the season

Melt season is a sad time for people who enjoy the magic of snow crystals bonding so well…

This photo shows an Aleutian tern. Intentionally scheduled during the “slow season” to help boost the economy between the steelhead and sockeye runs, the Yakutat Tern Festival is a celebration of Yakutat’s natural and cultural resources, highlighted by the area’s Aleutian terns. The Yakutat Nature Society will host the 12th Annual Yakutat Tern Festival in Yakutat, from June 1 through June 4 — with a more robust schedule of events compared to recent years. (Courtesy Photo / Nate Catterson)

News

12th Annual Yakutat Tern Festival is not just for the birds

Southeast Alaska Birding Trail & Guide offers regenerative ways to see state, boost rural economies.

The author's steelhead was not in the mood for pictures. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

News

I Went to the Woods: One good fish

Often it’s the thinking that supplies the proper amount of weight and gratitude.

This December 2013 photo available under a Creative Commons license shows holly berries and leaves. A study of European holly in Spain showed that leaf browsing by mammals induces an increase of prickliness of the leaves. (Dendroica Cerulea / Flickr)

News

On the Trails: Inheritance of genetic and acquired traits

Fun with phenotype phenomenon.

Emiko and Syun-Ichi Akasofu serve tea to guests at their home in Fairbanks in December 2021. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Aurora expert helped expand Alaska tourism

When Syun-Ichi Akasofu walks by in the building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus that bears his…

A snowboarder stays afloat on the skim pond at Eaglecrest Ski Area as they partake in the return of the Slush Cup Saturday afternoon. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)

News

Slush Cup returns to Eaglecrest

The ski area waves goodbye to the 2022-2023 winter season.

Iditarod checkpoint volunteers turned a light on in the ghost town of Ophir during the 2023 race. (Courtesy Photo / Jay Cable)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Biking 1,000 miles of Iditarod trail

During a human-powered journey of that length, things will not go as planned.

Trevor Fredrickson, Sam Fredrickson and Beebuks Kookesh hike down to the shore on the way to be picked up by a floatplane that would return them home, to Angoon. (Courtesy Photo / Mary Catharine Martin)

News

The Salmon State: Crossing Kootznoowoo — and exploring potential career paths

The 30-mile Cross-Admiralty Canoe Route could be seen as a straightforward trip: start in Angoon (Aangóon, or “isthmus…

This photo taken along the Rainforest Trail shows adventitious shoots on a red alder. (Mary F. Willson / For the Juneau Empire)

News

On the Trails: Roots, shoots, tumors and bone spurs

Adventitious adventures.

A raven scans the horizon. Ravens are one of several animals known to gather together when resting at night. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

News

Raven roosts shrouded in mystery

As the sun set and the sky dimmed, the birds kept coming.

Not all steelhead are photogenic. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

News

I Went to the Woods: Way too easy

Fish on.

An otter sleeps on the ice near an open channel (Courtesy Photo / Jos Bakker)

News

On the Trails: Spring comes slowly

As I await more and bigger signs of spring, there have been good things to see along the…

A bumblebee had pried open a lupine flower (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)

News

On the Trails: Social bees and social learning

Dancing, dialects and more.

HP Marshall of Boise State University takes a photo of Alaska’s North Slope north of the Brooks Range during a snow survey as part of a NASA experiment. (Courtesy Photo / Sveta Stuefer)

News

Alaska Science Forum: Dozens descend upon Alaska to measure snow

“We would like to be able to map the water-equivalent (in snow) globally.”

T

News

I Went to the Woods: Booking a bargain

The cheapest hotel in the line was on the end next to a bus stop with an advertisement…