Alaska Outdoors

A slime mold aggregation has climbed up the seed stalk of a plantain.

Off the Trails: Curious naturalists

Some friends and I find it endlessly entertaining to take a walk and just see what we can see. Sometimes our curiosity raises more questions… Continue reading

A slime mold aggregation has climbed up the seed stalk of a plantain.
A tick on an Alaskan who traveled to upstate New York.

Alaska Science Forum: Exotic ticks found on Alaska dogs, Alaskans

While Alaskans have long endured dense mosquitoes and frigid air, we’ve always had the absence of venomous snakes and dog ticks.But the latter may be… Continue reading

A tick on an Alaskan who traveled to upstate New York.

Obama visits far-flung Midway Atoll

HONOLULU — Halfway between East and West, President Barack Obama traveled Thursday to one of the most remote corners of the ocean — Midway Atoll… Continue reading

FILE--In this Aug. 21, 2016 file photo, dead whitefish float in the Yellowstone River near Emigrant, Mont. Montana re-opened portions of the Yellowstone River Thursday, Sept. 1, but is keeping a popular stretch closed due to a fish-killing parasite. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, file)

Portions of Yellowstone River, some tributaries open following parasite infection

BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana re-opened portions of the Yellowstone River and some tributaries Thursday but is keeping a popular stretch closed to all recreational activity… Continue reading

FILE--In this Aug. 21, 2016 file photo, dead whitefish float in the Yellowstone River near Emigrant, Mont. Montana re-opened portions of the Yellowstone River Thursday, Sept. 1, but is keeping a popular stretch closed due to a fish-killing parasite. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, file)

Hawaii dodges Madeline, prepares for second storm

HILO, Hawaii — A tropical storm left parts of Hawaii’s Big Island soggy but intact Thursday as residents of the island state prepare for a… Continue reading

Jessa Solis, a crew member for the non-profit organization Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and others strip bark from a naturally-downed tree while working to repair a trail destroyed in a major flood a few years earlier, inside Rocky Mountain National Park, near Estes Park, Colo., on Aug. 4, 2016. Rocky Mountain Conservancy works for the U.S. Park Service, running crews who do whatever work is needed. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

National Park Service celebrates 100 years, seeks minorities’ support

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — When Asha Jones and other Grand Canyon interns arrived for their summer at the national park, they were struck… Continue reading

Jessa Solis, a crew member for the non-profit organization Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and others strip bark from a naturally-downed tree while working to repair a trail destroyed in a major flood a few years earlier, inside Rocky Mountain National Park, near Estes Park, Colo., on Aug. 4, 2016. Rocky Mountain Conservancy works for the U.S. Park Service, running crews who do whatever work is needed. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
A bumblebee approaches a monkshood flower.

Off the Trails: The life of bumblebees

A bumblebee colony begins in spring, when a queen bee emerges from hibernation and searches for nectar and pollen.She mated the previous fall, so her… Continue reading

A bumblebee approaches a monkshood flower.

Alaska Science Forum: The state of the state, 110 years ago

Alfred Brooks was a geologist who traveled thousands of miles in Alaska and left his name on the state’s northernmost mountain range. Twenty years before… Continue reading

Johnson Youth Center youth stand by their prize winning vegetables.

Dirt Girl: Johnson Youth Center takes home the gold

The Johnson Youth Center Garden Program may not have taken gold, but at the Harvest Fair I counted 29 ribbons from their entries. In the… Continue reading

Johnson Youth Center youth stand by their prize winning vegetables.

Waterfowl hunting season to feature bag limit boosts for some species

Waterfowl hunting season opens Sept. 1 over much of Alaska and several regulations changes – including increases to daily bag limits for canvasbacks, snow geese… Continue reading

Community input requested for Glacier facilities design

The U.S. Forest Service invites the community to participate in design meetings beginning 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Juneau Ranger District conference room at… Continue reading

Wolf advocates outraged that state preparing to kill wolves

SPOKANE, Wash. — Wolf advocates are outraged that the state is preparing for the second time to exterminate an entire wolf pack for preying on… Continue reading

ATA registered shoot results

On a rainy Juneau day, seven members of the Juneau Gun Club participated in a scheduled ATA Registered Shoot. Six shot while one member, “Bud”… Continue reading

Western Governors plan workshops on forest management

HELENA, Mont. — The Western Governors’ Association plans five workshops to discuss forest and rangeland management practices and develop a compromise that could include more… Continue reading

Shooting practice league prep for duck season

For the upcoming duck season, the Juneau Gun Club is offering to its members and the general public a four-week shotgun shooting practice league. The… Continue reading

Niagara Falls latest natural wonder to add zip line

Niagara Falls is the latest natural wonder to add a zip line, offering honeymooners and everyone else the chance to take an adrenaline-pumping plunge toward… Continue reading

Toxins found in phytoplankton in Sitka and Hydaburg

The Southeast Alaska Tribal Toxins partnership discovered harmful toxins in some phytoplankton that could cause health effects in humans while collecting samples in Southeast Alaska.SEATT… Continue reading

Alaskan restrictions help Yukon kings meet Canadian goals

For the second year running, Yukon River chinook salmon seem to be climbing out of an abundance pit.The river is home to a bulk of… Continue reading

commercial fishermen have only harvested 8 million pinks as of Aug. 15 in Prince William Sound, the state's largest pink run.

Poor production of pink salmon mystifies

Weather patterns contributed to a screwy sockeye run in 2015, and this year the same is happening to pinks, the second-largest salmon harvest in Alaska.In… Continue reading

commercial fishermen have only harvested 8 million pinks as of Aug. 15 in Prince William Sound, the state's largest pink run.

Off the Trails: Plant evolution and life cycles

Occasionally, friends have asked me about the life cycles of plants, so here I will attempt to summarize them, in the context of plant evolution.… Continue reading