Alaska Outdoors

Plant sale in May

There will be a plant sale on Saturday, May 7, at 9 a.m.-noon in the Safeway parking lot.This event is sponsored by Southeast Alaska Master… Continue reading

Eric Jordan's FV I Gotta trolls for salmon in 2015. Courtesy of Eric Jordan.

The faces behind the fish

Most Americans don’t know where their food comes from. Alaskans have it better, thanks to subsistence lifestyles and programs like Alaskans Own, a Sitka-based community… Continue reading

Eric Jordan's FV I Gotta trolls for salmon in 2015. Courtesy of Eric Jordan.
A bald eagle posing on a sunny day in the wetlands.

Wild Shots

Submit your wild shots: The Empire Outdoors page is looking for superb images of Alaska’s wildlife, scenery or plant life. Send your photos to: Outdoors… Continue reading

A bald eagle posing on a sunny day in the wetlands.

White creatures changing with the season

This morning, through the west window, I noticed a flash of white. I looked up from breakfast to see a short-tailed weasel popping from a… Continue reading

A wide-handed hermit crab looks out from its whelk shell.

On the trails: Intertidal highlights

Good low tides (minus four feet) during daylight hours on two days in early April brought us some superior tide-pooling opportunities. We try to do… Continue reading

A wide-handed hermit crab looks out from its whelk shell.

Prince of Wales mining symposium to be held on April 27-28

Prince of Wales Island-Wide Mining Symposium to be held on April 27-28The sixth annual Prince of Wales Island-Wide Mining Symposium will be held on April… Continue reading

On the Trails: Sticky plants

Many plants produce sticky or hooked hairs (technically called trichomes) that are useful in a dazzling array of ways. Some ways are quite straightforward, and… Continue reading

The aftermath of an avalanche that roared down Mount Juneau on March 31. Photo by Bruce Rogers.

Photos: Avalanche on Mount Juneau

An avalanche roars down Mount Juneau on March 31.… Continue reading

The aftermath of an avalanche that roared down Mount Juneau on March 31. Photo by Bruce Rogers.
Removing the plastic from young rhubarb.

Dirt Girl: Prepping your raised bed

With starts on my windowsill and any other place I can find to cram them in, I’m ready for the time to plant them outside.… Continue reading

Removing the plastic from young rhubarb.

Alaska Science Forum: Thule people had northern life figured out

About 1,000 years ago, Norse explorer Leif Ericson bumped into the New World at Newfoundland. The old world was filling up, with 300,000 people living… Continue reading

Sentinels of change: Gray whales in the Arctic

Gray whales do things differently.Gray whales look different, swim farther, and fight more fiercely than other whales.They owe their distinctive mottled look to a coat… Continue reading

Upper Taku Inlet king fishing closed

For sport fishing of king salmon in Juneau, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish regulations, is limiting fishermen to one… Continue reading

Trout Unlimited seeks volunteers to upgrade a trail to protect salmon habitat

The Juneau Chapter of Trout Unlimited is working with the U.S. Forest Service to upgrade salmon rearing habitat and upgrade a trail on the east… Continue reading

Be bear aware

Gov. Bill Walker proclaimed April to be Bear Awareness Month for good reason: bears have been roused earlier than usual from hibernation due to the… Continue reading

Yakutat hosts one of the largest and southernmost known nesting colonies of Aleutian Terns.

Sixth annual Yakutat Tern Festival celebrates Aleutian and Arctic Terns

The Sixth Annual Yakutat Tern Festival is June 2–5. The festival is a celebration of the natural and cultural resources of Yakutat. Yakutat hosts one… Continue reading

Yakutat hosts one of the largest and southernmost known nesting colonies of Aleutian Terns.
Pussy willows.

Wild Shots

Submit your wild shots: The Empire Outdoors page is looking for superb images of Alaska’s wildlife, scenery or plant life. Send your photos to: Outdoors… Continue reading

Pussy willows.
Ryland Bell of Elfin Cove and Juneau snowboards in Haines during the Freeride World Tour. Bell was first among snowboarders in the event. Photo by Jeremy Bernard.

Southeast Alaskan snowboarder Ryland Bell wins Haines Freeride event

The 2016 Swatch Freeride World Tour returned to Haines at the end of March. It was the fourth stop on the tour, and one that… Continue reading

Ryland Bell of Elfin Cove and Juneau snowboards in Haines during the Freeride World Tour. Bell was first among snowboarders in the event. Photo by Jeremy Bernard.

Things fall apart

There’s a rust spot on my tailgate.It started as an injury sustained while throwing rounds of cedar into the bed. After a year, it’s starting… Continue reading

Fish Factor: 1.5 million write against Frankensalmon

Alaska fishermen can send an SOS call directly to the Coast Guard, but many are not hooking up to the new lifeline.Digital Selective Calling (DSC)… Continue reading

Nick and Logan eat at a BBQ restaurant in Hiawasee, Georgia, after leaving the trail.

The Walking Trip: Walkers in the Woods, Part Two

Editor’s note: This is part two of a continuing series about Logan Miller and Nick Rutecki, both of Juneau, as they hike the United States. Our… Continue reading

Nick and Logan eat at a BBQ restaurant in Hiawasee, Georgia, after leaving the trail.