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Community members in the small town of Whale Pass on northern Prince of Wales Island are fighting against the state’s plan to clear-cut nearly 300 acres of old-growth timber — including some within city limits. They’re concerned the clear cuts could hurt the town’s tourism industry and make landslides more likely, and time is running out to stop the timber sale. -
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy last Thursday announced a Disaster Emergency for Skagway after a recent visit by state officials. Skagway’s Mayor had previously declared a similar Disaster Emergency after rockslides caused a temporary shut down of its busiest cruise ship dock earlier this summer. A portion of the dock reopened, but estimates say nearly 125,000 cruise passengers had to skip the port
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Volunteers on the Kenai Peninsula are taking stock of the area’s streams in an effort to protect the salmon and other fish that might live there. -
It’s not an uncommon story for cultural artifacts, or tribal property to go missing or fall into the wrong hands. A less common story? For those objects to be returned. In Sitka this July , a Kik.sadi clan house was repatriated after nearly 20 years in the possession of another clan. Its new legal owner, Jerrick Hope-Lang, hopes the historic exchange will spur a greater conversation about repatriation.
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The Homer-based company Salmon Sisters launched a line of apparel last month that's getting a lot of attention. Hundreds of comments on social media have called their new clothing design “cultural appropriation.”
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Two harbor seal pups who were rescued in Kasilof [kuh-SEE-loff] earlier this summer [6/2] are ready to be released back to the ocean. The two-and-a-half-month-olds have spent the summer living at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. They’ve gained weight and new skills. And now - as the SeaLife Center puts it - they’ve graduated from “fish school.”
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Alaska experiences some of the highest rates of suicide in the nation. According to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the rates are 47.6 percent higher for Indigenous people compared with non-Indigenous people in 2019. And while many unknowns and factors complicate suicide prevention and awareness, support and new educational materials are increasingly available.
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At the end of summer, hordes of salmon fill the streams and creeks around Lake Aleknagik. They have traveled thousands of miles from the ocean. These waterways are an important part of the salmon life cycle, where adult fish come to spawn and then die. The fish aren’t the only ones hanging out in these waters. Each year, researchers from the University of Washington’s Alaska Salmon Program follow them upstream to survey the number of salmon that reach the spawning grounds.
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Kuskokwim River fishermen are urging state fishery managers to open the upper river to silver salmon fishing. On Wednesday, for the first time ever, the state closed the entire Kuskokwim and most of its tributaries to nearly all subsistence fishing to conserve the species. State data indicates the run is on track to be the lowest ever, and is unlikely to meet state escapement goals for silvers reaching their spawning grounds.
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A small village in Bristol Bay received a statewide award for their work promoting literacy and education. The community of about 70 residents has pursued big things from its little library. KDLG’s Katherine Moncure reports that the award’s recipients want to make their programs accessible to others throughout Bristol Bay.
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The Qawalangin Tribe hosted an annual culture camp last week in Unalaska. During the weeklong celebration of Unangax̂ culture, mentors passed down knowledge and skills, and even started a new tradition of their own. KUCB’s Laurelin Kruse reports
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A Ketchikan history teacher is writing a book about 19th century Tlingit history. Peter Stanton hopes to spend a year away from the classroom to document a time of transition for Native people in Southeast Alaska.
