Search results for

Researchers at the Kenai Fjords National Park have long known that many of the glaciers in the park are retreating. But now, they have data that quantifies that change over time.

The constant barrage of rain has come at the chagrin of a lot of Alaskans in Southcentral this summer. But Jenni Trissel, of Kachemak Naturals in Homer, said it’s been awesome for Alaskans harvesting berries and mushrooms.

There’s a special “youth-only” fishing opener on the Homer Spit this Saturday. A portion of the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon will be open from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. for youth anglers age 15 years and younger looking to catch coho salmon.

A volunteer group in Cooper Landing with a fun name and a messy job has been keeping unmanned dump sites on the Kenai Peninsula clean for more than 25 years.

It’s time to count cranes again in Homer. Homer’s Crane Count starts back up on Saturday, and the event — put on by Kachemak Crane Watch — needs residents to help spot the large, long-legged birds.

A record number of sockeye salmon passed through the sonar on the Kasilof River on Wednesday. About 125,628 sockeye were recorded at the sonar there — a new daily record for the run, according to Brian Marston, Alaska Department of Fish and Game's area manager for Upper Cook Inlet commercial fisheries. The surge brings the sockeye run on the Kasilof to 568,703 fish this run.

Three days after they were ordered to take their nets out of the water, Cook Inlet set-netters are suing the state over the fishery’s closure. In a case filed in state court this week, the Cook Inlet Fishermen's Fund, representing Cook Inlet fishermen, said the state’s mismanaging the east-side set-net fishery to the benefit of other user groups. It’s asking the state to immediately reopen the fishery this season to its 440 or so permit-holders, to pay fishermen back for what they lost and to revise the plan that closed it in the first place.

Two locals are trying to bring the Civil Air Patrol back to Homer. The program is the “civilian arm” of the U.S. Air Force, and is made up of cadet and adult volunteers. In Alaska, there are about 750 members who belong to 17 squadrons located throughout the state, including one in Kenai.

Soon-to-be seven-year-old Isa Santiago splashed through a tidepool at Bishop’s Beach Friday morning. She shrieked excitedly when she spotted a dark pink sea star glued to the rocks, surrounded by dark gray and green stars. Isa and her family made the four-and-a-half hour drive from their home in Eagle River to tidepool during one of the lowest tides of the year in Homer. Her mom, Kyra Santiago, said she started planning the trip nine months ago.

Unseasonable weather has cut Alaska’s hay harvest in half and sent the price of feed soaring, making it difficult for both farmers livestock producers who already were struggling with high fuel and fertilizer prices. State and federal experts are advising Alaska farmers to expect continued unusual weather, and they’ve scheduled workshops next month to help farmers plan for the new normal.