Fawn Quietly Waits for Mother's Return
Front Page Photo By HEIDI PRENTISS

Southeast Alaska: Metlakatla tribal fishery achieves MSC certification - The Metlakatla Indian Community fishery located in tribal waters surrounding the Annette Islands Reserve in Southeast Alaska has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an independent, third-party certifier. There are 12 Units of Certification covering Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), using three gear types, Gillnet, Seine, and Troll.

Kerry Coughlin, MSC’s regional director, Americas, said: “The certification of the Annette Islands Reserve is a story of cultural heritage spanning two centuries and we are proud to be part of the story and the legacy that will be passed on to future Metlakatla generations.” Coughlin added, “The responsible management demonstrated by the tribe will help sustain the fishery and Metlakatla community for generations to come.”

The Metlakatla Indian Community fishery operates from May through October and pink salmon represents the majority of the harvest, at approximately 83%. The harvest averaged 1.1 million salmon or approximately 3,000 Metric Tonnes over ten years and value averaged US$1.3 million. The harvest is sold primarily to markets in Europe.

Metlakatla Mayor Arthur G. Fawcett said, “MSC certification and the fishery improvements over time that will result from the conditions contained in certification will send a powerful message to the local community, tribal members, Alaska neighbors and European markets that purchase our seafood that the Metlakatla Indian Community is committed to sustainable fishing practices for this and future generations."

“Our ancestors who came to Annette Island in 1887 were dedicated environmental stewards of the land and the sea and MSC certification confirms our commitment to preserve the legacy we inherited and manage the resource to sustain the fish stocks and our heritage for future Metlakatla generations,” said Karl Cook Jr., a commercial fisherman and tribal member. - More...
Wednesday - June 22, 2011

Alaska: Louisville Zoo Will Be Orphaned Polar Bear Cub's New Home - Zoo Director John Walczak announced Wednesday that the Louisville Zoo will soon be home to the orphaned polar bear cub that received national attention when she was found in Alaska in April by employees of ConocoPhillips. Five-month old Qannik is scheduled to arrive in late June and will be off public exhibit for a period of time for quarantine and to adjust to her new surroundings.

Qannik means "snowflake" in the Inupiat language and it is also the name of the oil field where she was found. Qannik brings the total captive population of polar bears in North America to only 79.

The cub's journey from the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage to Louisville has been dubbed "Operation Snowflake" and is the product of a two month collaboration between the Alaska Zoo and Louisville Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Polar Bears International (PBI) and UPS.

"In a collaborative effort with USFWS, it was determined the best placement for this little cub would be Louisville where both her physical and psychological needs could be met," commented Dr. Randi Meyerson, the Coordinator of the Polar Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP), one of AZA's cooperative breeding management programs that assists threatened and endangered species. "The Louisville Zoo's new Glacier Run bear habitat is an excellent facility with a lot of space, flexibility, animal training and enrichment options," continued Meyerson. "Several of the Zoo's staff have over 10 years of experience of working with polar bears which was also a key factor in making the decision, as was the strong conservation messaging centered around Glacier Run." An equally important factor was the tentatively-scheduled placement of a young captive-born polar bear in Louisville later in 2011.

"We're glad that the cub will soon be settled in a permanent home," said Rosa Meehan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Region, which assisted with the zoo selection process. "I'm confident that the Louisville Zoo is the right choice, and that the cub will be a valuable "spokesbear," teaching the public about polar bears and their habitat, and increasing the scientific community's understanding of this threatened species."

Qannik was born in January and was first spotted on Alaska's North Slope in February with her mother and sibling. A radio monitoring collar was placed on the mother but it slipped off. In late April, Qannik was spotted alone. An unsuccessful aerial search was conducted to locate the mother and Qannik was rescued. The USFWS called the Alaska Zoo to care for the cub. Patrick Lampi, executive director of the Alaska Zoo says, "Qannik arrived at the Alaska Zoo weighing only 15 pounds. She has progressed well under the Zoo's care and now weighs 60 pounds and responds well to her caretakers." - More...
Wednesday PM - June 22, 2011

Columns - Commentary

DAVE KIFFER: Be Prepared - My Dad always thought of Boy Scouts as "amateur hour."

Sure, he was the great outdoors guy, hunting, fishing, trapping pretty much all year round. And I got to go with, much to my general dislike.

Even today, men often get wistful when I talk about my life to age 15, which was a seemingly continuous miserable slog through the muskeg or the woods. And of course, there were those summers spent commercial fishing from 4 am to nearly midnight.

If that sounds like heaven to you, great.

I understand that we often feel a need to get back to our frontier roots. And I understand that many people really do cherish their time hunting and fishing and etc. But it is a hard life and there is a big difference between doing it when you want to and doing it when you have to. Especially when you are seven or eight years old.

Most days I would have just preferred to curl up with a good book and enjoyed the civilized comfort of "town."

But now, I find myself yearning - not to reclaim my wilderness youth - but to at least provide a sliver of it for my son. I want Liam to have outdoor experiences. Just not the brutal, forced marches that I went through.

So that brings us back to boy scouts.

For three years running, Liam and I have attended cub scout camp at Orton Ranch right around Memorial Day.

Despite my personal aversion to most things "outdoorsy," heading off to Orton Ranch - about 12 miles from the end of the road - always reminds how lucky we are to be surrounded by the great outdoors.

When we spend most of our days in "town" we tend to forget just how spectacular life is all around us, as we grumble our way through traffic and deal with all the little irritations of getting by.

Besides there is nothing like camp food and sleeping on an uncomfortable bunk to remind me how much I like civilization, like indoor plumbing and baseboard heat. - More...
Monday - June 20, 2011

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