Harriet Hunt Lake: Red-throated Loon & Nest
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Ketchikan: Hansen Holds On Through Final Weekend to Win 65th Annual King Salmon Derby; Youth Top Ten sees eight new entrants in final weekend of fishing - The Ketchikan CHARR King Salmon Derby wrapped its third and final weekend of the annual event, capping the derby’s 65th  birthday. Kevin Hansen held out through the final two weekends of the event to win with a 43.2 lb king he hooked during the first weekend of the tournament.  2011 winner Kyle Worman also hooked his fish on the first weekend of derby fishing – both anglers then had to wait and watch (and fish!) as others tried to best their entry.

Kevin Hansen Holds On Through Final Weekend to Win 65th Annual King Salmon Derby
Photo courtesy Ketchikan CHARR King Salmon Derby 

Hansen’s fish will net him the derby’s $10,065 cash purse, in addition to a large photograph of the winning entry.  Hansen’s king was weighed in at the Clover Pass Resort weigh-in station at noon during the second day of the tournament.

Mathew Murphy will be claiming the second place prize with his 38.6 pound Chinook Salmon and John Dickinson hooks third place with a 36.9 pound Chinook Salmon. Mike Ramsay came in fourth with his 36.6 pound Chinook Salmon.

Participation in the event was consistently about 100 anglers down from where it was during the 2011 derby.  A total of 723 anglers checked in at one of four weigh-in stations during the final weekend of the event.   - More...
Tuesday - June 12, 2012

Southeast Alaska: USPS Urged To Step Up War on Drugs in Southeast Alaska - As communities throughout Southeast Alaska report significant volumes of illegal drugs transported via the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Stes Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is asking the Postmaster General to address the matter, possibly by devoting additional US Postal Inspection Service resources to the area or increasing collaboration with local law enforcement agencies to reduce the flow of drugs into Southeast.

Senator Murkowski has been working with the US Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration since last August to identify ways to interrupt illegal drugs trafficking into Southeast Alaska through the mail, the Alaska Marine Highway System and other transportation avenues.

In a letter, to the Postmaster General, Murkowski wrote,  “I am told the U.S. Postal Service has become a main conduit for drug trafficking in Juneau, Petersburg, and other Southeast Alaska communities.  For example, Alaska State Representative Muñoz reports that in the past two years, only one, 2.5 day USPS inspection was permitted, and that inspection revealed 10 packages of narcotics valued at over $300,000.” - More...
Tuesday - June 12, 2012

Alaska: Final Workshops on Animal Care Standards Scheduled By Mary Kauffman - The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Office of the State Veterinarian has already hosted two separate series of public workshops to develop statewide animal care standards. Now the department will be hosting the third and final series of these public workshops on June 27th and July 2nd. Both upcoming workshops will cover the same topics: general care standards and humane euthanasia.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation was prompted to develop animal care standards in order to provide more detail and clarification on the minimum standards of care for animals. The end goal of the workshops is to provide clear standards for the public, law enforcement and courts as to what constitutes adequate feeding, watering, and environment for common livestock and pets in Alaska.

The impetus for this effort was the passage of legislation several years ago which tasked the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation with the development of animal care standards. Almost every other state has created similar standards to guide private veterinarians and law enforcement as they investigate animal cruelty cases. Without standards, it is difficult to determine what constitutes animal abuse and neglect. - More...
Tuesday - June 12, 2012

Southeast Alaska: Putting Up POW Grub celebrates 10 years - Alaskans spend much of the summer harvesting berries, fish, seaweed and other local foods so they can put up some grub for the winter. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Putting Up POW Grub event hosted by the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Prince of Wales Health Promotion Program.

This year’s Putting Up POW Grub events take place in Hydaburg and Klawock - from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, June 15, at the Alma Cook Health Center in Hydaburg, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall in Klawock.

The event was originally started to help community members put up local foods safely by offering gauge testing for pressure cookers (recommended each year). Evelyn Williams and June May, SEARHC’s Community Wellness Advocates for Klawock and Craig at the time, were trained in safe food preservation by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service’s home economists. The training made them qualified to use the master gauge tester to check the accuracy of home canner pressure gauges around the community. In addition to gauge testing, the event planners strived to provide a variety of food preservation handouts, recipes and gardening tips. To sweeten the pot, there have always been enticing door prizes, even brand-new pressure cookers at the various event sites of Hydaburg, Craig and Klawock. - More...
Tuesday - June 12, 2012

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