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SitNews - Stories In The News - Ketchikan, Alaska
Monday
August 05, 2013

Front Page Photo By CHARLES HABERBUSH

Scenic Ketchikan
Ketchikan as viewed from Deer Mountain as the fog lifted from the Tongass Narrows, July 31, 2013.
Front Page Photo By CHARLES HABERBUSH ©2013
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)

 

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Southeast Alaska: Wrangell's pioneering tourism entrepreneurs By PAULA DOBBYN - Sylvia Ettefagh made her living as a drift gillnetter, fishing the waters near her home in Wrangell for many years. When prices for Alaska wild salmon tanked in the 1990s following the rise of Chilean farmed salmon, Ettefagh knew she needed to switch gears.

Wrangell's pioneering tourism entrepreneurs

Jim Leslie, owner of Alaska Waters Inc., piloting a jet boat on the Sitkine River near Wrangell.
Photograph by Paula Dobbyn ©2013

She and her husband, John Verhey, took a look around. It was 1995 and Wrangell’s main employer, a sawmill, had just closed, leaving more than 250 people jobless. Between the mill closure and the depressed salmon prices, Wrangell’s economy was dire. But amid the gloom and hardship, Ettefagh and Verhey saw potential in the town’s location. Wrangell sits on a mountainous coastal island in the heart of the Tongass National Forest. A massive rainforest of nearly 17-million acres, the Tongass hosts  thousands of miles of salmon and trout-filled rivers and lakes, picturesque stands of ancient trees, a plethora of wildlife including whales, bears,  moose and eagles, as well as stunning glaciers, emerald fjords, and snow-capped mountains.

 “It looked to us like tourism could be an option,” said Ettefagh.

She and Verhey launched Alaska Vistas that year, becoming one of Wrangell’s pioneering tourism companies.  Until then, tourism was in its infancy in Wrangell, a blue-collar town with a history of boom-and-bust cycles in fur, fishing, mining and more recently timber. Ettefagh was not alone in sensing that Wrangell’s natural beauty could attract tourists. Several timber industry veterans moved in that direction as well. There are now at least seven jet boat tour operators, a slew of hunting and fishing outfitters, a glistening convention and visitors’ center, and no shortage of operators offering kayaking, guided hiking, cultural tours and other options.

While Wrangell remains a sleepy, off-the-beaten-track town still trying to secure its economic footing, tourism has evolved into a growing sector that adds diversity to what had been a one-industry town. Tourism in Wrangell is largely built around the area’s wild landscape. Some of the main Wrangell-area highlights include the Stikine River, the LeConte Glacier, and the Anan Wildlife Observatory, one of the world’s best places to view black and brown bears feasting on salmon.

“There’s nothing in Alaska, hands down, that beats Anan,” said Ettefagh. - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2013


Southeast Alaska: Statendam Assists 103 Sightseers And Ranger In Glacier Bay - While leaving from Margerie Glacier to depart Glacier Bay, Alaska, Holland America Line's ms Statendam assisted 103 persons on a disabled sightseeing boat Friday, Aug. 2.

Statendam Assists 103 Sightseers And Ranger In Glacier Bay

Holland America Line’s ms Statendam assisted 103 persons on the disabled 79-foot sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind
Photo Credit: Dirk van Aarsen ©2013, Holland America Line

Statendam responded to a call for aid at approximately 1:45 p.m. local time to stand by to possibly assist the 79-foot sightseeing vessel Baranof Wind, which was experiencing mechanical troubles and had lost power in the ice near John Hopkins Glacier.

The ship lowered two tenders, which collected 102 tourists and one Glacier Bay National Park ranger and returned to Statendam. A Glacier Bay National Park ranger aboard Statendam assisted in coordinating the assistance from the ship's bridge.

The sightseers were brought to Bartlett Cove, where the Baranof Wind's excursion originated, at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time. The ship then sailed for Seward, Alaska, where it was expected to arrive on schedule Sunday. - More...
Monday PM - August 08, 2013

Southeast Alaska: Body of one fisherman found after boat sinks;
Search called off for third man
- Alaska State Troopers received notification Saturday from the United States Coast Guard that the body of 44 year-old John Reid of Sitka, had been located in open water 7 miles offshore due west from the southern tip of Baranof Island. Reid's body was flown to Sitka where his identity was confirmed and Next of Kin were notified.

Dennis Monroe, 46, of Montesano, Wash, was rescued from Cape Ommaney where he was stranded overnight Thursday on the south end of Baranoff Island. Monroe reported that he, Reid, and Fred Swenson, of Montesano, Washington, left Sitka at 2:00 pm on Thursday aboard the 24 foot F/V Tanya Faith to go to Redfish Bay to fish for sockeye salmon.

According to the Alaska State Troopers, Monroe reported they ended up overshooting Redfish Bay and turning around. The rough waters quickly swamped the drop bow style boat with water, causing it to sink.

Monroe made it to the shore where he spent the night and flagged a boat down with a fishing flasher the next morning. Monroe was rescued by good Samaritans aboard the fishing vessel Otter Friday morning. Monroe, taken to Sitka, reported his craft sank at about 8 p.m. Thursday night and that all three people had attempted to swim to shore wearing lifejackets. - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2013


Alaska: Permanent Fund up 10.5 percent for FY13 - The Alaska Permanent Fund returned 10.5 percent for fiscal year 2013, ending the period with a balance of $44.9 billion according to preliminary data. The Fund trailed its composite benchmark, which returned 11.4 percent, reflecting the more conservative nature of the Fund’s holdings compared to the benchmark.

All of the Fund’s asset classes produced positive returns for the fiscal year, with U.S. and non-U.S. stocks leading the way with returns in the high teens. Global stock markets showed solid performance for most of the year, though U.S. markets struggled in the fall with uncertainty regarding the election and the response to the fiscal cliff. The recent market drop was enough for investors to take notice, but not enough to significantly impact the Fund’s performance for the fiscal year.

“The actions by central banks here in the U.S. and overseas appears to have had a strong impact on stock values, certainly more than global economic indicators, which have not been encouraging,” said Michael J. Burns, CEO. “Regardless of the cause, the upturn in the markets this fiscal year was a welcome change from the conditions that produced a flat return for fiscal year 2012.”

The Fund’s U.S. stock portfolio gained 22.4 percent, while the non-U.S. portfolio returned 12.3 percent and the global portfolio produced 19.7 percent. At $20.6 billion as of June 30, stocks comprised a little under half of the Fund’s total value.

It was a third year of positive performance for the real estate portfolio, with preliminary data showing the portfolio with a 10.3 percent return for the fiscal year. Due to the lagged nature of property valuations, the Fund’s final real estate performance for the fiscal year will not be available until September.

Over the course of the fiscal year investors gained confidence and sought returns over safety, creating a dampening effect on bonds. As a result, performance in the bond portfolio was not as positive as was provided by the Fund’s other holdings. The U.S. portfolio was close to flat at 0.4 percent, while the non-U.S. portfolio gained 1.7 percent. - More...
Monday PM - August 05, 2013

      

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letter RE: Stand Your Ground By Gene Peterson - I appreciate Duane Hill's remarks on 'Stand Your Ground.' I considered writing something similar, but realized that the effort would be wasted on the folks in front of the Federal Building. - More...
Tuesday - July 30, 2013

letter Natural solution for eliminating Tansy Ragwort By Margaret Cloud - Pulling tansy is a time consuming practice and is not 100% effective.  In addition to the pulling of the plant with its root wad, using a biological control is also necessary.  I brought this to the attention of the Alaska Department of Transportation, the borough, and the community the first year that I spotted a very small amount of tansy along side the highway at the big curve at Ward Cove.  I was ignored and now tansy is in a much larger area. - More...
Tuesday - July 30, 2013

letter Is conservation versus native rights really the debate? By Naazia Ebrahim - As always in Southeast Alaska, it is pouring rain when we hop into our bright orange dinghy. We're two days into a nine-day circumnavigation of Baranof Island, and the yacht that I share with four other Forest Service rangers has anchored overnight in Red Bluff Bay – so named for the sheer, reddish-brown cliffs of its northeast ridge. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 30, 2013

letter K-Town shines By A.M. Johnson - Great story regarding the emergency housing for the Alaska Little League’s Major League champions when a change in travel plans brought the South Anchorage’s Abbott-O-Rabbit Little League Team to Ketchikan in today's Ketchikan Daily News (Sports) 7-30-13. I would like to add complementary comments regarding the Ketchikan team, coaches and parents who participated in the recent tournament in Wrangell. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 30, 2013

letter RE: Wrong solution By Lucy Leitz - Unfortunately the only solution to the problem bear is euthanasia. It will not go away or stop its behavior. The dump bears were transported as far as Cleveland Peninsula at great cost and the bears eventually came back to Ketchikan. They continued their garbage eating behavior. They were disposed of in a humane manner by ADF&G. - More...
Tuesday - July 30, 2013

letter RE: Bridge By Norma Lankerd - I've been to the east coast for visits and they do have such BRIDGES that have a bridge that does OPEN up in the middle to allow such ships through at a certain time of the day, and yes it does back traffic up but in the long run I COULD SEE a bridge from Annette Bay to Ketchikan that would be connected to somewhere. - More...
Tuesday - July 30, 2013

letter RE: The Gravina Bridge... By Paul Jarvi - Mr. Spence, don't worry about a bridge. It is dead-on-arrival. - More...
Tuesday - July 30, 2013

letter The Gravina Bridge could Shrink Ketchikans Port and its Economy By Michael Spence - In 1983 I attended my first Gravina Access meeting in Ketchikan municipal chambers, representing marine pilots in the region. I did so again in 2013. Thirty years ago, it was not feasible for the community of Ketchikan to build such a crossing. It still is not, for the following reasons. - More...
Saturday - July 27, 2013

letter The Secret Ballot Is No longer Sacred By Richard Jackson & Martha A. Johnson - The KIC Recall Committee for Responsible Leadership is very disappointed in the recent decision of the seven KICTribal Council members who chose to ignore a valid recall petition submitted on behalf of 243 Tribal Members in the July KIC Tribal Council meeting. The recent KIC Tribal Council press release was rife with inaccuracies and is what would best be described as political "smoke and mirrors". - More...
Saturday - July 27, 2013

letter Misinformation about halibut catch sharing plan By Tom Gemmell - There has been a lot of misinformation going around about the halibut catch sharing plan (CSP).  In an effort to correct this the Halibut Coalition prepared a commentary on Mr Medred's article in the Alaska Dispatch published on July 20 and other online publications. - More...
Saturday - July 27, 2013

letter "Stand your ground" By Duane Hill - Was a 17 year old thug in training. An aggressive athlete, skilled in MMA type fighting, constantly in trouble, kicked out of school for being in trouble and making trouble, kicked out of his foster mother's home, kicked out of his mother's home, he finally ended up living with his father's current girl friend while his father left town. He was found to have women's jewelry in his backpack at school, along with a heavy screw driver suited for use as a pry bar. His cell phone had messages about him beating people, including a bus driver, plus photos of property missing from the condo next door to where he was staying. - More...
Saturday - July 27, 2013

letter Shane Howard White Skateboard Park By Bobbie McCreary - Ketchikan's Shane Howard White Skateboard Park development is underway!  A long time coming. Stop by the site (corner of Park Avenue and Schoenbar) and take a look at what a beautiful site this park is being built on!   Our contractors, Liquid Stone Designs, LLC, (Lori and Jason) are doing an incredible job of planning the site development, leaving a fringe of trees and shrubbery between the park and Ketchikan Creek, and maximizing every inch of space for skateboarder “heaven” skatepark. - More...
Saturday - July 27, 2013

letter Apologies By Victoria McDonald - I wrote a letter concerning tansy ragwort, incorrectly stating that the solid waste facility did not incinerate invasive plants. Lenny Neely, supervisor at the solid waste facility, informed me that toxic plants such as tansy ragwort or Japanese knotweed are incinerated, although they must be bagged. - More...
Saturday -July 27, 2013

letter Kake Access Project By David Beebe - The Western Federal Lands Highway Division has released its Draft Purpose and Need Statement of the Kake Access Project. The Statement and public meeting comes at the worst possible time -- at the height of seasonal commercial fishing activities, and signals predictably negative consequences for the three directly affected Southeast communities and the region as a whole. - More..
Wednesday - July 24, 2013 .

letter Classics a'la Carte III By Lallette Kistler - If you like classical music, wander down to Holy Name Church Friday night July 26th at 7:30. Classics a'la Carte III, a concert to benefit Ketchikan Performing Arts Center, will feature a great mix of instrumental and vocal music. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013

letter Ketchikan needs to get rid of tansy ragwort By Victoria McDonald - For the past 5 years I have been pulling tansy ragwort out by the roots. It is especially noticeable aroung Ward Cove and spreads further each year. Nathan and Dorica Jackson have been pulling the plants even longer but the plants spread beyond our ability to pick. We now are concentrating on the south end of town where tansy has taken hold but not spread as much. Because of its toxicity, we wear gloves, long shirts and pants. It's a plant to be taken seriously. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013

letter The Wrong Solution By Cheryl Henley - I have lived here for 45 years. I have no expertise what- so -ever on the subject of bears that bother and scare because of the stupid actions of some people. What happened to the dump bears we used to see there? Didn't they move them to other parts of the island? What does the department estimate for numbers of bears living in this area? - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013

letter Ketchikan's Good Samaritan By Andrew and Kathleen Smith - We’d like to express our gratitude to the Good Samaritan who stepped up to pay the twelve dollar entry fee for our visiting family of four at the pool recently.   That was extremely generous and sincerely appreciated by all. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013

letter We are not all... By A.M. Johnson - Arriving back in K-Town and reading recent issues of the Ketchikan Daily News, I saw a front page photo of a sign holder that has taken the liberty to make a public statement that would include me without my permission, classifying me as a "Trayvon Martin". - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013

letter Alaska Wild Salmon Not Good Enough? By Peggy Ayers - Just a note from a former Ketchikan resident. Having read the article from Fish Factor just want to say that I recently purchased canned Alaska salmon from the Walmart store in Mt. Zion Illinois, where I currently reside. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013 

letter KIC RECALL By Eliasica Timmerman - The Tribal Council meeting on Monday July 8th was very important and informative. The recall committee was there to address their petition, but did not stay to hear or ask any questions on the matters they are concerned about. I stayed until 11pm to listen to all the department reports. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013

letter Thank You By Connie Sue Knutsen - My husband Greg Knutsen and I wish to thank all those who helped care for him from his recent fall in June. We sure appreciate the South Tongass Fire and Rescue, and all those at the scene. Also the emergency room techs here in Ketchikan were wonderful and professional in his care and getting him to the medivac to Seattle. His care helped keep him from major damage. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013

letter The Abominable Snowden By Donald A. Moskowitz - Edward Snowden is not a human rights activist, he is a loathsome (abominable) traitor and spy. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013

letter End the IRS By Beverly Martin - Lighting fireworks on the 4th didn't restore freedom taken by the tyranny of the IRS. Reading the Declaration of Independence underscored this nation's return to conditions founding fathers found intolerable: government use of fear to take property and control citizens. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013

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