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Sunday
August 03, 2014
Perseverance Lake: Dragonfly
Dragonflies are among the fastest flying insects in the world. Dragonflies can fly backwards, change direction in mid-air and hover for up to a minute. Dragonflies are major predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, wasps, and very rarely butterflies. They are usually found around marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years. In smaller species, this stage may last between two months and three years. The adult stage of larger species of dragonfly can last as long as five or six months. (Source: www.wikipedia.org)
Front Page Photo By BEN WASHINGTON ©2014
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Fish Factor: No special permit for fishermen to hose off decks moving through Senate By LAINE WELCH - Fishermen won’t need special permits to hose off their decks thanks to a bill moving through the US Senate. That’s garnered a big sigh of relief from harvesters across the nation and kudos to a rare show of bipartisanship by coastal lawmakers, notably Senators Begich of Alaska and Marco Rubio of Florida.
“The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act extends a moratorium that was already granted to the commercial fishing industry from 2008, and it’s been up every couple of years. It would extend this moratorium indefinitely so commercial fishing vessels don’t have to apply for a ridiculous discharge permit every time rain falls onto your deck and flows overboard. That’s incidental discharge to the normal operation of a vessel. So it just cuts the red tape that fishermen would have to incur,” explained Brett Veerhusen, executive director of Seafood Harvesters of America who has been watch dogging the discharge bill.
The incidental discharge requirement is part of the Clean Boating Act passed by Congress in 2008. It provided a permanent exemption for roughly 13 million recreational vessels, even 400 foot yachts, but not for commercial fishing boats or other vessels in the maritime industries. The measure affects nearly 10,000 fishing vessels in Alaska alone, and harvesters believe the permanent exclusion should also apply to them. - More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014
Ketchikan: No Injuries in So. Tongass Collision - No injuries were reported in a two vehicle collision Friday in the area of 2.1 mile South Tongass Highway.
The Alaska State Troopers and Saxman VPSO responded to the scene and their investigation showed that 45 year old Mabel Skan of Saxman was operating a 1994 Ford Ranger truck north bound when she rear ended a 2007 Ford F-150 truck operated by 44 year old Bradley Cota of Ketchikan. - More...
Sunday - August 01, 2014
Ketchikan: Three Children Adrift Rescued by Coast Guard - Three children adrift in Saxman Harbor near Ketchikan, were rescued Monday by the Coast Guard.
A 25-foot response boat crew from Station Ketchikan located the children and safely returned them to their parents. - More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014
Southeast Alaska: Man rescued after sliding down a 300 foot vertical embankment - Sitka Mountain Rescue notified the Alaska State Troopers early Saturday morning that two hunters in the area of Starri gavan Bowl, on the backside of Harbor Mountain were reported lost.
Taylor LeCrone 20, and Zachary Alderman 21, both of Sitka, went deer hunting and became lost. Both men lost their packs and had no supplies. Sitka Mountain Rescue (SMR) launched a hasty team that located LeCrone at approximately 1:30 am. at Harbor Mountain Shelter. LeCrone reported Alderman had slid down an embankment, but was able to walk.
- More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014
Southeast Alaska: Man arrested for DUI & leaving scene of accident - An intoxicated driver involved in a motor vehicle collision in Kake was reported to the Village Protection Safety Officer (VPSO) shortly after noon Saturday.
Investigation revealed that Donald James, age 44 of Kake, was operating a 1998 Ford Expedition on Keku Road when his passenger side mirror struck the driver side mirror of a parked 1997 Chevrolet Suburban. James left the scene without reporting the motor vehicle collision. - More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014
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Alaska: Huge waves measured for first time in Arctic Ocean By HANNAH HICKEY - As the climate warms and sea ice retreats, the North is changing. An ice-covered expanse now has a season of increasingly open water that is predicted to extend across the whole Arctic Ocean before the middle of this century. Storms thus have the potential to create Arctic swell – huge waves that could add a new and unpredictable element to the region.
A wave sensor developed by Thomson during a 2013 test. He is deploying the instruments this summer in the Arctic Ocean.
Photo by J. Thomson / UW
A University of Washington researcher made the first study of waves in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and detected house-sized waves during a September 2012 storm. The results were recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.
“As the Arctic is melting, it’s a pretty simple prediction that the additional open water should make waves,” said lead author Jim Thomson, an oceanographer with the UW Applied Physics Laboratory.
His data show that winds in mid-September 2012 created waves of 5 meters (16 feet) high during the peak of the storm. The research also traces the sources of those big waves: high winds, which have always howled through the Arctic, combined with the new reality of open water in summer.
Arctic ice used to retreat less than 100 miles from the shore. In 2012, it retreated more than 1,000 miles. Wind blowing across an expanse of water for a long time creates whitecaps, then small waves, which then slowly consolidate into big swells that carry huge amounts of energy in a single punch.
The size of the waves increases with the fetch, or travel distance over open water. So more open water means bigger waves. As waves grow bigger they also catch more wind, driving them faster and with more energy.
Shipping and oil companies have been eyeing the opportunity of an ice-free season in the Arctic Ocean. The emergence of big waves in the Arctic could be bad news for operating in newly ice-free Northern waters.
“Almost all of the casualties and losses at sea are because of stormy conditions, and breaking waves are often the culprit,” Thomson said.
It also could be a new feedback loop leading to more open water as bigger waves break up the remaining summer ice floes.
“The melting has been going on for decades. What we’re talking about with the waves is potentially a new process, a mechanical process, in which the waves can push and pull and crash to break up the ice,” Thomson said. - More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014 |
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Alaska: Alaska DOT to Pay $118,000 for EPA Violations - The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has agreed to resolve hazardous waste violations identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The violations stem from the improper management of highway paint in Soldotna, Alaska, according to an agreement with EPA.
In 2009, ADOT&PF employees failed to identify that a 250-gallon batch of unusable yellow highway paint was a hazardous waste. The employees placed the paint in a shallow pit lined with plastic where it remained for over a year to let it solidify in the open air. The paint solids were later disposed in a landfill.
Highway paint in liquid form contains chemicals such as solvents, which may release fumes and pose a health risk to anyone nearby.
"Highway paint contains chemicals that can be a danger to people and the environment if mismanaged, especially when you’re working with large quantities," said Scott Downey, Manager of the Hazardous Waste Compliance Unit at the EPA Seattle office. "Facilities can prevent risk to the environment and communities by recognizing when a waste is hazardous and managing it accordingly." - More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014
Alaska: National Park Tourism in Alaska Creates $1 Billion+ in Economic Benefit - A new National Park Service report shows that more than 2.5 million visitors to national parks in Alaska spent $1.1 billion and supported about 17,000 jobs in the state in 2013.
“The national parks of Alaska attract visitors from local communities, across the country and around the world,” said NPS Alaska Regional Director Bert Frost. “Whether they are out for an afternoon, a school field trip, or a vacation on a cruise ship, visitors come to have a great experience, and end up spending a little money along the way. This new report shows that national park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy - returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service - and a big factor in our state’s economy as well, a result we can all support.”
In Alaska, the three most-visited parks in 2013 were Denali (530,921 visits); Glacier Bay (500,590) and Klondike Gold rush (928,150). About 400 private businesses provide commercial visitor services in Alaska’s 23 national parks. - More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014
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Alaska Science: High-tech bird decoy fools flycatchers By NED ROZELL - Julie Hagelin needed a fake bird. She found one in an unexpected place.
Biologist Julie Hagelin with a decoy olive-sided flycatcher made with a 3-D printer.
Photo by Ned Rozell.
The biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is studying the mysterious olive-sided flycatcher, known for its piercing “quick, three beers!” heard above black spruce bogs throughout Alaska. The bird, which weighs as much as a dozen pennies and migrates as far as Bolivia, is declining throughout most of its range in North America. No one knows exactly where the birds go after they breed in the far north.
A major part of Hagelin’s project is attaching sunlight-cued trackers to the birds with a tiny harness. These feather-light “geolocators” require Hagelin and her helpers to capture the birds again the following year. When the birds return in spring, the biologists recover the tiny devices. They then extrapolate where the birds have been from daylight the geolocators record while exposed to sunlight.
That’s why Hagelin needed a faux flycatcher. She knows the most effective way of capturing a singing male is to challenge its machismo with the presence of a rival, and then to catch it with a net when it swoops to protect its territory. A bird decoy is more effective at pulling a bird from its perch than a song recording alone.
“Half the battle is getting the bird out of the treetop and into your net,” Hagelin said.
As she chatted about her challenge, a coworker asked Hagelin if she had considered creating her own flycatcher using a 3-D printer. Intrigued, she contacted Greg Shipman.
Shipman is the supervisor of the machine shop in the basement of the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Shipman and his inventive colleagues make everything scientists ask them for, from rocket parts to devices that pinch bones and pull them from salmon filets.
Earlier this year, Shipman acquired two 3-D printers, each the size of microwave ovens. The magic machines transform spools of plastic cord into useful objects. To create something new, the printer needs a scanned three-dimensional computer image. - More...
Sunday - August 03, 2014
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Political Cartoon: Congress' Immigration Vacation
By Steve Sack, The Minneapolis Star Tribune
Distributed to subscribers for publication by Cagle Cartoons, Inc.
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Update in Progress
 FOREST SERVICE RECREATION BUDGET CUTS WILL HURT ALASKA TOURISM By Dale Pihlman - The misdirection of operating funds in the U.S. Forest Service's current budget will hurt wilderness based tour businesses in Southeast Alaska. - More...
Tuesday - July 29, 2014
Vote for Agnes Moran By Gary Wilken - I have had the pleasure to work with Agnes Moran in recent years in her efforts to achieve greater fairness and equity in State funding of K-12 education. Her dedication, commitment to public service, intelligence, and determination are evident to anyone who, like I, has worked with her. - More...
Tuesday - July 29, 2014
Ketchikan bridge fishing By Tom Greninger - In reference to Ketchikan bridge fishing: I strongly support the tradition of fishing from the bridge, it gives youngsters, old timers (sourdoughs) and the tourists a lot of pleasure. I note that several regulars offer their poles, with a salmon attached, to bystanders and then release the salmon after it is brought to shore. - More...
Tuesday - July 29, 2014
RECALL THE BOROUGH ASSEMBLY AND FIRE THE KETCHIKAN CITY MANAGER By David G. Hanger - I think it appropriate to seriously consider the recall of the five members of the Ketchikan Borough Assembly who voted to give Oceans Alaska $600,000 of Borough money. Please note, I have never previously called for the recall of anybody, but this is nuts. I do not know if these people take their stupid pills just on nights of Ketchikan Assembly meetings, or also on every other day of the week; but this decision is colossal stupidity. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
The Prudent Alaskan Oil Man By Sen. Bert Stedman - During legislative deliberations, advocates of the Senate Bill 21 oil tax consistently used North Dakota as an example of the ideal tax regime that Alaska should emulate. We were told that because of North Dakota’s tax structure they are more competitive than Alaska resulting in huge increases in industry investment and rapid increases in production. If Alaska would just lower its tax to be more aligned with North Dakota, we would also benefit from rapid increases in investment and production. However the oil boom in North Dakota, along with Texas, is a result of the advancement of fracking technology that releases hydrocarbons previously trapped in shale rock and the private land ownership of the surface and subsurface. This boom is not tax driven. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Why I am Voting “Yes” to Repeal S.B. 21 By Bill Walker - When throughput began to decline in 1988, I joined efforts to put more oil into TAPS. I have been to D.C. numerous times working to get ANWR open for exploration. I joined Governor Hickel and others in an epic battle to ensure Phillips Petroleum (now ConocoPhillips) could purchase ARCO, rather than BP, so Alaska could have MORE, not fewer oil companies. By opening the door for ConocoPhillips to come back to Alaska as a third major operator, Alaskans are better off today having them on the North Slope. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Vote Yes. Repeal the Giveaway By Malcolm B. Roberts & Cindy Roberts - Wally Hickel and Jay Hammond, two of Alaska’s strongest and most beloved governors, fought each other politically for 25 years. Wally’s view of Alaska, based on our constitution and the Alaska Statehood Act, was what he called “The Owner State.” Jay called Alaska “The People’s State.” Same difference. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Eloise Jennings Hancock 1901-1924 (Bayview Cemetery) By Victor Jennings Hancock - I enjoyed the feature article by Ms. Allen and the photos by Ms. Pilcher. A day never goes by that I do not think of my mother, Eloise Jennings Hancock, who died on Sept. 12, 1924 and is buried at Bayview. A cryptic note on the Sexton's card notes that she is buried with Ford. She died of complications of a miscarriage, at the age of 23, a truly beautiful young lady. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Friends of Misty Fjords National Monument By Victoria McDonald - Misty Fjords National Monument, set aside in 1978 to protect one of the most unique wild lands in North America, showcases coastal ecosystems ascending to high alpine lakes and rugged mountains. The monument includes eastern Behm Canal, bisecting Revillagegedo Island and the mainland. Behm Canal is extraordinary for its depth and length, highlighted by the towering granite walls of its fjords and the iconic volcanic plug of New Eddystone Rock. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Audit oil companies By John Suter - The state has not done an audit on the oil companies since 2007. The governor does not want to have the state do an audit because it would expose the fact that the free billions of dollars he is giving away is all going out of state. None of it will be spent in Alaska. The money the oil companies’ are spending now in the oil fields was planned a number of years ago and has nothing to do with the free give away of the state’s billions of dollars to them. The governor is doing the smoke and mirrors thing, the empty hoop dance on this and so far it is working. The governor will be richly rewarded by the oil company’s after he is out of office with a cushy high paid job. So he will be personally out on top with this while we will be stuck for years paying income and sales taxes to make up for the loss of income to the state’s budget. The next thing to go will be the dividend check. Some call the governor Captain Zero, but when he gets that high paid job from the oil companies’ after he is out of office, who will be Captain Zero then? - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Drinking Water Unsafe Without a Filtration System By Cheryl Henley- Why is it that the citizens allow the Ketchikan City Council and Mr. Amylon to pass the usage of cancer causing chemicals to be added to the water system? Numerous, people have stood up and fought about this issue in person at councils meetings , and the newspaper. We don't want it, but it sure got shoved down our throats literally. We have to have a safe filtration plant now. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Creek Street Fishing By Marie Zellmer- I was very relieved when I heard that the Red Bridge on Ketchikan's Creek Street would not be closed to fishing. I remember the first time there was a ban put in place after the walkway was expanded, and everyone went down to the bridge. Ketchikanites put their poles in the water in protest, because fishing off the bridge is more than just a pastime, it is a part of our city. A part of our heritage. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
RE: Un-necessary consequences for Marijuana By Anthony Johnson- Mr. Seibert, are you actually suggesting that the masses of children currently attempting to cross the border of Mexico, are actually smuggling Marijuana to be legally sold in Colorado and Washington? Both Washington and Colorado regulate and monitor this new industry from producer to retailer. None of it comes from Mexico. All of it is accounted for, is produced within the State, and goes through rigorous quality control and testing for dangerous chemicals and pesticides. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
RE: Marijuana law By Alan R. McGillvray - Well folks one thing I have figured out over a lifetime, the worst thing about cannabis are the draconian laws against its use and or possession. If caught with almost any amount (esp in Alaska) regardless of the Raven Decision forwarded to us (citizens) by the Supreme Court of our great State, especially our young people are at risk (I'm 69 so catch me if you can). - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
RE: Collateral for City Loans By Amanda Mitchell - Thanks Ralph for the input about the loans, but I am a bit confused. I thought when a person is unable to afford their city imposed taxes the city confiscates his/her PRIVATE property. It seems to me that Mr. Thompson is right, even if what you are saying is correct and the process is a bit different. What is worse is the city can just keep upping the taxes, by either passing an increase and/or raising the assessed value of a home to continue their lavish credit-card-type spending. Ask yourself, what happens when we fault on our ever growing debt? Allowing collateral for our taxes is the backdoor to eroding our sovereignty. We are essentially being sold into servitude to the highest bidder. But since people are not being put up on blocks and sold in a market, many are unaware of what is happening. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Inmate fatalities By Andrée McLeod - It was a huge disappointment for this registered Republican to only see Democrat legislators at the July 15th Legislative Briefing on Inmate Facilities in Alaska’s Correctional Facilities. Chaired by Senator French, the other attendees were Senator Gardner, and Representatives Josephson and Tarr. The Anchorage LIO director confirmed that Representative Tuck, another Democrat, was patched in by teleconference. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
43 Senators Block the Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act By Barbara McDaniel - Alaska’s Senators Begich and Murkowski did the right thing in the Senate on July 16th when they voted to move S. 2578, The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act, forward to a final vote. The vote was 56-43, with a majority of senators favoring women’s reproductive health care wants, needs, and rights. However, 60 votes were needed to block a filibuster, so this outstanding bill died. - More...
Thursday - JUly 24, 2014
Tax consumption, not income By Amerigo M Cimino - The Fair Tax in the most simple and efficient way to fund Government! The fair Tax is a tax on consumption instead of income! Our country is an incredible consuming country, and we use up natural resources at an alarming rate. Future generations will be mining our landfills. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
Where Does The Seized Cash Go from Drug Raids in Ketchikan? By Bonnie Abbot Allen - I am writing another letter to SitNews due to the number of individuals that contacted me and wanted to lend their appreciation and to let me know that I should not stop on the subject of addiction an drugs in Ketchikan! It took me two months or longer to decide to type my questions I have today, and along with many others in Ketchikan! Where does all the cash go that is seized from drug raids or individuals that are caught with possession of narcotics when they have cash on them? They do lose it, this I know! But where does all the cash and expensive belongings go to? We all know they auction off seized vehicles and have been so, for years here! But I really would like to know the answer to this question! - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
DO WE NEED MORE DRUG ENFORCERS By Joey Garcia- IT IS REALLY SAD TO NOTE THAT THE CITY OF KETCHIKAN, OR THE BOROUGH, HAS CREATED AN OVERSIGHT OF NOT SUBJECTING INCOMING OLD AND NEW FISH PROCESSORS FOR DRUG TEST. BECAUSE OF THESE, THE DRUG ENFORCERS ARE SHORT OF HAND IN CATCHING PUSHERS OR USERS, IF EVER, CAN ONLY BE COUNTED BY ONES FINGERS APPREHENDING TWO OR THREE THAT ONCE RUN LOOSE IN KETCHIKAN FISH PROCESSING COMPANIES. - More...
Thursday - July 24, 2014
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