‘Perfect storm’ for mosquito invasion
Only two things in life are certain, as the saying goes: Death and taxes. Alaska could add one more to that list — mosquitoes. And this spring, the inevitable swarm of the relentless bloodsuckers has hatched in such ferocity as to make the first two certainties seem not the worst of the list.
“It’s probably going to be a nice buggy year,” said Janice Chumley, integrated pest management specialist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service Office in Soldotna.
Commercial fisheries important part of Kenai Peninsula
As the push-pull of allocative arguments continue to churn in Cook Inlet fisheries, the Alaska Salmon Alliance has released an economic report to support its position that commercial fisheries are a significant part of the Kenai Peninsula economy, and so should have a place in the water and at the regulatory table.
The “Cook Inlet Drift and Setnet Salmon Fisheries” report, prepared for ASA by Northern Economics, based in Anchorage and Bellingham, Wash., was released this month, and estimates the 2011 ex-vessel value of the Cook Inlet salmon fishery — including drift- and setnet salmon fisheries as well as purse seine and hatchery cost-recovery fisheries — at $56.4 million, which exceeds the estimated 2011 value of all Lower 48 salmon fisheries combined.
Girl Scouts get up-close experience in Chinitna Bay
Very few middle school students from Homer have had a chance to go across Cook Inlet and explore. Even fewer have experienced having a brown bear run full speed right at them. But a group of 12 middle and high school Girl Scouts recently experienced all that and much, much more. And despite a hair-raising experience for the young women, everyone seems more than willing to repeat the experience.
“It was pretty amazing,” said Emilia Halstead, who is going into the seventh grade next year. “I would definitely do it again. I think everybody would want to do it again if you went over there.”
Obituaries – June 19
Homer resident, Thomas Wilson “Tom” Temple passed away Thursday, June 6, 2013 surrounded by his wife and children at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage from complications related to his heart transplant. A memorial service will be arranged in late August. Tom was born Feb. 15, 1957. Son of Anchorage residents Sarah (Sally) May Johnston and Brad Temple, Tom was a life-long [...]
Police Report – June 19
Fire Anchor Point Fire & EMS responded to four medical calls and two fire calls the week of June 10 – June 16. Homer Volunteer Fire Department responded to 12 EMS calls and four fire calls for the week of June 10 – 17. June 11 – Crews responded to a vehicle fire at the [...]
Art Briefs – June 19
Lots of sun, loads of fun The Down East Saloon is one of the lively spots celebrating the longest day of 2013 this weekend. They have scheduled several popular performing groups to liven Summer Solstice, starting Friday June 21 at 9 p.m. with the Wasteland Hop. The fun continues Saturday with the “Wasteland Hop” playing [...]
Smart phones track tagged fish
It’s back to the drawing board for halibut iTags that will soon tell us more about where the fish travels than ever before.
The internal tags, which were deployed in 30 halibut two years ago, were the first to test Smart Phone geomagnetic advances to track the migrations of fish. The tags record magnetic field strength on three axises and have accelerometers and pitch and roll detectors, explained Tim Loher, a biologist with the International Pacific Halibut Commission.
“Without being able to tell whether or not your tag is horizontal, you can’t really get the axis of the magnetism. The invention of the iPhone pointed the way to make the pitch and roll detectors small enough to put in fish tags,” he said.
Birth – June 19
Kade Matthew Koran was born June 11, 2013 at 7:05 p.m. to Malisa Levenson and Matthew Koran of Homer. He weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces. His grandparents are Joan and Mark Levenson of Kodiak and Tracy and Stephen Koran of Van Alstyne, Texas.
Homegrown photographer goes ‘Vogue’
Ask any one of Joshua Veldstra’s 1,494 Facebook friends, and they will tell you the 28-year-old lifelong Alaskan is not only a brilliantly talented artist/photographer, he’s also just a really nice guy.
Ask Joshua Veldstra about his talent behind the camera and you’ll get a bit more modest answer.
“Why did I choose photography over any other art medium?” Veldstra repeated the question. “Well, I can’t draw, paint or sculpt to save my life, so thank goodness there is photography.”
Don’t let him fool you.
Sign up to vote on the oil-tax giveaway
People across the state are gathering 40,000 petition signatures, needed by mid-July, so Alaskans can vote to reject or approve the recent oil-tax giveaway. While it makes no sense to give away billions of state dollars for nothing in return, there is a larger issue: another attack on the Permanent Fund.
The governor recently said he might dip into the Constitutional Budget Reserve, and even the Alaska Permanent Fund’s earnings reserve to meet huge budget shortfalls next year. That means we are about to give away millions, or billions, of dollars from our state savings account to some of the most profitable corporations in the world.
