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SitNews - Stories In The News - Ketchikan, Alaska
Friday
May 27, 2011

Front Page Photo By JIM LEWIS

Mountain Point: Humpback Whale
Front Page Photo By JIM LEWIS

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Southeast Alaska:
Roadless Settlement Handcuffs Economy; Murkowski encourages state to pursue legal options - Responding to a federal judge’s decision Tuesday to accept a settlement proposal by the U.S. Forest Service in Organized Village of Kake, et. al. v. USDA which re-imposes the 2001 roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a prepared statement, “The settlement catches the communities in Southeast in a terrible trap. While the agreement provides limited protection for a handful of energy and mineral projects, it excludes dozens of other projects – and hundreds of areas with great potential – that could help lower energy costs and boost the region’s economy."

Murkowski said, “I’m disappointed the court did not approve the state’s request to protect additional projects from potential harm from the roadless rule."

" I understand that the state is seriously evaluating all legal options, including appealing the judge’s decision accepting the settlement and a suit challenging the validity of the roadless rule itself. I strongly encourage the state to pursue both of those options," said Murkowski. - More...
Friday - May 27, 2011

Fish Factor: Tide information off for Port Moller By LAINE WELCH - Tides rule the day for most mariners, who plan their work days based on its ebb and flow. 

“A tide book is like a Bible to a fishermen. It is constantly referenced – they lay their nets down by the tide, they launch by the tide – all their activity is centered around that every day,” said Jerry Thompson of Soldotna, publisher of the Alaska Tide Book for 23 years.

Fishermen and other mariners are being warned that the tide information for Port Moller is off by 8 to10 hours.  The error was first noticed a few weeks ago by Richard Lovano, dock boss for 30 years at Peter Pan Seafoods at Port Moller, when he was planning the best time to work under the company dock.

 “I started watching the tide first thing in the morning and it was low at 9am and not high like it was supposed to be. So that’s how I became aware that the tides were way off,” Lovano said in a phone interview.

But don’t blame the tide books, said Thompson. 

“It’s not only a situation with our book, but the official tides published by NOAA include the same data.  So anyone who is buying a tide product based on NOAA’s predictions has these incorrect tides,” he explained.

Thompson said it takes nearly 17 years of study to nail down the predictions for a particular location before tides can confidently be predicted for an area. He suspects NOAA miscalculated when it upgraded Port Moller from a secondary to a primary station in 2009, and no longer bases tides off of the Nushagak.  - More...
Friday - May 27, 2011


Alaska: Assessing the influence of Alaska glaciers is slippery work - With an estimated 34,000 square miles of ice, an area about the size of Maine, Alaska’s multitude of glaciers have a global impact.

Assessing the influence of Alaska glaciers is slippery work

Childs Glacier
Glacier dynamics are complex. Even sophisticated computer models have difficulty predicting how tidewater glaciers behave such as Childs Glacier near Cordova.
Photo by Ned Rozell

Anthony Arendt, an assistant research professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, has outlined the complexity and influence of Alaska glaciers in this week’s issue of the journal Science. In his article, Arendt explains the importance of integrating field observations and more precise glacier simulation models.

“We have used satellites to measure the mass changes of all of Alaska’s glaciers, but there are also many glaciers that need to be measured in the field,” Arendt said. “We need these field observations to better understand the processes that are controlling glacier changes.”

Glacial patterns are difficult to predict - even for current computer models. Alaska glaciers often behave independently of one another. They retreat and surge, and are subject to volcanic and oceanic influences, in addition to changes in precipitation and warming temperatures. Data collected in the field will help refine existing models, so that a more accurate picture of changing sea level can be drawn.

“Alaska glaciers have been losing mass more rapidly since the mid-1990s than they were several decades earlier,” Arendt states in the article. “Understanding whether this trend continues will require an integration of observations across disciplines, as well as the development of robust glacier simulation models.” - More...
Friday - May 27, 2011


Alaska Science: Far north permafrost cliff is one of a kind By NED ROZELL - In northern Alaska, an amphitheater of frozen ground is thawing where a northern river is cutting it, exposing walls of ice. The feature, known by scientists as “yedoma,” is the largest of its kind yet found in Alaska.

Far north permafrost cliff is one of a kind

Alaska largest known yedoma, a permafrost feature that formed thousands of years ago and is now being cut by the Itkillik River on Alaska’s North Slope.
Photo by Eva Stephani.

Jim Helmericks, who lives with his wife Teena on the mouth of the Colville River, mentioned the frozen wall of smooth ice and dirt to researchers Mikhail Kanevskiy and Torre Jorgenson in 2006. Helmericks had noticed the site on flights during the 1950s. He landed there a few times with his Super Cub and found the permafrost bluff yielding the bones of ancient creatures.

“We called it the Stinking Hills because the air had a rotten smell from all the carcasses that had been there over the years,” Helmericks said on the phone from his far north homestead. “We got a really nice collection of early horse bones, bison, and the lower jaw of a mammoth with two lower teeth in it. That’s a special thing in (our) museum.”

The frozen storage place of the bones is also a special thing for scientists who study this type of permafrost (ground that has remained frozen through the heat of at least two summers). The Itkillik River permafrost feature has survived since cold air locked it up from about 50,000 to 10,000 years ago.

Kanevskiy and Yuri Shur of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Institute of Northern Engineering recently teamed with Jorgenson and others to write a paper on the permafrost cliffs cut by the Itkillik River as it winds through the treeless foothills of the North Slope. They also mapped other Alaska yedoma sites in the Interior and north of the Alaska Range.

Yedoma is a term Russians used to describe a mound that rises above the surrounding terrain. A Russian scientist introduced it to scientific literature in the 1930s to describe ice-rich permafrost in Siberia. - More...
Friday - May 25, 2011

      

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Questions, please contact the editor at editor@sitnews.us or call 617-9696

letter Timber Sale Misinformation By Larry Edwards - This month an editorial and a news story in the Ketchikan Daily News have repeated significant misinformation about Tongass timber sales that came from a press release by Governor Parnell. After over two weeks the Daily News has not published a short letter I wrote to inform Ketchikan residents of the error, so now I use this forum. - More...
Friday - May 27, 2011

letter Also Astonished! By Mark Jaqua - I share Ms. Plenert's sense of astonishment regarding the KGBSD budget, however, my friend; I'm not so sure you are as good at math as you propose. The FY2011 Expenditure Authority Request, (available right next to your letter in Sitnews under School Board Packets -- see Meeting Materials, May 11) shows a total operating budget of about $36.6 million. I'm perplexed where your number came from. - More...
Friday - May 27, 2011

letter School Budget By Laura Plenert - First of all, thank you Agnes Moran for caring and asking questions about OUR school budget. The first thing that struck me in your letter to Sitnews was the figure of $40,472,050.00 in the budget to educate 2100 students. Being a math lover, I immediately had to do the division. The answer to my question (how much per student) is $19,272.40. OVER $19,000.00 PER STUDENT PER YEAR. Does it strike anyone besides me that the cost per student exceeds what some of those student's parents make per year, more than many of our fellow citizens make per year. That alone is staggering. I would like someone to factor in the drop out rate and how much money per year is thrown down a rat hole because the school system can't seem to keep students until graduation. - More...
Wednesday - May 25, 2011

letter GIVE KETCHIKAN A CHANCE By Joey Garcia - The influx of tourists docking along Ketchikan ports is something to behold and the brisk revenues seemed to give Ketchikan something to reckon with. I have observed, in my opinion, that dock stores peddling tourist crafts are not Ketchikan owned. Rather, it is sad to note that when the cruise ship season ends, traffic along Ketchikan ports goes to school youths flying on their skateboards, and OT's (old timers) stroll the ports with their leased dogs, children strolling with their folks, and what is left for OT's, again is succumb to the norms of high prices from stores, if they are open. - More...
Wednesday - May 25, 2011

letter Sealaska bill and fisheries By Paul Olson - I am writing regarding the Sealaska bill and the misrepresentations about how it reduces impacts to fishery habitat. The legislation establishes “conservation areas” and adds a temporary increase in buffer size. These measures are superficial and do nothing to offset the prospective impacts of this bill on fishery habitat. - More...
Monday - May 23, 2011

letter Sealaska Bill Bad for Commercial Fishermen By Mickey Knight - One aspect of the Sealaska Lands Bill (S.730) that has garnered little attention on this website is a discussion regarding Senator Murkowski's hollow attempt to gain the support of commercial fishermen. - More...
Monday - May 23, 2011

letter Deja-Vu-Roadless Rule By A. M. Johnson - Well, Déjà-Vu on the "Roadless Rule" controversy. Nice to see Senator Murkowski voice her wonderment at the continued and long standing decline in the "Thread Hanging" timber industry. - More...
Monday - May 23, 2011

letterALASKA COAST GUARD IN TRANSITION By Rear Admiral Christopher C. Colvin - As I prepare to be relieved of command of the Seventeenth Coast Guard District I’d like to say “thank you” to all Alaskans for the outstanding support you provide to Coast Guardsmen throughout the State. - More...
Wednesday - May 18, 2011 

letter Class of 1981 By Kelli Carlin-Auger, Barry Christensen, Cheryl Elliott, Pat Enright & Cheryl Olsen - We are planning our Kayhi, Class of 1981 30 year class reunion festivities, July 1 thru the 4th and are searching for classmates that we have been unable to contact. - More...
Wednesday - May 18, 2011

letter Health and wellness needs survey By Karen Eakes - The Ketchikan Wellness Coalition’s (KWC) mission is to promote community wellness through action and assessment. We are currently seeking participation and information from community members concerning health and wellness issues in our community. The KWC was originally formed following the Compass II Community Assessment that was done by United Way of Southeast Alaska back in 2006. Our seven task forces and the steering committee were formed based on the major themes and needs that were identified in this assessment. - More...
Monday PM - May 16, 2011

letter Cherry picking By Jeff Sbonek - In regards to the “Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization and Job Protection Act", the fact remains that no legislation is or ever has been necessary for Sealaska to finalize its ANCSA land claims settlements. It’s had a designated land pool to make its settlement selections from for over 40 years.  They were principle participants in the establishment of the boundaries of those land pools.  For over 3 years they have had a final selection on file with the BLM,  but have requested BLM to hold off processing that claim while they try to negotiate a “sweeter deal” through attempted legislation the past several years, an attempt to cherry pick the best of the best. - More...
Monday PM - May 16, 2011

letter Public Relations? By Gretchen Goldstein - The PR approach may be new, but it’s the same worn-out product that Sealaska tried to sell us last fall. And despite their PR claims, there is not public support in Southeast Alaska for Sealaska’s land exchange proposal. - More...
Monday PM - May 16, 2011

letter Unconsitutional Roadless Rule By A.M. Johnson - The article regarding the "Roadless Rule" issued in the Ketchikan Daily News 5/12/11 reflects the egregious wrong of Federal over reach. In my opinion, this rule and many other Federal edicts are Unconstitutional. - More...
Monday PM - May 16, 2011

letter Loose Talk Aids Enemy By Donald A. Moskowitz - As a former naval officer who served a tour of duty as an intelligence officer, I am astonished at the covert information released to the media by the U.S. government.  The operation against Bin Laden is an example of this problem. - More...
Monday PM - May 16, 2011

letter Awareness By Joey Garcia - I wrote a letter to the Office of Gov. Sean Parnell in requesting his office on our Awareness of Drugs in the City of Ketchikan, which we considered the number 1 menace to our children, as well as the proliferation of drugs in any form and substance, which we believe is part of the citizenry concern to make Ketchikan a drug free city. - More...
Monday PM - May 16, 2011

letterEducation funding By Agnes Moran - I find it fascinating the controversy I've generated by simply asking the school district for detailed budget information in a consistent and comprehensive format. FY2011 funding for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District totaled $40,472,050 for 2,100 students. Everyone in this community has a right to question how their education dollars are being utilized and the school district has a legal responsibility to provide the information in a timely manner. - More...
Thursday - May 10, 2011

letter The rest of the story By Alan Bailey - I read with dismay a paraphrased sentence in the Ketchikan Daily News concerning my opposition to a line item 6045 in the Ketchikan Gateway budget which allocated $5750.00 for junk food, prepared food, soft drinks, hors d'erves,party goods, condiments, and a Christmas party for Borough employees with tax payer monies. It was reported by Mr. Miller that I was opposed to $2,000 food served to firefighters at meetings. That was not the whole story. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 10, 2011

letter Re: Inequities in the current system of funding our K-12 schools By Ed Brown - Love that these young people of Ketchikan are paying attention to the politics in our state. Giving away other people's money is a nation and world wide sport. On the backs of the blue collar folks these gold collared folks spend your tax money for you. This is only one of many reasons to throw these bums out of office from time to time. After awhile these smart folks think they are entitled to spend all your tax money on others needs. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 10, 2011

letter Concerned By Marcie Pungowiyi - I am writing because I am concerned that a Ketchikan trailer park may be possibly operating under questionable/ shady business practices. Earlier this year I was interested in purchasing a mobile home. I talked with several mobile home owners, who were selling. Both owners warned me that I would not get approved for parking space, that no one gets approved. I was concerned by the comments, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. With a good record, credit, & long term employment, I did not feel I had anything to worry about. I went to this local office 3-4 times during their office hours and there was no one there each time. When I did finally catch up to the manager, I filled out a credit check application & turned it in to the manager. I was informed that I had to fill out a separate credit check for each adult. These run $20 bucks each, which I did, but this bothered me because all of the information was on the application I had already filled out. The application asked for applicant & co-applicant. - More...
Tuesday PM - May 10, 2011

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