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SitNews - Stories In The News - Ketchikan, Alaska
Wednesday
June 22, 2011

Front Page Photo By HEIDI PRENTISS

Fawn Quietly Waits for Mother's Return
Front Page Photo By HEIDI PRENTISS

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Southeast Alaska:
Metlakatla tribal fishery achieves MSC certification - The Metlakatla Indian Community fishery located in tribal waters surrounding the Annette Islands Reserve in Southeast Alaska has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an independent, third-party certifier. There are 12 Units of Certification covering Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), and King Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), using three gear types, Gillnet, Seine, and Troll.

Kerry Coughlin, MSC’s regional director, Americas, said: “The certification of the Annette Islands Reserve is a story of cultural heritage spanning two centuries and we are proud to be part of the story and the legacy that will be passed on to future Metlakatla generations.” Coughlin added, “The responsible management demonstrated by the tribe will help sustain the fishery and Metlakatla community for generations to come.”

The Metlakatla Indian Community fishery operates from May through October and pink salmon represents the majority of the harvest, at approximately 83%. The harvest averaged 1.1 million salmon or approximately 3,000 Metric Tonnes over ten years and value averaged US$1.3 million. The harvest is sold primarily to markets in Europe.

Metlakatla Mayor Arthur G. Fawcett said, “MSC certification and the fishery improvements over time that will result from the conditions contained in certification will send a powerful message to the local community, tribal members, Alaska neighbors and European markets that purchase our seafood that the Metlakatla Indian Community is committed to sustainable fishing practices for this and future generations."

“Our ancestors who came to Annette Island in 1887 were dedicated environmental stewards of the land and the sea and MSC certification confirms our commitment to preserve the legacy we inherited and manage the resource to sustain the fish stocks and our heritage for future Metlakatla generations,” said Karl Cook Jr., a commercial fisherman and tribal member. - More...
Wednesday - June 22, 2011


Alaska: Louisville Zoo Will Be Orphaned Polar Bear Cub's New Home - Zoo Director John Walczak announced Wednesday that the Louisville Zoo will soon be home to the orphaned polar bear cub that received national attention when she was found in Alaska in April by employees of ConocoPhillips. Five-month old Qannik is scheduled to arrive in late June and will be off public exhibit for a period of time for quarantine and to adjust to her new surroundings.

Qannik means "snowflake" in the Inupiat language and it is also the name of the oil field where she was found. Qannik brings the total captive population of polar bears in North America to only 79.

The cub's journey from the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage to Louisville has been dubbed "Operation Snowflake" and is the product of a two month collaboration between the Alaska Zoo and Louisville Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Polar Bears International (PBI) and UPS.

"In a collaborative effort with USFWS, it was determined the best placement for this little cub would be Louisville where both her physical and psychological needs could be met," commented Dr. Randi Meyerson, the Coordinator of the Polar Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP), one of AZA's cooperative breeding management programs that assists threatened and endangered species. "The Louisville Zoo's new Glacier Run bear habitat is an excellent facility with a lot of space, flexibility, animal training and enrichment options," continued Meyerson. "Several of the Zoo's staff have over 10 years of experience of working with polar bears which was also a key factor in making the decision, as was the strong conservation messaging centered around Glacier Run." An equally important factor was the tentatively-scheduled placement of a young captive-born polar bear in Louisville later in 2011.

"We're glad that the cub will soon be settled in a permanent home," said Rosa Meehan of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Region, which assisted with the zoo selection process. "I'm confident that the Louisville Zoo is the right choice, and that the cub will be a valuable "spokesbear," teaching the public about polar bears and their habitat, and increasing the scientific community's understanding of this threatened species."

Qannik was born in January and was first spotted on Alaska's North Slope in February with her mother and sibling. A radio monitoring collar was placed on the mother but it slipped off. In late April, Qannik was spotted alone. An unsuccessful aerial search was conducted to locate the mother and Qannik was rescued. The USFWS called the Alaska Zoo to care for the cub. Patrick Lampi, executive director of the Alaska Zoo says, "Qannik arrived at the Alaska Zoo weighing only 15 pounds. She has progressed well under the Zoo's care and now weighs 60 pounds and responds well to her caretakers." - More...
Wednesday PM - June 22, 2011


Columns - Commentary

jpg Dave KifferDAVE KIFFER: Be Prepared - My Dad always thought of Boy Scouts as "amateur hour."

Sure, he was the great outdoors guy, hunting, fishing, trapping pretty much all year round. And I got to go with, much to my general dislike.

Even today, men often get wistful when I talk about my life to age 15, which was a seemingly continuous miserable slog through the muskeg or the woods. And of course, there were those summers spent commercial fishing from 4 am to nearly midnight.

If that sounds like heaven to you, great.

I understand that we often feel a need to get back to our frontier roots. And I understand that many people really do cherish their time hunting and fishing and etc. But it is a hard life and there is a big difference between doing it when you want to and doing it when you have to. Especially when you are seven or eight years old.

Most days I would have just preferred to curl up with a good book and enjoyed the civilized comfort of "town."

But now, I find myself yearning - not to reclaim my wilderness youth - but to at least provide a sliver of it for my son. I want Liam to have outdoor experiences. Just not the brutal, forced marches that I went through.

So that brings us back to boy scouts.

For three years running, Liam and I have attended cub scout camp at Orton Ranch right around Memorial Day.

Despite my personal aversion to most things "outdoorsy," heading off to Orton Ranch - about 12 miles from the end of the road - always reminds how lucky we are to be surrounded by the great outdoors.

When we spend most of our days in "town" we tend to forget just how spectacular life is all around us, as we grumble our way through traffic and deal with all the little irritations of getting by.

Besides there is nothing like camp food and sleeping on an uncomfortable bunk to remind me how much I like civilization, like indoor plumbing and baseboard heat. - More...
Monday - June 20, 2011

 

      

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

letter Roads, Trees and State Rights By A. M. Johnson- Reading the articles regarding Governor Parnell's filing suit against the Tongass Roadless Rule and the accompanying story regarding the suit to address the denial of the road extension out of Juneau, brings to mind that both are fodder for the discussion on States Rights. - More...
Wednesday - June 22, 2011

letter Re: Propaganda By Ed Brown - In his own Sitnews' description, Florian Sever is a long-time union and environmental activist. He was a pulp mill worker at Sitka's Alaska Pulp Corporation, and was fired by APC for testifying before Congress, in favor of the Tongass Timber Reform Act. Also check out Sealaska Shareholders underground on Face Book (more rants there too). - More...
Wednesday - June 22, 2011

letter There is still time to save Coastal Management - Reps. Beth Kerttula and Berta Gardner - We were disappointed when the House adjourned the recent Special Session three days early, failing by one vote to accept compromise language saving the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP).  Sadly, the program was caught up in the larger House-Senate fight over the capital budget, and instead of taking the extra time to resolve it, the House simply gaveled out. - More...
Monday - June 20, 2011 

letter Governor Palin Email Extravaganza; What Was Old is New Again By Tara Jollie - The infamous Sarah Palin emails have come and gone.  There was no exciting fodder for scandal like the Corrupt Bastards Club of years the past, no juicy gossip like last year’s love caucus affair.  It was a rather anticlimactic event; big news day though!  How weird is that? - More...
Monday - June 20, 2011

letter RE: the 400 By Richard Easbey - Oh goodie... another unhinged rant from David Hanger! It's such a target-rich environment one hardly knows where to begin. - More...
Monday - June 20, 2011

letter Rebuild the fish count By Kami Myles - As a child Clay and I fished the rocks around Clover pass resort. We were fishing buddies and never was there a day when we didn't cast our line into the water and catch some kind of fish. Those are some of my fondest memories as of my childhood. - More...
Monday - June 20, 2011

letter PROPAGANDA By Florian Sever - In the June 15th SitNews commentary by Sealaska’s Rosita Worl, she raised many interesting points about the proposed Sealaska Lands Bill, and what it means. - More...
Monday - June 20, 2011

letter ANCSA resolution By Vernon Grant - I support the views of Rosita Worls plight for resolution on the ANCSA,that what was promised be settled on the premesis of respect for the native peoples of Alaska.After all we the native people have been a role model for the founding fathers of our country to adopt as a way in which too govern our country.Now isnt making promises too any one given body an act of Cruel And Unusual Punishment? That of which was said too be one of the main 10 amendments made to the constitution in 1791..... More...
Monday - June 20, 2011

letter Southeast Alaska’s Native people wait 40 years for return of their land By Rosita Worl - Over-regulation and anti-Native bias seem to touch every aspect of life for Native peoples in Southeast Alaska, from how our people make teddy bears to whether the U.S. will keep its promise to restore 85,000 acres of our homelands to us. - More...
Wednesday - June 15, 2011

letter Fisheries science is more complex than opponents of Sealaska land bill say By Douglas Martin - Restoring nearly 85,000 acres of Tongass National Forest land to the Sealaska Corporation, in accordance with the 40-year-old Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, won’t damage salmon runs. - More...
Wednesday - June 15, 2011

letter Sealaska Bill a Can of Worms By Rebecca Knight - Jaeleen Araujo, Sealaska vice-president and general counsel recently denied in a Juneau Empire op-ed piece that the other 11 regional corporations could use their proposed legislation as precedent to reopen land claims in Alaska. Sealaska is “perplexed” that this remains an issue. However, her comments in various public forums tell a different story. - More...
Wednesday - June 15, 2011

letter Pellet Boilers? Pellet Heat? Public Buildings? Your Home? You Betcha By Samuel Bergeron - The design team on the public library wanted about $80,000 to do a feasibility study on the viability of biomass wood pellet heat. That's like doing feasibility study on using propane heat or electricity. Biomass wood pellet heat is an established technology that has been in use in major metropolitan cities throughout the world for over 30 years with a stellar track record of clean burning emissions, low cost fuel, and great systems reliability. You don't need a feasibility study to see if this is a proven technology, just do the math. - More...
Monday - June 13, 2011

letter Section 17(b) of ANCSA & Public Access By Florian Sever - I want to clear up a claim that Sealaska representatives always make when they address the issue of public acess, regarding public the 3,600 acres of prime anchorages, sockeye streams, cabin sites, and camping areas they want to make under the guise of Cultural, Sacred, Enterprise and other classifications, under the terms of Senator Lisa Murkowski’s, S. 730 “The Sealsaka Lands Bill”.- More...
Monday - June 13, 2011

letter Property Tax increase amount By Marty West - The Ketchikan Daily News was wrong. The increase was 0.1 mills ($10 per $100,000 of assessed property Value) not 1.0 mills ($100 per $100,000 as reported). - More...
Monday - June 13, 2011

letter KPU By Joey Garcia - I admire KPU's repair technicians in our verbal calls, mostly from residents of the Tongass Towers Condominium, because of tilling, loss of power if you subscribe to three services like telephone, Internet and cable. - More...
Monday - June 13, 2011

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