Ward Lake: Red Breasted Sapsucker
This red breasted sapsucker was photographed as it was just flying away from its nest. These wood peckers are nesting with babies in many of the old growth trees, you can see them coming and going bringing bugs to feed their young. It is interesting that each time they leave they take out the trash, so to speak, as they carry out the wastes from the nest.
Front Page Photo By KURTIS R. MORIN

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Ketchikan: Alaska Communities See Increase in PILT Payments - The U.S. Department of the Interior is distributing nearly $27 million to Alaskan communities in compensation for taxes that could not be levied on federal lands in their jurisdictions during fiscal year 2012.

“With the federal government owning 60 percent of Alaska, the payment in lieu of taxes program ensures communities a source of funding to pay for emergency services, roads and other items that would otherwise be supported through local property taxes,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).

This year’s PILT program is the last to be funded under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which enacted a five-year authorization for funding full entitlement levels of the program. The 2013 budget proposes a one-year extension of the current PILT program, maintaining the existing formula for calculating payments to counties – considering acreage, population and prior year revenue payments.

“It is hard to overstate the impact of PILT funding for rural counties in particular, where these investments can make the difference in keeping a search and rescue crew on the job or a teacher in the classroom,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar when he announced the PILT payments Thursday. “It is a program we firmly believe should be extended, and we hope Congress will take the action that’s needed.”

On the 3,052,122 total acres of federal lands in Ketchikan's jurisdiction, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough will be receiving $1,038,263 in compensation for taxes that could not be levied. In 2011, the Ketchikan Borough received $1,006,148.

The formula used to compute the payments is contained in the PILT Act and is based on population, receipt sharing payments, and the amount of Federal land within an affected area. - More...
Friday - June 15, 2012

Alaska: Federal Court Allows State to Continue Preparing for Upcoming Election – Today a federal court denied a request by several Alaska Natives to temporarily halt state election officials’ preparations for the upcoming primary elections using a revised electoral map.

United States District Court Judge Sharon Gleason found that the plaintiffs, who filed a lawsuit seeking to bar the state from moving forward with its elections until the revised map is approved by the United States Department of Justice, had not shown that they would suffer irreparable harm if the state prepares for the election pending the map’s approval.

The lawsuit filed last week, sought to keep state election officials from implementing a redistricting plan until that plan wins U.S. Justice Department approval.

“We are pleased that Judge Gleason has allowed us to continue preparing for the election for the time being,” said Gail Fenumiai, the director of the Alaska Division of Elections. “In order to make sure that the election is held on time and in a way that allows everyone to exercise his or her right to vote, it’s important that we prepare now.”

The lawsuit argues that the state cannot use the revised electoral map to prepare for the election without having first obtained approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. Under federal law a handful of states, including Alaska, must obtain approval by the U.S. Department of Justice before making any changes to the state’s electoral process, including changes to electoral districts. - More...
Friday - June 15, 2012

Alaska: Scrapping of Polar Sea Icebreaker Halted – With the scrapping of the Polar Sea scheduled to beign within days, United States Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Begich (D-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have reached an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard to postpone the scrapping of the Polar Sea through the end of 2012. The agreement was reached during a meeting of the Senators and the Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp, Jr.

The icebreaker, based in Seattle, had been scheduled to be dry-docked and taken apart beginning Monday. This process would have ripped out the vessel’s hubs and sealed off major portions of the vessel – a key step toward final destruction of the icebreaker.

Scrapping Polar Sea would leave the United States with only one operational icebreaker, the Healy, which was designed primarily as a scientific research vessel and only has medium icebreaking capability. The second heavy duty icebreaker, Polar Star, is currently in Seattle being refitted after years of receiving routine maintenance in ‘caretaker’ status.

“As an Arctic Nation, we need to proceed intelligently as opportunities open up in our northern waters,” said Senator Murkowski. “Dismantling critical components of the Polar Sea without a complete plan for its replacement – a year before Polar Star will be back in the water – would not be the best course of action. While this may only be a six month respite for the Polar Sea, I will use this period to work through my role on the Appropriations Committee to make America’s icebreaking capacity a top priority.”

“The Coast Guard has listened to our call to postpone the dry docking of the Polar Sea so we can continue to explore the most cost-effective measures to ensure the United States has adequate icebreaking capabilities,” said Senator Begich. “Rebuilding this valuable cutter would save taxpayer dollars, create jobs, and increase our ability to operate in the Arctic, and I look forward to continuing to discuss next steps in revitalizing the Polar Sea.” - More...
Friday - June 15, 2012

Alaska: Area M Seiners Association Stand Down During First Commercial Salmon Fishery Opening of 2012 - For the third year in a row, the Area M Seiners Association decided to voluntarily sit out the first opening of the June sockeye salmon fishery last week.  The Area M fishery is located around Alaska’s Eastern Aleutian Islands and Western Peninsula on the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. The Association has 35 members from Sand Point, King Cove and False Pass.

“The Area M Seiners Association realizes that chum salmon catches during the June fishery are politically dangerous,” said Association president Glen Gardner, Jr. “For many years, our fishermen have been plagued by accusations that we are affecting commercial and subsistence chum salmon runs in the A-Y-K (Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim). We believe that scientific studies currently underway will demonstrate that the Area M sockeye salmon fishery has very little impact on the chum salmon stock.”

“Until then, and until the public and the Alaska Board of Fisheries has time to review the studies, the chum issue continues to be a political hot potato for our fishermen,” said Sand Point seiner David Osterback. - More...
Friday - June 15, 2012

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