Alaska: Petition Seeks to Halt the Killing of Denali National Park Wolves - The iconic wolf population of Denali National Park has plummeted to its lowest level on record in the park, and hunting may be a key factor, according to a revised National Park Service (NPS) monitoring report released in May 2015. At the same time, a citizen petition calling for an end to wolf hunting and trapping inside Alaska’s Denali Park and no-kill buffers on its border has drawn in excess of over 174,000 signatures with a goal to reach 175,000 by July 4, 2015.

Monitored Mortality. This radio collared Denali park wolf was snared this spring (snare and radio collar still visible), broke the snare, and bled to death inside the park.
National Park Service Photo

“It is time for the Park Service and State of Alaska to publicly admit the fact that trapping and hunting of Denali wolves has contributed to the unprecedented decline in wolf numbers and visitor viewing success,” stated Rick Steiner, a retired University of Alaska professor and PEER board member, noting that visitors’ ability to see Denali wolves in the wild has also dropped to record lows. “Instead of blaming the Denali wolf decline on sunspots or Obama Care, the state and federal governments need to admit the proven facts, and immediately close Denali and its surrounding area to any further wolf killing.”

“The park’s primary purpose is to ‘protect intact the globally significant Denali ecosystems,’ but park managers have no credible plan for fulfilling this central mission,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, pointing out that with a new Governor perhaps Alaska and NPS can once again start cooperatively managing Denali’s wolf population. “At the present rate, dysfunctional wildlife politics will end up killing the wolf laying huge golden eggs for Alaska’s tourist economy.”

According to the group Protecting Employees Who Protect Our Environment (PEER), the current unprecedented decline in Denali wolves began in winter 2007-08, when about 10% of the entire park population was killed by trappers and hunters northeast of the park (despite a buffer in place at the time). The decline continued after the buffer was removed in 2010, with the park’s wolf population dropping from 143 in fall 2007 to only 48 in spring 2015. Meanwhile, viewing success has declined from 45% in 2010 to only 6% last summer. Denali draws more than 500,000 people from all over the world each year to see North America’s highest peak, its wilderness, and its wildlife – especially wolves. - More...
Monday PM - June 08, 2015

Columns - Commentary

MONEY MATTERS: TIPS FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT BENEFITS By MARY LYNNE DAHL, CFP® - When I began writing this article on getting the most out of your Social Security, my goal was to simplify a subject that had seemed to be pretty confusing to a lot of people. My first thought in doing this was that it would be easy to parse out the retirement benefits and simply list them by category. Boy, was I wrong!

Social Security is so complex that making a list of benefits by category is impossible. Each category has exceptions that create new categories. Each benefit has rules with results that are based on unknowns, such as how long you will live, or whether or not you will remarry after being widowed. I see now why so many people can make poor decisions about when to begin taking their benefits, and how some are missing out on getting all that they are entitled to receive from Social Security. This article will attempt to simplify the subject, but there won’t be any lists. Read on, please.

What are your benefits?

Social Security provides retirement benefits to individuals and to the married, widowed, children and divorced spouses of individuals. Benefits are available as early as age 60 in certain cases but are reduced from full benefit amounts at age 66 or 67. In addition, benefits started at age 70 receive a bonus amount not paid if started at earlier ages. Benefits can be suspended and started at a later age or, in some cases, started at a lower amount and switched to a higher amount at a later age. Benefits taken while you are still working are subject to a reduction if you earn more than a certain amount of wages, and benefits taken at any age may be subject to federal income taxes, depending on your total taxable income. How’s that for being complicated? What is right for you? It is not always easy to know what to do, considering the bewildering maze of rules that go along with Social Security benefits. We will attempt to simplify some of this maze in this article. - More...
Monday PM - June 08, 2015

JEFF LUND: One lifestyle is not better than the other - It’s funny how a stretch of water can mark such a drastic difference in lifestyle.

This, of course, is drastic within the context of still being wild southeast Alaska.

We’re not talking about taking the IFA Ferry from Hollis and three hours later docking in Ft. Lauderdale.

But to be sure, there’s a difference between the denizens of Ketchikan and the communities on Prince of Wales Island.

Ketchikan is drenched in the tourism industry while island communities are soaked in what might be mistaken for apathy. Not much has changed in Klawock or Craig since I graduated from high school. However, Thorne Bay and Coffman Cove have undergone pretty drastic transformations, though they are far from sprawling boomtowns.

As is the case throughout southeast Alaska, one way is not better than the other. Variety and individuality are why people like to visit – to see what they don’t live on a daily basis. - More...
Monday PM - June 08, 2015