Goslings born in early June 2004 to a pair of Aleutian Canada geese on Nizki Island. Photo by Steve Ebbert

Alaska: Aleutian Canada goose comeback continues by Ned Rozell - "Goose, five. Got it. Thank you." .... Vernon Byrd set down his radio and scribbled in his notebook that someone had found a goose nest with five warm eggs inside. During a three-day survey of this small island, the senior biologist of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge used a good deal of pencil lead in further documenting the comeback of the once-endangered Aleutian Canada goose. He and nine others who searched for goose nests on the island found 432; during a survey six years before, searchers found 250 nests on both Nizki and neighboring Alaid Island, each about 1,500 acres.

"I think it's conceivable that there's 1,000 nests on both Nizki and Alaid," Byrd said during the survey.

On Nizki, between Shemya and Attu near the western end of the Aleutian chain, goose calls and the cries of gulls filled the air. Puffins blasted from hillside burrows and shot toward the ocean like clowns shot from cannons. Aleutian terns chirped in tight circles. The island belonged to the birds, which wasn't the case in 1984, when biologists counted zero goose nests on Nizki and puffins nested offshore. - Read more...
Wednesday - July 21, 2004

Viewpoints Opinions/Letters A Fish Tale: Saving the oceans from rising CO2 by Russ George - 07/21/04 If environmental issues are so important... by Ken Lewis - 07/21/04 More Viewpoints/ Letters Publish A Letter July 2004 Click on the date to read the stories & to view photos published on that day... S M T W T F S 27   28 29   30 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31  Today's Front Page Front Page Archives

Alaska: Governor Murkowski Signs FY05 Budget - Governor Frank Murkowski announced Tuesday the signing of the FY05 capital, operating and mental health budgets passed during the regular session by the Alaska State Legislature. In a speech to the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce, he outlined his budget priorities and commented on the recently signed legislation. - Read more...
Wednesday - July 21, 2004

Ketchikan: Scrap Fire Destroys Two Utility Lines - Alaska State Troopers investigated a scrap wood fire at 8630 South Tongass Highway Tuesday. According to information released by the AST, the scrap wood fire - categorized by the AST as Criminally Negligent Burning - resulted in destruction of two utility lines that were over the fire. - Read more...
Wednesday - July 21, 2004

Ketchikan/ AK/ Nationwide: NOAA Reports Record Warmth In Alaska, Record Wet June For Parts of the South - NOAA scientists report record-setting temperatures in several Alaskan cities in June, including an all-time high of 93 F (33.9 C) on Annette Island which is approximately 18-miles from Ketchikan. Alaska experienced record warmth for June, with a statewide temperature of 5.2 F (2.9 C) above the 1971-2000 mean. The extreme temperatures made conditions favorable for widespread wildfire activity in Alaska. - Read more...
Wednesday - July 21, 2004

Clover Pass Waterfall Front Page Photo by Chris Wilhelm

Alaska: Governor Declares Economic Injury to Businesses in Interior Alaska - Tuesday, Governor Frank Murkowski met with top state officials and local leaders in Fairbanks, to declare economic injury to businesses that have been affected by the devastating fires in Interior Alaska. - Read more...
Wednesday - July 21, 2004

Alaska: ADFG Commissioner Announces New Director of Administrative Services - Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Commissioner Kevin C. Duffy announced Tuesday the appointment of Thomas W. Lawson as the new ADF&G Director of Administrative Services. Lawson is currently serving as the Director of Administrative Services at the Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). - Read more...
Wednesday - July 21, 2004

Bob Ciminel - Fish or Cut Bait: Feet Dry - The Atlantic Blue Crab population is returning to normal in the salt marshes along the Grand Strand this week. The Ciminel family has returned from its annual vacation to Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Between the smelly fish heads and rotten chicken necks we used for bait, we were able to entice about two dozen crabs a day into our crab trap, or dally around in the shallows long enough to scoop up with our dip nets. A couple of rented boats from Murrells Inlet also gave us the opportunity to harvest a sizeable number of clams from the State shellfish reserve. We had to buy our shrimp because the state does not allow shrimp boats to work near shore during the tourist season. - Read more & view photographs...
Wednesday - July 21, 2004