Sitka Black-tailed Doe & Fawn
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POW: Bokan Field Project Underway – The $8 million 2011 field program for the Bokan-Dotson Ridge rare earth element project in Southeast Alaska is now under way. Bokan Mountain is Alaska’s only prior uranium producing site which yielded some of the highest known grades within the United States.

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. announced Tuesday that exploration crews have been mobilized to Kendrick Bay, Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. A floating barge camp for crew accommodations has been established, with a capacity of 30 personnel. Fuel storage facilities are installed, and drill pads are constructed at the Dotson Zone. Diamond drill equipment has been transported from Ketchikan to Bokan Mountain by barge, and several holes have already been completed.

Ucore’s flagship property at Bokan Mountain is situated at the southern most part of the Alaskan panhandle, on the southern end of Prince of Wales Island. It is approximately 60 km or 37 miles southwest of Ketchikan and 130 km or 80 miles northwest of Prince Rupert.

The Bokan Mountain project covers 19 sq. miles and includes the former high grade Ross Adams Mine, which is Alaska’s only prior producing uranium mine. The Bokan project is situated within the Tongass National Forest. It is operated by the US Forest Service and has no indigenous or residential populations, resulting in secure mineral title for Ucore and no land claim issues according to Ucore. - More...
Thursday - July 21, 2011

Alaska: NOAA seeks public input on sustainable management of halibut stock - NOAA’s Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a draft rule, called a catch sharing plan, designed to sustainably manage the halibut stock in southeast Alaska and the central Gulf of Alaska.

The North Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the rule to establish a clear allocation between the commercial and charter sectors that fish in these areas.

Currently, the commercial and charter halibut fisheries are managed under different programs. The commercial halibut fishery has been managed under a catch limit program since 1995. The charter halibut sector has been managed under a different harvest guideline since 2003, which gives charter fishermen a number of fish they can catch per guided angler per day, but does not ensure the overall catch stays within a definitive catch limit.

The proposed catch sharing plan, which is scheduled to be in place by 2012, is designed to foster a sustainable fishery by preventing overharvesting of halibut and would introduce provisions that provide flexibility for charter and commercial fishermen. - More...
Thursday - July 21, 2011

Southeast Alaska: Central Council Secures Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Funding - The Native Lands & Resources Department of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Central Council) announced that it has secured a FY2011 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Consultation/Documentation Grant in the amount of $90,000 from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

The grant will be used to conduct research and documentation, and to prepare claims to repatriate and/or work on outstanding claims at the Oakland Art Museum and the Southwest Museum Autry Center. In addition, it will allow Central Council's NAGPRA program to monitor the completion of pending claims on more than 200 objects in nine museums. - More...
Thursday - July 21, 2011 

Alaska: Alaska Children’s Trust endowment moves to the Alaska Community Foundation - The Alaska Children’s Trust’s nearly $11 million endowment, formerly managed by the Alaska Department of Revenue, was granted to The Alaska Community Foundation for the benefit of the Alaska Children’s Trust as of July 1.

Governor Sean Parnell included the appropriation of the full value of the trust’s endowment to The Alaska Community Foundation in his FY12 capital budget, which was signed and finalized in late June.

“I was honored to work with these wonderful organizations and get the language inserted into the capital budget, transferring the fund to ACF,” said Rep. Anna Fairclough, R-Eagle River. “I am confident ACF will be a valuable asset to the trust. With their help and deep connections in our state, children will get the help they need and lives will be saved. We are one step closer to ending child abuse in Alaska.”

The Alaska Children’s Trust Fund is now one of the largest agency endowments of The Alaska Community Foundation, which consists of similar endowments for organizations like Juneau-based Perseverance Theatre, the Alaska Native Heritage Center and dozens of others. - More...
Thursday - July 21, 2011

Alaska: AVTEC Accepting Applications for Crowley Maritime Scholarships for Alaska Native Students - Alaska’s Institute of Technology (AVTEC) is accepting applications for two $2,000 scholarships funded by Crowley Maritime Corp. for Alaska Native students. The scholarships are for students who will attend AVTEC’s Able-Bodied Mariner Training Program in Seward. Scholarship winners will be able to use the awards for the next AB mariner training program in the fall.

“The Thomas B. Crowley, Sr. Memorial Scholarships will recognize students who demonstrate achievement and leadership ability to successfully pursue careers in the towing industry,” AVTEC Director Fred Esposito said. “With this support, Crowley Maritime is helping train a local workforce for Alaska’s maritime industry.”

Candidates eligible for the scholarship must be Alaska Native, hold a valid Merchant Mariner Credential or a U.S. Coast Guard License or Merchant Mariner Document, hold a Transportation Worker I.D. card and provide sea-service letters or discharge. - More...
Thursday - July 21, 2011

Alaska: TLINGIT ALPHABET CARDS, INTERACTIVE TOOL, CD RELEASED - Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has released flash cards, an audio CD and an online interactive tool designed to teach the Tlingit alphabet to young people.  

The materials feature original, whimsical art and are meant to provide a fun way for kids to interact and become familiar with the Tlingit alphabet. Each card includes a character in the Tlingit alphabet, a Tlingit word that uses that character and an image depicting the Tlingit word, said Linda Belarde, who writes curriculum with a focus on the Tlingit language for the institute.

 “It’s a fun thing. You have something you’re holding, they’re small enough, so you don’t have to have a huge board and the card game is kind of fun and they don’t really realize that they’re learning,” said Belarde, a former teacher and school principal. - More...
Thursday - July 21, 2011

Southeast Alaska: SEARHC offers free health screenings in Klawock - The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) Health Promotion department will host free health screenings for adults age 18 and older on Thursday, Aug. 4, in Klawock.

The free health screenings take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Klawock School modulars (next to the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall). Participants are encouraged to schedule 20-minute appointments for their health screenings, but they can be seen as walk-in patients (be aware there may be a wait for walk-in patients).

The biometric health screenings involve a simple blood test that gives people their non-fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and blood pressure results. Health professionals will be available to discuss screening results with patients. - More...
Thursday - July 21, 2011

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