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Tuesday
July 23, 2013
Youth Feature Photo: Humpback
While out with her dad on his troller, 14-year-old Brooke Mickel captured this amazing photograph of a humpback whale breaching. Humpbacks frequently breach, throwing two-thirds or more of their bodies out of the water and splashing down on their backs.
Front Page Photo By BROOKE MICKEL ©2013
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Southeast Alaska: Public Meetings July 24th & 25th to Discuss Big Thorne Project - The Thorne Bay Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest will host two public meetings to discuss the Big Thorne Project and stewardship projects associated with the contracts.
Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole and District Ranger Rachelle Huddleston-Lorton will explain the Record of Decision for the Big Thorne Timber Sale and projects included in the Big Thorne stewardship proposal. There will be time for comments and questions from the public, although this is not a public hearing.
The Tongass National Forest issued its Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Big Thorne Project on July 1, 2013. The decision allows for the harvest of 148.9 million board feet from approximately 6,186 acres of old-growth and 2,299 acres of young-growth near Thorne Bay and Coffman Cove on Prince of Wales Island within the Thorne Bay Ranger District.
The Forest Service believes the action could help stabilize the timber industry in Southeast Alaska as the Tongass makes a shift toward young growth timber harvests in the future.
“The Big Thorne decision is a critical step in the Tongass National Forest’s transition to young growth timber management,” explained Forrest Cole, forest supervisor. “By providing a stable supply of timber to the industry now, we are giving the Forest Service and the industry the breathing space needed to prepare for the transition to young growth timber,” said Cole when the decision was released. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 23, 2013
Southeast Alaska: Fire Department, Coast Guard respond to vessel fire in Valdez - The City of Valdez and Coast Guard personnel responded to a report of a vessel fire at the Crowley fuel dock within the Valdez Small Boat Harbor Monday morning.
At approximately 11:30 a.m., the 28-foot recreational vessel Falcon, with two adults and three children onboard, caught fire at the Crowley fuel dock in the Valdez Small Boat Harbor. All five persons aboard were transferred to shore and Crowley dock employees quickly secured fuel to the pier’s pumps.
The Valdez Fire Department, Valdez Harbormaster’s Office, and Coast Guard immediately responded to the scene and found the Falcon engulfed in flames and a small fire on the Crowley fuel dock. All five personnel aboard the vessel sustained injuries from the incident and were transported by the Valdez Fire Department to Providence Medical Center for further treatment.
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port immediately closed the Small Boat Harbor to all traffic, a Coast Guard Station Valdez small boat launched to assist with traffic management and scene safety, and Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez personnel deployed to the scene to investigate the cause. The Valdez Fire Department has jurisdiction for marine firefighting within the small boat harbor and successfully extinguished the vessel fire within 45 minutes. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 23, 2013
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Ketchikan: Signal Creek Campground & West Side of Ward Lake Trail Closed - The Ketchikan Misty Fiords Ranger District announced today that the Signal Creek Campground and the west side of Ward Lake Trail are temporarily closed for public safety because of an aggressive bear.
Sign reads: "Trail is cloased due to Aggressive Bear. Please keep Out"
Photo by Dan Hart ©2013
According to a news release, a food conditioned bear is frequenting the area and may approach people. Individuals are asked to watch for signs and flagging which mark the closed area. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 23, 2013
Southeast Alaska: Inter-Island Ferry Terminal parking lot paving - The contractor for the Alaska Department of Transportation anticipates paving the Inter-Island Ferry Terminal parking lot at Hollis on Prince of Wales Island during the third week of August, weather permitting, according to Alaska Interstate Construction (AIC). The contractor is making arrangements to provide a nearby temporary parking area for users of the parking lot, according to IFA general manager Dennis Watson.
Details regarding location and timing of temporary parking will be shared with users as soon as details are available, advises Alaska Interstate Construction (AIC). - More...
Tuesday PM - July 23, 2013
Southeast Alaska: Web cam catches sockeye salmon returning to Tongass spawning grounds - Through the end of August, folks will get the chance to be entertained as sockeye salmon swim along Alaska’s Steep Creek as the adults spawn before swimming to their deaths.
The U.S. Forest Service has placed a salmon cam in Steep Creek near the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau so viewers world-wide have the opportunity to view fish in their natural setting. The ability to watch salmon in the wild is a treat for many people, but the underwater camera gives a more intimate, unique look.
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“The overall escapement, or numbers of fish that reach the spawning grounds, for Steep Creek sockeye varies from year to year,” said Pete Schneider, a fisheries biologist on the Tongass. “An average run would be considered 1,000 fish. We have seen it as low as 350 and as high as 4,000. So many factors can contribute to run size. It’s difficult to predict. So keep watching.”
Early in the spring sockeye fry emerge from the gravels and move into Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River sloughs and ponds, where they feed for 1-3 years before migrating to the ocean. After spending several years at sea, the adult sockeye return to Steep Creek to spawn, their last act before they die.
But all is not lost. The dead sockeye are still good meals for a variety of forest critters, including their own fry and as their nitrogen-rich carcasses decompose they provide valuable nutrients into the ecosystem.
If you see the view clouded, it could be because a female salmon is building her redd (gravel nest) by agitating the bottom of the creek bed with her fins and tail. She then bends her body back and forth to make a depression where she deposits her eggs. A male then moves in and deposits his milt, or sperm, over the eggs after an often lengthy courtship. The female uses her tail fin to cover the redd then moves upstream to do it again. Female salmon will often build multiple redds in the same general vicinity and then guard them as long as they can before eventually dying. - More...
Tuesday PM - July 23, 2013
Columns - Commentary
 DAVE KIFFER: Every Summer We Go a Little Gaga By DAVE KIFFER -
One of our favorite pastimes in these here parts is to sigh and roll our eyes at what goes on “Outside.”
After all we are truly immune to all that “all that,” aren’t we?
Clearly, Ketchikan must be “the place” to be because we all pretty much came here from somewhere else. We chose to be here, or at the very least our ancestors chose to be here.
So we really don’t care all that much about the Outside world, right?
Except when it comes to celebrities.
Yes indeedy, there is nothing like a celebrity sighting – or reported sighting – to get the indwellers of Our Fair Salmon City into a serious bout of rubbernecking.
Take, for example, the recent hubbub over whether or not Lady Gaga and Johnny Depp were in town. Everyone said they were – especially on Facebook and other Social Media - so it must be true.
But there were no pictures, and no one actually said they saw them. They just heard from other people that they were here. Still, it was enough to get folk running around (including my son and friends) for a glimpse of Captain Jack Sparrow. I don’t think they were as interested in Lady Gaga. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013 |
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the editor at editor@sitnews.us or call 617-9696
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 Kake Access Project By David Beebe -
The Western Federal Lands Highway Division has released its Draft Purpose and Need Statement of the Kake Access Project. The Statement and public meeting comes at the worst possible time -- at the height of seasonal commercial fishing activities, and signals predictably negative consequences for the three directly affected Southeast communities and the region as a whole. - More..
Wednesday - July 24, 2013
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Classics a'la Carte III By Lallette Kistler - If you like classical music, wander down to Holy Name Church Friday night July 26th at 7:30. Classics a'la Carte III, a concert to benefit Ketchikan Performing Arts Center, will feature a great mix of instrumental and vocal music. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013
Ketchikan needs to get rid of tansy ragwort By Victoria McDonald - For the past 5 years I have been pulling tansy ragwort out by the roots. It is especially noticeable aroung Ward Cove and spreads further each year. Nathan and Dorica Jackson have been pulling the plants even longer but the plants spread beyond our ability to pick. We now are concentrating on the south end of town where tansy has taken hold but not spread as much. Because of its toxicity, we wear gloves, long shirts and pants. It's a plant to be taken seriously. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013
The Wrong Solution By Cheryl Henley -
I have lived here for 45 years. I have no expertise what- so -ever on the subject of bears that bother and scare because of the stupid actions of some people. What happened to the dump bears we used to see there? Didn't they move them to other parts of the island? What does the department estimate for numbers of bears living in this area? - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013
Ketchikan's Good Samaritan By Andrew and Kathleen Smith -
We’d like to express our gratitude to the Good Samaritan who stepped up to pay the twelve dollar entry fee for our visiting family of four at the pool recently. That was extremely generous and sincerely appreciated by all. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013
We are not all... By A.M. Johnson -
Arriving back in K-Town and reading recent issues of the Ketchikan Daily News, I saw a front page photo of a sign holder that has taken the liberty to make a public statement that would include me without my permission, classifying me as a "Trayvon Martin". - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013
Alaska Wild Salmon Not Good Enough? By Peggy Ayers -
Just a note from a former Ketchikan resident. Having read the article from Fish Factor just want to say that I recently purchased canned Alaska salmon from the Walmart store in Mt. Zion Illinois, where I currently reside. - More...
Wednesday - July 24, 2013
KIC RECALL By Eliasica Timmerman - The Tribal Council meeting on Monday July 8th was very important and informative. The recall committee was there to address their petition, but did not stay to hear or ask any questions on the matters they are concerned about. I stayed until 11pm to listen to all the department reports. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013
Thank You By Connie Sue Knutsen -
My husband Greg Knutsen and I wish to thank all those who helped care for him from his recent fall in June. We sure appreciate the South Tongass Fire and Rescue, and all those at the scene. Also the emergency room techs here in Ketchikan were wonderful and professional in his care and getting him to the medivac to Seattle. His care helped keep him from major damage. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013
The Abominable Snowden By Donald A. Moskowitz -
Edward Snowden is not a human rights activist, he is a loathsome (abominable) traitor and spy. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013
End the IRS By Beverly Martin - Lighting fireworks on the 4th didn't restore freedom taken by the tyranny of the IRS. Reading the Declaration of Independence underscored this nation's return to conditions founding fathers found intolerable: government use of fear to take property and control citizens. - More...
Saturday PM - July 20, 2013
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