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Thursday
July 17, 2014
LILY PADS
On a hot Ketchikan summer's day, a little canoe nosed its way slowly into a patch of cool, green lily pads. Lily pads bring color and life to their quiet freshwater homes. They are at their most beautiful when they bloom at the water’s surface, producing flowers that can range in color from white to pink, yellow, and red.
Front Page Photo By HEIDI EKSTRAND ©2014
(Please respect the rights of photographers, never republish or copy
without permission and/or payment of required fees.)
Ketchikan: Study Finds Biomass Boilers Are a Viable Option for Heating Federal Buildings - After operating the first biomass boiler in the Ketchikan Federal Building, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has concluded that biomass boilers are a viable alternative for hot-water-heated buildings where natural gas is unavailable.
Ketchikan Federal Building
Photo courtesy U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)
According to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), biomass boilers will be most cost-effective for buildings in cold northern climates within 50 miles of a wood pellet mill. Of the more than 1,500 GSA-owned buildings, researchers identified approximately 150 assets as potential candidates for biomass heating technology.
“This study allowed us to pilot a sustainable technology that supports GSA’s goal of improving the efficiency of federally owned buildings,” said GSA Regional Administrator George Northcroft. “And the results are extremely encouraging and hopefully continue a larger conversation about overall movement toward a more sustainable, abundant and locally-produced energy source in Southeast Alaska.”
The biomass boiler is a renewable energy technology that powers hot-water-heating systems with solid wood fuel—such as wood pellets, chips, or sawdust. Biomass is one tactic the federal government is turning to as part of an effort to make the federal government more sustainable.
The boiler, installed at the Ketchikan Federal Building in March 2012 by Southwest Construction, a small, woman-owned business with operations in Anchorage, is part of the GSA’s Green Proving Ground (GPG) program. GSA replaced the building’s outdated, inefficient 1964 steam heating system with an energy efficient hydronic heating system that includes one biomass boiler and one high-efficiency oil-fired boiler that will serve as a back-up. - More...
Thursday - July 17, 2014
Wrangell: The Fifth Annual Wrangell Bearfest - The fifth annual Wrangell Bearfest is July 23 to 27, 2014. The festival is a five-day celebration of the natural and cultural resources around Wrangell, Alaska with an emphasis on bears.
Wrangell is 30 miles northwest of the Anan Wildlife Observatory, one of Alaska’s premiere bear viewing areas. Anan Creek has one of the largest runs of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, which supports the high density of black and brown bears that gather there. From July 5 through August 25, an individual pass is required to visit the Wildlife Observatory. - More...
Thursday - July 17, 2014
Ketchikan: KPU TV a winner in the 2014 Hometown Video Competition - Ketchikan Public Utilities announced that KPU TV is a winner in the 2014 Hometown Video competition sponsored by the National Alliance for Community Media.
The winning program, “This is Ketchikan,” was entered in the Overall Excellence <300K in the Governmental Access Category. Access cable TV producers from across the country are invited to participate in the Hometown Video Festival, and there were over 1,000 entries this year in student, independent producer and access center professional categories.
KPU TV’s winning entry is a 20 minute compilation of programs produced by KPU TV in 2013 and features such shows as local sports programming, Ketchikan’s Top Chef, Ketchikan’s World Record Breaking boot race, local musicians, artists, and events. - More...
Thursday - July 17, 2014
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Arctic Biology: Study: Climate-cooling arctic lakes soak up greenhouse gases By MARMIAN GRIMES - New research indicates that arctic thermokarst lakes stabilize climate change by storing more greenhouse gases than they emit into the atmosphere.
Thermokarst lakes like these, which are found in ice-rich regions of northern Siberia and Alaska, began cooling instead of warming the atmosphere roughly 5,000 years ago, researchers have discovered.
UAF photo courtesy of Katey Walter Anthony
Countering a widely held view that thawing permafrost accelerates atmospheric warming, a University of Alaska Fairbanks' study published this week in the scientific journal Nature suggests arctic thermokarst lakes are “net climate coolers” when observed over longer, millennial, time scales.
“Until now, we’ve only thought of thermokarst lakes as positive contributors to climate warming,” says lead researcher Katey Walter Anthony, associate research professor at the UAF Institute of Northern Engineering. “It is true that they do warm climate by strong methane emissions when they first form, but on a longer-term scale, they switch to become climate coolers because they ultimately soak up more carbon from the atmosphere than they ever release.”
Found in the Arctic and cold mountain regions, thermokarst lakes occur as permafrost thaws and creates surface depressions that fill with melted fresh water, converting what was previously frozen land into lakes. Researchers observed that roughly 5,000 years ago, thermokarst lakes in ice-rich regions of northern Siberia and Alaska began cooling, instead of warming the atmosphere.
“While methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead to immediate radiative warming,” the authors write, “carbon uptake in peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial time scales.”
Using published data from the circumpolar arctic, their own new field observations of Siberian permafrost and thermokarsts, radiocarbon dating, atmospheric modeling, and spatial analyses, the research team studied how thawing permafrost is affecting climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. - More...
Thursday - July 17, 2014
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| Alaska Farming: Arctic Woods Farm shares knowledge and food By NANCY TARNAI - It’s not enough that Bob and Marilyn Krause own a farm near Fairbanks; they feel compelled to share their knowledge with all who care to ask.
Marilyn Krause loves her baby animals at Arctic Woods Farm.
Photo by Nancy Tarnai, UAF
“Arctic Woods is a teaching farm,” said Marilyn Krause, who was interviewed for this article. “Our philosophy is to help people learn how to farm and have kids experience farming.”
Bob grew up on a farm in Wisconsin and Marilyn was surrounded by agriculture in Michigan, but they began farming in Alaska just to put good food on the table. What started as a hobby farm with a couple of chickens has grown into a thriving operation with poultry, dairy cattle, goats and sheep. “It kept growing and growing and growing,” Krause said.
Eggs are a huge seller, as is meat. When customers purchase an animal, the Krauses have it custom slaughtered at a U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved facility. “It works out really well,” Krause said. “We have repeat customers year after year.”
As the Krauses’ three children got involved in 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America, the family added more and more animals. One of their sons worked at the Fairbanks Experiment Farm back when it researched cattle and pigs. “He fell in love with working with pigs and spent a lot of time there,” Krause said. When the farm closed down the hog operation, the Krauses bought a boar and sow to continue the line at Arctic Woods.
A daughter added sheep to the fold when she took an FFA American Degree project. As an eighth grader, she tackled the work thoroughly, doing everything on her own.
Because her own children gained so much from 4-H and FFA involvement, Krause finds it worth her time to assist others in learning about agriculture. She does so in her classroom at Ryan Middle School and in a workshop she teaches called Agriculture in the Classroom.
The Krauses also have an open door policy to help others learn about farming. “We get everyone from 2-year-olds to adults,” Krause said. “Some come once or twice, and some keep returning.” - More...
Thursday - July 17, 2014
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Columns
 DAVE KIFFER: A Simple Game of Catch- It is my role as a parent to embarrass my son at least once every day.
Heck, on good days, I can embarrass him two or three times before lunch time.
Naturally, the bigger the audience the better the embarrassment. I have yet to embarrass him in front of his entire seventh grade class like his mother once did, but I - from my position of relative prominence in Our Fair Salmon City – can usually embarrass him in front of large numbers of Ketchikandians if I put my mind to it.
For example, recently, I got to throw out the first pitch at the regional Junior League baseball tournament.
Now this is a generally pretty simple thing. You pick up the ball, you hold the ball and then you throw the ball. Someone else catches it. - More...
Thursday - July 17, 2014
 JEFF LUND: Losing more than fish - There were two people where I wanted to fish, so I kept walking. I found a spot that looked good enough so I waded out and proceeded to catch nothing. I checked my depth to make sure my gear bag didn’t dip into the water since it’s not waterproof and I’m paranoid after losing an expensive camera to submersion earlier this year. It was dry, but had every zipper open. Lazy.
I didn’t like the spot, so I took off into the woods and started back to my truck. I’d never been on this trail before, because there wasn’t a trail. Thankfully the forest canopy was thick enough to keep the bush growth at bay. Still the going around roots, and small rock cliffs was tough.
I made it back to the truck, threw my junk in the bed and drove a few miles down the road. There was a little gravel edge which wasn’t quite big enough to be a full-fledged fishing pull out. I’d never seen anyone parked there, but wanted to check anyway. The best fishing spots obviously aren’t marked with asphalt parking lots and neon lights. - More...
Thursday - July 17, 2014
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Viewpoints
Commentary
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Questions, please contact
the editor at editor@sitnews.us or call 617-9696
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 Collateral for City Loans By Ralph Marcello - There is one major error in the letter concerning the City's collateral for their loans. The collateral IS NOT the private real estate and personal property of the citizens of Ketchikan. The collateral is the TAXES collected, both current and future, from real estate and personal property assessments. - More...
Wednesday AM - July 09, 2014
Wolf mother deaths threaten pack survival but not population By Richard Steiner - The research on Denali wolves confirms what we have said all along, that the killing of breeding females can result in catastrophic consequences. Indeed, it is absurdly obvious. - More...
Wednesday AM - July 09, 2014
Final is Final By A.M. Johnson - History is established to leave a course for the present to learn from the past not change the past. A case in point is a quote from President Calvin Coolidge. - More...
Wednesday AM - July 09, 2014
Sealaska Shareholders Meeting 2014 By Dominic Salvato - Participating online was a frustrating experience. The screen was blank at one time for almost an hour and still the meeting went on. - More...
Wednesday AM - July 09, 2014
FairTax eliminates need for IRS By David Boone - According to a recent Fox News poll, an overwhelming majority (76 percent ) of Americans believe the Internal Revenue Service intentionally destroyed two years-worth of emails. - More...
Wednesday AM - July 09, 2014
RE: Un-necessary consequences for Marijuana By Casey O'Brien - I'm writing this letter in response to Marvin Seibert's letter regarding marijuana legalization. - More...
Wednesday AM - July 09, 2014
RE: Behind the scenes of City Government By Douglas J. Thompson - Thanks again for another on the mark letter Mr. Dial. I just wonder how many residents know that their property or business within the Ketchikan borough & city boundaries are the collateral used to secure municipal (and all governmental bonds for that matter)? In the event of local bankruptcy your personal property can go to the highest bidder to repay that defaulted bond. Whether fully paid for or not. - More...
Sunday AM - July 06, 2014
This is the rest of "the story" my dearest Paul Harvey. By Heather Herndon - The State of Alaska wants to gamble with your money to support a mining company that has never successfully produced anything. Worse, the company in question, UCore, has failed on its last two mining claims, Lost Pond in Newfoundland and another in Canada. Its sole remaining asset is the Bokan-Dotson Mountain project. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
Move To End Federal Funding Of Alaska Predator Control By Richard Steiner - I realize that public interest in Alaska's predator control issue waxes and wanes, but the issue we disclose here is a new, significant finding, which should be of interest to the Alaska public. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
THE 1967 FAIRBANKS FLOOD By James M. Eagan - Just finished reading The 1967 Fairbanks Flood by June Allen which tells about how the people of Fairbanks managed so well during the flood of 1967. That is not exactly the way I remember it and I was there. The mention of one critical aspect of the story is conspicuous only by its absence. Were it not for the heavy equipment and volunteer efforts of personnel from both Fort Wainwright and Eielson AFB, the city of Fairbanks and nearby communities such as North Pole would have been disaster areas until at least the next spring. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
Don Young By R.K. Rice - So, the penalty for illegal use of campaign funds, and accepting illegal “gifts”, (bribes) is the unbelievably harsh penalty, of having to pay back the amount that was received. Apparently the fox is guarding the henhouse. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
Grant Street Garbage By Vanessa Bruns - As residents of Grant Street we all know that there are bears that love to wander through our neighborhood and they are attracted to our garbage cans. The past two weeks I have gone into the woods and picked up MULTIPLE garbage items that have been ripped out of garbage bags (which are from our garbage cans) by these bears. The bears are not the point of my issue, my issue is with the residents of Grant Street that are not securing their garbage cans appropriately. When confronted about the issue everyone has the "it's not mine attitude" When in fact in some cases, the garbage that I have picked up has mail that has the person's name on it. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
Checking ID, Assumed Guilt and a Lack of Common Sense By Amanda Mitchell - I wanted to bring to light a recent local experience in our town of Ketchikan. My husband and I went into Safeway. After picking up a few items, we walked together into the liquor store where my husband purchased beer. My husband was carded, but he was almost refused beer because I didn’t have my identification on myself. I have been into the same liquor store with my kids to pick up beer and my kids were never carded. As much as I would like to say it, I do not look like I am in my 20's. It was automatically assumed if we are with another adult we are guilty of buying alcohol for minor. However, I literally can have a minor with me, who is not carded, and be sold alcohol. To the cashier's credit, who else gets to decide whether or not the person who is purchasing the alcohol is going to commit a future crime and has the intent of purchasing to/for a minor? The cashier position has just gotten really cool as now the job duties includes being a detective, judge, jury and psychic. Move over, Miss Cleo! - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
RE: Un-necessary consequences for Marijuana By Marvin Seibert - First I need to clarify Mr Johnson's comments, I do not work in a state funded halfway house or in the substance testing industry. I have not lost my job due to Pot legalization in Colorado. I have moved to Ketchikan and still employed in the same industry and company for the past 14 years and it is 0% drug related. I am still trying to figure out how long you need to live here before you should be able to comment on important issues as this. I am a registered voter in Ketchikan.
You suggest that we should not leave our children's future to a judge. That is emotion talking and not reason. What decisions do you want to take away from the legal system. Who will pick and choose what judges are allow to handle. Do we go the way of the anarchist and just let judges rule when we know and like what the outcome going to be. We are a nation of laws ( except in the Whitehouse unfortunately ) not mob rule. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
My idea of tax reform. By Wiley Brooks - Reform serves the purpose getting rid of that which is bad and replace it with something better. That is why I call for tax reform --- real and true tax reform. The present income tax code punishes good behavior, taxes production and jobs, drives jobs, companies and capital out of our economy into off-shore tax avoidance havens, and; it hides taxes embedded in the price paid by the consumer. Without production there is nothing to buy, no improvement in standard of living, no tax base to support government. The cost to all of us who pay taxes to comply with the 75,000 pages of codes is over $440 billion per year. It gives imported goods a price advantage while it rewards domestic special interest by embedding favors in the codes. The system which includes the Internal Revenue Service is corrupt. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
RE: Behind the scenes of City Government By Laura Plenert - Rodney Dial, as ALWAYS is correct. This is a man who has studied and reviewed what is going on in Ketchikan. He is not just shooting from the hip. He digs and knows his stuff. - More...
Saturday PM - July 05, 2014
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