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SitNews - Stories In The News - Ketchikan, Alaska
Wednesday
December 15, 2010

Front Page Photo by MIKE GATES

Waterfront Living
Front Page Photo By MIKE GATES


Ketchikan: Assembly discusses economic development program by MARIA DUDZAK, KRBD - The Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly Monday night directed the economic development manager to move forward with a comprehensive economic development strategy. During the special meeting, the Assembly also heard comments from the public on what should be done with the Borough's Ward Cove property. - Listen to this KRBD story...
www.krbd.org

Saxman: Rampant Fraud, Self-Dealing Alleged in Alaska Native Corporation by MICHAEL GRABELL, ProPublica - When the oil boom came to Alaska, Congress promised new economic opportunities for native peoples like the Cape Fox Tlingit. - Read this ProPublica story...
www.propublica.org



Alaska:
State Sues to Overturn NMFS Decision on Western Steller Sea Lions - The State of Alaska filed suit yesterday in the U.S. District Court for Alaska against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) over the agency’s decision to significantly curtail fishing in the western Aleutian Islands out of concern for Steller sea lions.

The state argues that NMFS failed to make “a rational connection” between the facts it found and the conclusions it reached, given that western Steller sea lions had an average annual population growth between 1.0 and 1.5 percent between 2000 and 2008, and now number more than 70,000.

“The agency’s conclusion that additional fishing restrictions are necessary is not supported by the best available scientific information,” Governor Parnell said. “The drastic measures proposed by NMFS are simply not necessary given the overall health of the Steller sea lion population. This decision will have immediate and significant impacts on local communities and fishermen in the area.”  

As many as 900 people are employed by fisheries fleets in the area facing restrictions. NMFS acknowledges that implementation of its decision would cost fishery losses of up to $66 million annually.

State officials also believe the federal agency committed numerous procedural violations, which had the effect of limiting the opportunity for public and expert comments.

“The state submitted extensive comments on both the process and the foundational science used to reach this decision,” said acting Fish and Game Commissioner Cora Campbell. “We are extremely disappointed that NMFS did not adequately consider these concerns and did not more fully incorporate the recommendations of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council in its action. We are also very disturbed about the lack of meaningful public process.”

Regarding the State of Alaska's decision to file suit Tuesday against the National Marine Fisheries Service over the agency’s decision to significantly curtail fishing in the western Aleutians out of concern for Stellar Sea Lions, Congressman Don Young (R-AK) said in a prepared statement, “I commend Governor Parnell for taking the necessary steps to ensure the economic strength and freedom of Alaska.  The restrictions placed on fishing in the western Aleutians will cost the State of Alaska jobs and income, and be detrimental to our economy.  The livelihoods of many Alaskan families and communities are dependent on the fishing industry and they will take a direct hit from this misguided decision."

Young said, “Issuing a more restrictive biological opinion when the population of Stellar Sea Lions is growing was not just ridiculous, it was irresponsible.   Threatening Alaskan communities as a result of this foolish ruling based on insufficient science is criminal.  The State was one hundred percent correct in filing this lawsuit and I will do everything in my power as Congressman to support them in this effort.”   

On December 09, 2010, NOAA’s Fisheries Service issued its final interim rule to reduce commercial fishing for groundfish stocks in the Aleutian Islands in an effort to provide more food for the endangered western Steller sea lion.

The rule, which would prohibit fishing for Atka mackerel and Pacific cod, the main source of food for the animal, in an area off the western Aleutian Islands, goes into effect January 1. - More...
Wednesday - December 15, 2010

Southeast Alaska: Christmas Bird Counts start this weekend in Southeast; Audubon Christmas Bird Count is an Alaska Holiday Tradition - Whether it’s by snow machine, by boat, on skis, by car, on foot, or simply in a chair monitoring a bird feeder, for the next few weeks Alaskans across the state will celebrate the season by participating in Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count. Volunteers will put their binoculars to work in approximately 37 counts in Alaska.

Groups of volunteers select a day between December 14, 2010 and January 5, 2011 to conduct a count. They have 24 hours to record as many birds as possible in a 15-mile diameter circle. Volunteers participate in counts in all 50 states, in all Canadian provinces, several Central and South American countries, and several Pacific and Caribbean islands.

 “The Christmas Bird Count volunteers provide invaluable information about the state of Alaska’s birds,” says Nils Warnock, Executive Director of Audubon Alaska. “Long-term records help identify which species are declining, increasing, or shifting geographically.”

In past years, the count has revealed American Robins wintering further north (they are now found on the Anchorage count) as are Black-billed Magpies (which are now found on the Fairbanks count). Last year was the first time Eurasian Collared-Doves appeared during the Christmas count in Alaska, showing up in Juneau and Petersburg.

First organized in the Lower 48 and eastern Canada with just 27 birdwatchers in 1900, this season marks the 111th Christmas Bird Count. In Alaska, volunteers have carried out Christmas Bird Counts since before statehood.

The earliest Alaska counts were in Anchorage and Mountain Village in 1941. Clayton Pollard, a high school senior, conducted the first count in Anchorage, tallying six species. In Mountain Village, Henry Kyllingstad found five species. A decade later, the counts started spreading around the state. In Southeast, the tradition reaches back more than four decades, although the early counts were sporadic. Juneau had the earliest count, in 1967, followed by the first Petersburg/Mitkof Island count in 1968. Barrow held a count in 1975, but recorded zero birds. This year marks the 50th count for Fairbanks. - More...
Wednesday - December 15, 2010

 


   

Alaska Science: Tracks show dinosaurs roamed Alaska in Jurassic Period - Until last summer, recent discoveries of dinosaur bones and tracks in Alaska have been restricted to the Cretaceous Period.

Tracks show dinosaurs roamed Alaska in Jurassic Period

Therapod tracks from the expedition to Chignik Bay
Photo by Kevin May, UA Museum of the North

That changed when a team including University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists documented fossilized tracks in Southwest Alaska that appear to date from the Jurassic Period, which stretches from 150 to 200 million years ago.

“In one fell swoop we pushed the record of dinosaurs in Alaska back about 50 million years,” said Patrick Druckenmiller, earth sciences curator at the University of Alaska Museum of the North and assistant professor in the UAF geology and geophysics department.

In 1975, geologists mapping the rocks near Chignik Bay discovered what appeared to be three-toed dinosaur tracks on a sandstone cliff. The group photographed the site but did not collect any other data. Thirty-five years later, Druckenmiller and a team of scientists set out to find the location in that photo and fully document the site. The team included Kevin May from the museum, UAF geologists Sarah Fowell and Paul McCarthy, and invertebrate paleontologist Robert Blodgett of Anchorage. - More...
Wednesday - December 15, 2010

 

      

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Questions, please contact the editor at editor@sitnews.us or call 617-9696

letter RE: Coast Guard Beach By Glen Thompson - Mr. Arriola is incorrect on a couple of points in his letter regarding Coast Guard Beach. First, Coast Guard Beach is NOT publicly owned. It is owned by the Mental Health Trust, they simply allow the public to use it without objection. - More...
Wednesday - December 15, 2010

letter Coast Guard Beach By Ken Arriola - Not quite sure what Eric Muench's point is, but a few points should be brought to light. First, Mental Health Trust owns and legally has every right to develop the land adjacent to Coast Guard beach. - More...
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letter We are about to lose Coast Guard Beach. By Sonja Alvarez - The Alaska Mental Health Trust applied for a rezone from  Public Land & Institutions (“PLI”) to Low-Density Residential (“RL”) at the October 12  Planning Commission meeting; MHT did not appear; the issue was deferred to Tuesday, December 14.  Initially only the neighborhood was notified, but due to an article in the Ketchikan Daily News, dozens of citizens appeared and testified.  This provided MHT with a window into the reaction of this community.  At a November 16 Work Session, Mr. Greg Jones, Executive Director, MHT Land Office, stated the purpose of MHT lands is to provide funds to its beneficiaries; and that they are intent to do this with CGB, either with sale or being its own developer.  A rezone to RL will “up zone” the parcel and increase its cost.  To immediately approve the rezone will therefore increase the valuation should the Borough want to purchase or trade for it later. - More...
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letter Coast Guard Beach By Ken Leland - So they want to turn the Coast Guard Beach into another housing development, eh? The first question that enters my mind is, who stands to gain from this boondogle? Certainly not the majority of residents of Ketchikan. There are some hidden powerful forces at work here, looking after THEIR interests, not OUR interests. Speak up before it's too late! - More...
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letter Student organization By Jenessa Albertson and Selena Barajas - HOSA, Health Occupation Students of America, is a student organization which is endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Education Division of ACTE, whose mission is to promote career opportunities in health care and to enhance the delivery of quality healt care to all people. Through HOSA, students learn how to care for patients in multiple settings. - More...
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letter Clover Pass Community Church's 'A Singing Christmas Tree' By Shirley McDonald - I just wanted to thank Clover Pass for putting on yet another spectacular performance. Even tho last year was my first year of getting to see it .... I keep telling myself I will never miss another and thank goodness they do it for 3 days so I have a good running chance at it! - More..
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letter Gone but not forgotten By Kim Hannah-Darvell - You would never know looking at the small entry way by the emergency door of Ketchikan General Hospital that miracles happen there. I entered just a few short months ago, clutching my proverbial 10 ft. pole with my good arm, my left arm guarded by my side after a severe break and weeks of immobility. - More...
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letter KCCB concert By Judith Green - The concert today given by the Ketchikan Community Concert Band was once again a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon. - More..
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letter Ketchikan Borough Assembly: Gullible or Defiant By Charles Edwardson - I have not written in a while to this publication, sometimes my letters border on sarcastic and are edited, I don't mind the editing. I do mind not being put into the conversation. I wrote a rather pointed letter a while back about "The magical world of Oz" meaning the Ward Cove property and the borough assembly leading us down the "yellow brick road" once again. So here goes -- if it makes it in Sitnews, I'll see this coming week. - More...
Monday PM _ December 13, 2010

letter Open Letter: Gravina Access By Peter Ellis - IS IT NOT ABOUT TIME FOR AN UPDATE OF THE 3-8-2010 WEBSITE MATERIAL BY THE GRAVINA ACCESS PROJECT? - More...
Monday PM - December 13, 2010

letterSave Coast Guard Beach By Eric Muench - Coast Guard Beach is a 70 acre parcel near Point Higgins with open forest, the longest stretch of sandy beach along the Ketchikan road system, and ≤ mile of natural waterfront. It has been used for school camping trips, nature education and public recreation for generations. It is now under threat of being chopped up. - More...
Thursday AM - December 09, 2010

letter A PROSPECTIVE WINDFALL By David G. Hanger - I found Merrill Stulkin’s reasons for supporting Joe Miller somewhat curious, and I think it suggests the prospect for an unexpected windfall. Mr. Stulkin believes in limited government, so he claims, the kind that Joe Miller espouses, i.e. no social security, no unemployment benefits, no food stamps, no government assistance of any kind, basically. - More...
Thursday AM - December 09, 2010

letter Joe Miller By Charlotte Poirier - It seems to me if it's not Joe Miller's way, it's no way. - More...
Thursday AM - December 09, 2010

letter Security Requires A Strong Military By Donald A. Moskowitz - The Obama administration is contemplating major reductions in the Defense Department budget to help cut into the huge deficits incurred by the President and his Washington cronies.  They plan on reducing our conventional military forces, and increase special operations units to combat the terrorist threats around the world. - More...
Thursday AM - December 09, 2010

letter Ward Cove again! By A. M. Johnson - It is not my intent to be a fault finder, however, December 3'd has come and passed. Hopen and Associates have missed the extended deadline for earnest money payment. - More...
Tuesday AM - December 07, 2010

letter Keep KPU Telecommunications Public; Contract Out Ketchikan Public Library By Robert Warner - With the coming holiday season it is pathetic to note that Ketchikan city management continues its scheme to sell KPU Telecommunications, an organization that actually serves citizens well and earns a profit for the city.  If sold, will we face sharp rate increases?  Will we have to speak with an operator in India when we have a telecommunications problem?  With telecommunications rapidly overtaking traditional books and libraries as the prime source for research and learning, Ketchikan still has the opportunity to develop and shape its own service to fit the needs of our citizens.  This is a rare opportunity, especially for a small community like Ketchikan.  To date KPU Telecommunications has a excellent record of meeting this challenge.  Why can't the city manager start serving the public and answer these important questions before any attempt to sell this division takes place? - More...
Tuesday AM - December 07, 2010

letter Kudos to KGH By Jackie Brozena Herter - Our mother Coralee Brozena, who recently passed away, was in Ketchikan General Hospital's long-term care facility for three years. I would publicly like to thank ALL the staff for their wonderful care. We're not always easy to be around as we age and have health/pain issues, but everyone was very kind and caring. Ketchikan should be proud of their fine hospital staff. Dr. Liljgren was very giving of her time and communicated well with the three of us daughters long distance. The peace of mind being able to ask questions and get clarification was invaluable. Our family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts. - More...
Tuesday AM - December 07, 2010

letter Why Sell Ward Cove??? By Kimberly Peters - Why does the Ketchikan Borough want to sell Ward Cove? It seems the deals always fall through. I think the borough should put in a new harbor and try to make some money instead of trying to get rid of such a great piece of property. - More...
Tuesday - December 07, 2010

letter Part 1: Lowering taxes didn't increase oil output By Sen. Hollis French & Rep. Les Gara - Alaskans deserve a fair share for the oil produced in this state.  Alaska’s Constitution says all Alaskans own our oil in common, and it should be developed for our "maximum benefit."  We also need to encourage production, and jobs. That’s something the Army Corps of Engineers didn't help with when it blocked needed oil development in the National Petroleum Reserve this year.  The truth is that achieving both goals is complex, and if we want strong production and a fair share of oil profits so we can fund our schools, roads, public safety and savings, we need to put aside the sound bites of campaign season. - More...
Tuesday AM - December 07, 2010

letter Part 2: Lowering oil taxes doesn't guarantee investment By Sen. Hollis French & Rep. Les Gara - Few subjects provoke more controversy than oil taxes.  If oil is taxed at too high a rate there’s a risk that crucial investments don’t get made in the state’s most important industry.  If oil is taxed at too low a rate then we fail in our constitutional duty to ensure that our oil resources are developed and used for the maximum benefit of all Alaskans. - More...
Tuesday AM - December 07, 2010

letter Herring fisheries By Robert McRoberts - Over the years some very good letters have been written on this site -- such as why we should oppose this type of fishery, or some about certain areas. When Kah Shakes fishery first started I was a young boy working for my brother in-law Frank Jaynes. he was trying to keep diversification in his fishing to keep money coming in throughout the year. We would also pack herring on his boat the Patty Lynn. - More...
Tuesday AM - December 07, 2010

letter2010 Alaska U.S. Senate election By Trapper Bishop - I am writing this piece to offer some advice for Joe Miller: accept and concede. Although I personally supported Joe Miller, the time has come, I believe, in which Joe needs to realize the people of Alaska have spoken and Senator Murkowski deserves to be sworn in next month. - More...
Thursday AM - December 02, 2010

letter Unique learning opportunity By Robert Warner - Perhaps the last election provided most Alaskans with a unique learning opportunity.  It was a good spelling lesson that we can all benefit.  Let's see! - More...
Thursday Am - December 02, 2010

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