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Till Lauer

Tangled Up in Blue: Marathon Training

I want to brag for a second, although my self-deprecating side would argue this whole column is just a biweekly boast. After ignoring incessant calls… Continue reading

Till Lauer
A snowmachine at rest in front of the Snag Lake public use cabin. (Photo provided by USFWS)

Preparedness is key to staying safe in the backcountry

If you spend any time in the backcountry it’s bound to happen: an ankle sprain halfway into a day hike, the afternoon blowup that unexpectedly… Continue reading

A snowmachine at rest in front of the Snag Lake public use cabin. (Photo provided by USFWS)
Ariel Silverman (Photo courtesy of Ariel Silverman)

Voices of the Peninsula: The costs of climate change on the Pebble Mine

Climate change should be thoroughly factored into mine planning and regulation.

Ariel Silverman (Photo courtesy of Ariel Silverman)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at an Anchorage news conference on Dec. 11, 2020. (Courtesy photo / Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)

Opinion: Secretary Blinken, protect Alaska’s fisheries

Perhaps no group of Alaskans has been impacted more severely by the global economic collapse than our fishers and processors

  • Mar 17, 2021
  • Gov. Mike Dunleavy
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at an Anchorage news conference on Dec. 11, 2020. (Courtesy photo / Office of Gov. Mike Dunleavy)
Some of the works in Charles Aguilar's show opening Friday, March 5, 2021, at Grace Ridge Brewey in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewery)

Collage, puppet artist looks for ‘magik’ in his creations

Charles Aguilar’s latest show is at Grace Ridge Brewery

Some of the works in Charles Aguilar's show opening Friday, March 5, 2021, at Grace Ridge Brewey in Homer, Alaska. (Photo courtesy of Grace Ridge Brewery)
Nick Varney (courtesy)

Unhinged Alaska: Winter fusses

“So,” he said, “there will still be dude and dudette taters?”

Nick Varney (courtesy)
Kim McNett in a photo taken in March 2014 on one of her Arctic adventures. (Photo by Bjørn Olson)

Voices of the Peninsula: Peatlands can help draw down and sequester carbon

Though peatlands cover only 3% of the Earth’s surface, they store twice the amount of carbon as all the world’s forests combined.

Kim McNett in a photo taken in March 2014 on one of her Arctic adventures. (Photo by Bjørn Olson)
Nikiski’s Bethany Carstens (right) and ACS’s Jordan Todd tip off to begin the 2019 Class 3A girls state basketball championship at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Alaska Voices: March Madness will go on, safely

Some may question ASAA and our schools if conducting activities is a wise decision in the current environment.

  • Mar 11, 2021
  • Billy Strickland, executive director Alaska School Activities Association
  • Coronavirus
Nikiski’s Bethany Carstens (right) and ACS’s Jordan Todd tip off to begin the 2019 Class 3A girls state basketball championship at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
The author gets warm with a mask at Alaska’s Matanuska Glacier on Sunday, March 7, 20201. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Out of the Office: Warming up to masks

A March 3 lead paragraph in a news story in The New York Times asked, “When can I throw away my mask?” For me, the… Continue reading

The author gets warm with a mask at Alaska’s Matanuska Glacier on Sunday, March 7, 20201. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge staff groom Marsh Lake Trail for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. (Photo provided by USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: When life gives you lemons, make a trail

The cross-country ski trails adjacent to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Visitor Center at the top of Ski Hill Road in Soldotna are… Continue reading

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge staff groom Marsh Lake Trail for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. (Photo provided by USFWS)
A collage of photographs surrounds the description of “Familiar Faces: Portrait of a Community,” on exhibit through May 2021 at the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

New exhibit looks at connections between objects and portraits

Pratt Museum show also includes new work by photographers, writer

A collage of photographs surrounds the description of “Familiar Faces: Portrait of a Community,” on exhibit through May 2021 at the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
In this Sept. 27, 2019, file photo, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Dunleavy on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, announced that the COVID-19 vaccine is available for all individuals who live or work in Alaska and are age 16 and older, making Alaska the first state in the nation to remove eligibility requirements. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Opinion: The end is in sight

Vaccination comes as a welcome opportunity to return to normalcy.

In this Sept. 27, 2019, file photo, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Dunleavy on Tuesday, March 9, 2021, announced that the COVID-19 vaccine is available for all individuals who live or work in Alaska and are age 16 and older, making Alaska the first state in the nation to remove eligibility requirements. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
Will Morrow (courtesy)

Best month ever

But the best part about March isn’t just the snow, it’s the longer daylight hours and the milder temperatures to go enjoy it.

  • Mar 6, 2021
  • By Will Morrow For the Peninsula Clarion
Will Morrow (courtesy)
Patrick Lewis and Kenzie Barnwell ski the trails in Anchorage, Alaska, on Feb. 7, 2021. (Photo by Kat Sorensen)

Tangled Up in Blue: Ski season

Nordic skiing has been a great equalizer for me this winter. I often spend my days doing laps around Bear Lake in Seward or training… Continue reading

Patrick Lewis and Kenzie Barnwell ski the trails in Anchorage, Alaska, on Feb. 7, 2021. (Photo by Kat Sorensen)
Blood stars (top left) and leather stars (top right) were less impacted by the disease and are more likely to be seen today. Sunflower sea stars (bottom left), mottled sea stars (lower center, this one showing symptoms of disease) and ochre sea stars (lower right) used to be common, but were most affected by the disease and have become more rare. (Photos courtesy of Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA, and Brenda Konar, University of Alaska Fairbanks)

Refuge Notebook: The fall of sea stars

Sea stars are a keystone species. As a top predator, they can restructure intertidal communities. For example, by feeding on mussels, they open up limited… Continue reading

Blood stars (top left) and leather stars (top right) were less impacted by the disease and are more likely to be seen today. Sunflower sea stars (bottom left), mottled sea stars (lower center, this one showing symptoms of disease) and ochre sea stars (lower right) used to be common, but were most affected by the disease and have become more rare. (Photos courtesy of Mandy Lindeberg, NOAA, and Brenda Konar, University of Alaska Fairbanks)
Victoria Petersen / Peninsula Clarion Chicken adobo simmers on the stove Monday in Anchorage.

Kalifornsky Kitchen: A dish all its own

Conjuring the Philippines with chicken adobo

Victoria Petersen / Peninsula Clarion Chicken adobo simmers on the stove Monday in Anchorage.
Brent LeValley

Alaska Voices: Deadline for rent and utility relief is Friday

The effect of this rent relief is positive for more than those who live in these households.

Brent LeValley
A young beaver enjoys a willow branch snack on a pond in the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area. (Photo by Colin Canterbury, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Leave it to beavers

I was skiing along a lake in the canoe system on a clear, cold winter day, enjoying the crisp fresh air and the shushing sound… Continue reading

A young beaver enjoys a willow branch snack on a pond in the Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area. (Photo by Colin Canterbury, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Bunnell Street Arts Center Artist in Residence Nina Elder’s work is displayed on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at the gallery in Homer, Alaska. At left are pieces from her series, “It Will Not Be the Same, But It Might Be Beautiful,” drawings of puzzle stones collected in the area near McCarthy, Alaska. At right is a drawing of frayed rope, part of her focus during her residency. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Visiting artist acknowledges ‘the brokenness but not throwing it away when it’s broken’

For Bunnell residency, artist also will look at frayed, found objects like rope and nets

Bunnell Street Arts Center Artist in Residence Nina Elder’s work is displayed on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at the gallery in Homer, Alaska. At left are pieces from her series, “It Will Not Be the Same, But It Might Be Beautiful,” drawings of puzzle stones collected in the area near McCarthy, Alaska. At right is a drawing of frayed rope, part of her focus during her residency. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Howard Mamou shovels snow at the Glennwood in Hutto, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. The worst U.S. power outages were in Texas, affecting more than 2 million homes and businesses. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Howard Mamou shovels snow at the Glennwood in Hutto, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. The worst U.S. power outages were in Texas, affecting more than 2 million homes and businesses. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Tangled Up in Blue: A lot of snow

There’s a lot of snow out there. After asking somebody about their weekend, he proceeded to tell me about chain-sawing blocks of snow on his… Continue reading

Howard Mamou shovels snow at the Glennwood in Hutto, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. The worst U.S. power outages were in Texas, affecting more than 2 million homes and businesses. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP) Howard Mamou shovels snow at the Glennwood in Hutto, Texas, Tuesday, Feb 16, 2021. The worst U.S. power outages were in Texas, affecting more than 2 million homes and businesses. (Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP)