Life

Looking south over the outwash delta at the head of Tustumena Lake showing where water and sand erupted from the ground and fractured the ice 54 years ago. Photograph taken shortly after the March 27, 1964 earthquake by Ave Thayer, Kenai National Moose Range.

Refuge Notebook: When the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers flowed backward

It must have been an alarming sight to see these two Kenai Peninsula rivers temporarily flow backward into the outlets of Kenai and Tustumena Lakes.… Continue reading

Looking south over the outwash delta at the head of Tustumena Lake showing where water and sand erupted from the ground and fractured the ice 54 years ago. Photograph taken shortly after the March 27, 1964 earthquake by Ave Thayer, Kenai National Moose Range.
TEK: Another Way of Understanding Our Natural World

TEK: Another Way of Understanding Our Natural World

I had the privilege last week to participate in an interesting workshop hosted by Chugachmiut, an Alaska Native nonprofit agency that serves seven villages in… Continue reading

TEK: Another Way of Understanding Our Natural World
Nature in music and feeling

Nature in music and feeling

Frozen Portage Lake beneath me cracks and groans ominously. A bitter cold infects the skin between my wrist and glove where cloth edges don’t meet.… Continue reading

Nature in music and feeling

What does a 1st-time Alaska visitor read to get ready?

Whether they’re built on John Muir’s journey along the Southeast in a Tlingit canoe, Christopher McCandless’ iconic teal and white bus or a retelling of… Continue reading

An Outdoor View: A Winter Olympics dream

Not much has changed since I wrote this column during the 1994 Winter Olympics. Norwegians still dominate most events, while Americans still win the occasional… Continue reading

The single track on Tsalteshi Trails offers the chance for snowshoeing and fat biking during the winter while the main trails are open only for skiing. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Five ideas for spring break fun

Next week is the start of spring break, leaving families across the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District one week and one day of time to… Continue reading

The single track on Tsalteshi Trails offers the chance for snowshoeing and fat biking during the winter while the main trails are open only for skiing. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Moon shot: Looking for signs in the sky

Moon shot: Looking for signs in the sky

I am mystically inclined. I look for patterns in my life — filtering meaning through cards or the stars — arranging the order of happenstance… Continue reading

Moon shot: Looking for signs in the sky
A willow rose on a Barclay willow near the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, February 28. Note in the background a stem from the same willow that was browsed by a moose; the rose gall was not eaten. (USFWS photo/Matt Bowser)

Refuge Notebook: A willow, a fly, and a moose

While traffic rushed incessantly up and down the Sterling Highway on a glorious June day, a male Barclay willow flourished in the full sun on… Continue reading

A willow rose on a Barclay willow near the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, February 28. Note in the background a stem from the same willow that was browsed by a moose; the rose gall was not eaten. (USFWS photo/Matt Bowser)
A male Wilson’s Warbler bathes in a small waterfall, Santa Elena, Costa Rica February 20, 2018 (T. Eskelin).

Refuge Notebook: Vacation through the eyes of a naturalist

First let’s paint a picture. I am sitting at a concrete table sipping the best cup of coffee I have ever tasted. It was slow… Continue reading

A male Wilson’s Warbler bathes in a small waterfall, Santa Elena, Costa Rica February 20, 2018 (T. Eskelin).

An Outdoor View: Bonefishing, Part 9

Author’s note: This column is the last in a series about fishing at Christmas Island in 1987. — LP March 2 — When I wake… Continue reading

LeTourneau tree crushers were used in the 1970s to create browse for moose on the Kenai National Moose Range. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: How resource management has evolved on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

People (including my mother) often confuse National Wildlife Refuges with National Parks, thinking they serve similar purposes. But parks are about people and refuges are… Continue reading

LeTourneau tree crushers were used in the 1970s to create browse for moose on the Kenai National Moose Range. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
A bicyclist makes her way down the path at Centennial Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Soldotna Department of Parks and Recreation recently began grooming the loop trail at Centennial Park for multiple uses, from walking to skiing to biking. The central Kenai Peninsula got a fresh coat of snow Saturday, with more predicted for Sunday night and Monday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Out for a spin

A bicyclist makes her way down the path at Centennial Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Soldotna Department of Parks and… Continue reading

A bicyclist makes her way down the path at Centennial Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The Soldotna Department of Parks and Recreation recently began grooming the loop trail at Centennial Park for multiple uses, from walking to skiing to biking. The central Kenai Peninsula got a fresh coat of snow Saturday, with more predicted for Sunday night and Monday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Using a drip torch to light piled vegetation and other burnable debris to reduce fuel loads along the wildland-urban interface on Funny River Road. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: The ‘why factor’ in fire management

In a time-compressed environment, such as during the initial response to a new wildfire, responders don’t always have the opportunity to provide a thorough, in-depth… Continue reading

Using a drip torch to light piled vegetation and other burnable debris to reduce fuel loads along the wildland-urban interface on Funny River Road. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Bonefishing, Part 8

Author’s note: This column is the eighth in a series about fishing at Christmas Island in 1987. — LP March 1 — Tragedy! During the… Continue reading

This October 2017 photo shows the Denali Cabin, a public use cabin, at the Kesugi Ken Campground near Denali State Park, Alaska. The Denali Cabin is one of an extensive system of federal- and state-owned public use cabins on park lands across the state of Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

State asks to build more public use cabins to meet demand

Alaska’s public use cabins are really popular. Rentable cabins of all shapes and sizes occupy corners all over state and federal park lands in Alaska,… Continue reading

This October 2017 photo shows the Denali Cabin, a public use cabin, at the Kesugi Ken Campground near Denali State Park, Alaska. The Denali Cabin is one of an extensive system of federal- and state-owned public use cabins on park lands across the state of Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A black bear mother and her three cubs on Skilak Lake Road in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (July 2017). Delayed implantation of the fertilized egg prevents pregnancy from starting until late fall, several months after mating. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Winter wildlife babies on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Being six months pregnant in the dead of winter (as I am) has its challenges — from trying to zip up a coat that’s too… Continue reading

A black bear mother and her three cubs on Skilak Lake Road in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (July 2017). Delayed implantation of the fertilized egg prevents pregnancy from starting until late fall, several months after mating. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
This page taken from the Kenai Penisula Borough Lands Department’s documentation submitted to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly shows the proposed new location for the Cooper Landing Rifle and Sportsman’s Club’s gun range. The club has operated the gun range on Bean Creek Road in Cooper Landing since 1947 and is now considering relocating further outside the community. (Courtesy the Kenai Peninsula Borough)

Cooper Landing gun range looks to move out of town

After more than 70 years in the same place, the Cooper Landing gun club is looking to move its shooting range. The range, settled atop… Continue reading

This page taken from the Kenai Penisula Borough Lands Department’s documentation submitted to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly shows the proposed new location for the Cooper Landing Rifle and Sportsman’s Club’s gun range. The club has operated the gun range on Bean Creek Road in Cooper Landing since 1947 and is now considering relocating further outside the community. (Courtesy the Kenai Peninsula Borough)
Musher Travis Beals crosses the finish line of the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race with his team to take second place Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 at Freddie’s Roadhouse in Ninilchik, Alaska. Beals came in just after winner Nicolas Petit and said he used the race as training for this year’s Iditarod. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Nicolas Petit claims his first T200 victory, third win in a row

Musher Nicolas Petit can finally say he’s won the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race. By claiming the top spot Sunday in the race that takes… Continue reading

Musher Travis Beals crosses the finish line of the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race with his team to take second place Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018 at Freddie’s Roadhouse in Ninilchik, Alaska. Beals came in just after winner Nicolas Petit and said he used the race as training for this year’s Iditarod. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Following tracks left by American marten in the Kenai Lowlands can be a great way to experience the outdoors in winter. (Photo by Andy Baltensperger)

Refuge Notebook: Contact with the natural world benefits our well-being

I read in a recent newspaper article how even a brief contact with the natural world, or nature, can benefit our well-being. Researchers found that… Continue reading

Following tracks left by American marten in the Kenai Lowlands can be a great way to experience the outdoors in winter. (Photo by Andy Baltensperger)
A Soldotna Parks & Recreation worker sprays a layer of water to be frozen into a skating rink Thursday at Soldotna Creek Park. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Ice skating the big thing on area lakes

There are a variety of lakes that provide a perfect frozen landscape for lacing up a pair of skates, but two in the Kenai and… Continue reading

A Soldotna Parks & Recreation worker sprays a layer of water to be frozen into a skating rink Thursday at Soldotna Creek Park. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)