Life

A caribou snacks on a sunny spring day. (Photo by Leah Eskelin/USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Spring into Earth Day

It’s spring! I celebrate this fact in the sun warming my back, the drip, drip, drip of water melting off the roof, and the patchwork… Continue reading

A caribou snacks on a sunny spring day. (Photo by Leah Eskelin/USFWS)
Kara Johnston makes her way through a bouldering route on River City Wellness Center’s new climbing wall on Saturday, April 8, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska.

Rock wall offers new ascent for peninsula climbers

Local climbers gained a new foothold on the central peninsula April 8 with the opening of an indoor bouldering wall in Soldotna’s River City Wellness… Continue reading

Kara Johnston makes her way through a bouldering route on River City Wellness Center’s new climbing wall on Saturday, April 8, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska.
Soldotna resident Bruce King, a former fisheries biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, holds a rainbow trout he caught during a trip to Patagonia, Argentina in 2016. The areas he fished boasted trout upwards of 30 inches. (Photo courtesy Bruce King)

Travels, treks and trout

For some avid anglers, even the prolific fishing opportunities in the Last Frontier are sometimes not enough. That was true for Soldotna resident Bruce King,… Continue reading

Soldotna resident Bruce King, a former fisheries biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, holds a rainbow trout he caught during a trip to Patagonia, Argentina in 2016. The areas he fished boasted trout upwards of 30 inches. (Photo courtesy Bruce King)
This undated photo shows edamame harvest in New Paltz, N.Y. Freshly picked, green, young soybeans, known as edamame, are easy to grow and combine the flavors and textures of fresh lima beans and peas. (Lee Reich via AP) This undated photo shows edamame harvest in New Paltz, N.Y. Freshly picked, green, young soybeans, known as edamame, are easy to grow and combine the flavors and textures of fresh lima beans and peas. (Lee Reich via AP)

Edamame in the garden are flavorful and easy to grow

Move over, tempeh, tofu, miso, soy sauce, soy milk and other processed soy foods. Make way for edamame. This is the soybean in its most… Continue reading

This undated photo shows edamame harvest in New Paltz, N.Y. Freshly picked, green, young soybeans, known as edamame, are easy to grow and combine the flavors and textures of fresh lima beans and peas. (Lee Reich via AP) This undated photo shows edamame harvest in New Paltz, N.Y. Freshly picked, green, young soybeans, known as edamame, are easy to grow and combine the flavors and textures of fresh lima beans and peas. (Lee Reich via AP)
An American marten with a VHF radio collar was part of graduate research to assess if and why their distribution on the Kenai Peninsula has changed in recent years. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge) An American marten with a VHF radio collar was part of graduate research to assess if and why their distribution on the Kenai Peninsula has changed in recent years. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: American marten on the Kenai are climate change ‘winners’

I skied Resurrection Trail from Hope to Cooper Landing, a fun adventure that I haven’t done in several years. On both trips, I saw lots… Continue reading

An American marten with a VHF radio collar was part of graduate research to assess if and why their distribution on the Kenai Peninsula has changed in recent years. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge) An American marten with a VHF radio collar was part of graduate research to assess if and why their distribution on the Kenai Peninsula has changed in recent years. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Tomorrow’s charter

Judging by the increasing use of robots, in a few years they’ll be doing pretty much everything. Imagine a halibut-fishing charter in, say, 2027. You’ll… Continue reading

In this June 2, 2014 photo provided by Scott Morris, Eszter Horanyi carries her loaded bikepacking bike over downed trees in New Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail. (Scott Morris via AP)

Bikepacking adds a dose of fun to backpacking

By JOHN MARSHALL Associated Press PHOENIX — Backpacking is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with the added bonus of getting a little exercise.… Continue reading

In this June 2, 2014 photo provided by Scott Morris, Eszter Horanyi carries her loaded bikepacking bike over downed trees in New Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail. (Scott Morris via AP)
Vibrant, green Elodea spews out from an ice-auger hole on Stormy Lake in 2013. Fluridone, an herbicide, can kill this perennial invasive plant even in winter because it apparently continues to photosynthesize under the ice. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Killing Elodea under the ice

Elodea, the first nonnative submersed freshwater plant to invade Alaska, was discovered on the Kenai Peninsula in late 2012. We now know that a hybrid… Continue reading

Vibrant, green Elodea spews out from an ice-auger hole on Stormy Lake in 2013. Fluridone, an herbicide, can kill this perennial invasive plant even in winter because it apparently continues to photosynthesize under the ice. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Is it working? On the left, a typical rake sample of elodea from Beck Lake during surveys in 2013. (Photo by C. Anderson) On the right, a rake sample 13 weeks after Beck Lake was treated with fluridone in 2014. (Kenai National Wildlife Refuge photo)

Refuge Notebook: Progress on eradicating elodea from the Kenai Peninsula

I am fascinated by how plants and animals are named. Elodea, the first submersed freshwater invasive plant to infest Alaska, was named by the famous… Continue reading

Is it working? On the left, a typical rake sample of elodea from Beck Lake during surveys in 2013. (Photo by C. Anderson) On the right, a rake sample 13 weeks after Beck Lake was treated with fluridone in 2014. (Kenai National Wildlife Refuge photo)
Spawning sockeye in Daniels Lake are beneficiaries of collaborative efforts to eradicate Elodea from the Kenai Peninsula. (Scott Shuler, SePRO)

Refuge Notebook: Elodea gone from the Kenai Peninsula?

The good news is that Elodea, the first submerged freshwater invasive plant to make it to Alaska, may be gone from the Kenai Peninsula. Last… Continue reading

Spawning sockeye in Daniels Lake are beneficiaries of collaborative efforts to eradicate Elodea from the Kenai Peninsula. (Scott Shuler, SePRO)
This June 6, 2010 photo taken in New Market, Va., shows hydrangea blooming red and blue on the same bush. Hydrangea are coarse-textured plants that draw the eye because of their contrasts in shape or appearance. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Don’t forget about texture when planning your garden

The most popular element in landscape design is color, but texture is another important building block. Texture in gardening can be seen as well as… Continue reading

This June 6, 2010 photo taken in New Market, Va., shows hydrangea blooming red and blue on the same bush. Hydrangea are coarse-textured plants that draw the eye because of their contrasts in shape or appearance. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
This Sept. 6, 2008 photo provided by John Chao shows the Fire & Ice sign in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. Photographer John Chao captured this good example of how interpretive signs work best: this panel in the park is placed in front of the geological feature it describes, so visitors can see the landscape and read about it at the same time. (John Chao via AP)

A lot of design goes into those helpful park and trail maps

By KIM COOK Associated Press A hike in the woods or a stroll through a preserve or park can be enhanced by a good trail… Continue reading

This Sept. 6, 2008 photo provided by John Chao shows the Fire & Ice sign in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. Photographer John Chao captured this good example of how interpretive signs work best: this panel in the park is placed in front of the geological feature it describes, so visitors can see the landscape and read about it at the same time. (John Chao via AP)

An Outdoor View: Friends

It’s sad when your children die before you do, but it’s also sad when you outlive your friends. On Mar. 25, 2017, Howard Van Ness,… Continue reading

A view from the top of the hill overlooking Marsh Lake in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Various animal tracks can be seen along the trail. (Photo by Travis Mabe, USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Breaking in Marsh Lake Trail

As March becomes a distant memory, time does remain for some end-of-the-season skiing or snowshoeing before spring finally decides to roll into town. I’ve been… Continue reading

A view from the top of the hill overlooking Marsh Lake in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Various animal tracks can be seen along the trail. (Photo by Travis Mabe, USFWS)
Musher Gus Guenther takes off from the starting line of Freddie’s Midnight Run on Saturday, April 1 in Caribou Hills after the race’s shotgun start, where mushers race from their sleeping bags and hook up their dogs before starting on the trail. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion).

Freddie’s Midnight Runners

There were only two rules at the Freddie’s Midnight Run dog sled race through the Caribou Hills on Saturday — be nice and don’t cheat.… Continue reading

Musher Gus Guenther takes off from the starting line of Freddie’s Midnight Run on Saturday, April 1 in Caribou Hills after the race’s shotgun start, where mushers race from their sleeping bags and hook up their dogs before starting on the trail. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion).
River otters are uncommon but well distributed on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo courtesy Ted Bailey)

Refuge Notebook: River otters always a pleasure to observe in the wild

My first experience with river otters began in the mid-1960s as an “older” — just out of the military — university student. I was approved… Continue reading

River otters are uncommon but well distributed on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo courtesy Ted Bailey)
The Soldotna Regional Sports Complex figure skating team presents “Can’t Stop the Dancing,” on Sunday, April 2 at the sports complex with two performances at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The annual event features routines by local skaters of all ages. (Photo courtesy Madelyn McEwen)

Ice skating meets dancing at local performance

The Soldotna Regional Sports Complex figure skating team will be dancing their way across the ice Sunday at an annual show. The show, “Can’t Stop… Continue reading

The Soldotna Regional Sports Complex figure skating team presents “Can’t Stop the Dancing,” on Sunday, April 2 at the sports complex with two performances at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The annual event features routines by local skaters of all ages. (Photo courtesy Madelyn McEwen)
Nathan Beck works his way across a bouldering wall he co-designed, with Ed Schmitt, at the River City Wellness Center gym on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The new wall, featuring stylized landscape art by Kaitlin Vadla, will have a grand opening on Saturday, April 8 from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Admission will be $20.

Climb on

… Continue reading

Nathan Beck works his way across a bouldering wall he co-designed, with Ed Schmitt, at the River City Wellness Center gym on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. The new wall, featuring stylized landscape art by Kaitlin Vadla, will have a grand opening on Saturday, April 8 from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Admission will be $20.
Mountain goat populations may be increasing on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

Refuge notebook: A brief history of mountain goat population management on the Kenai Peninsula

Mountain goats are found throughout the Kenai Mountains, including lands managed by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. While mountain goats have been introduced to Kodiak… Continue reading

Mountain goat populations may be increasing on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo courtesy National Park Service)

An outdoor view: Coming full circle

The other day, I looked in the mirror and saw a man who isn’t the same fishing nut he was when he was young. I… Continue reading