Life

This undated photo shows Seckel pears being harvested in New Paltz, N.Y. Seckel, like other European pears, can be picked mature to finish ripening off the plant. (Lee Reich via AP)

Gardening: Eat fruit at peak flavor

Pick up an apple and hold it to your ear. Can you hear it breathing?Of course you can’t. But that apple, like any other harvested… Continue reading

This undated photo shows Seckel pears being harvested in New Paltz, N.Y. Seckel, like other European pears, can be picked mature to finish ripening off the plant. (Lee Reich via AP)
At least 17 earthworms crawl out of the soil in response to mustard powder solution. Note the absence of decomposing leaves; only coarser, woody material remains above mineral soil. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Yes, earthworms are changing the Kenai

Last month when I stepped into the woods after a day’s work on Stormy Lake I saw a sight I had seen only in pictures… Continue reading

At least 17 earthworms crawl out of the soil in response to mustard powder solution. Note the absence of decomposing leaves; only coarser, woody material remains above mineral soil. (Photo by Matt Bowser/USFWS)

An Outdoor View: Big fish, big fight

Author’s note: For various reasons, most big halibut are caught by anglers fishing from charter boats. This story is about a very large halibut that… Continue reading

This June 29, 2016 photo shows a male Saker falcon on a tether in truck parked in a driveway near Langley, Wash. Raptors used for bird abatement are trained to chase, not kill. This Saker falcon, an eastern European variety, is one of several raptor species trained by falconers to chase away birds that can damage fruit crops. Some growers have reported losing more than 40 percent of their harvest to bird pests. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Falconers hired to discourage other birds from eating crops

Frustrated growers tired of seeing wild birds devastate their fruit crops are turning to raptors to patrol their fields, orchards and vineyards.This ancient predator-prey relationship… Continue reading

This June 29, 2016 photo shows a male Saker falcon on a tether in truck parked in a driveway near Langley, Wash. Raptors used for bird abatement are trained to chase, not kill. This Saker falcon, an eastern European variety, is one of several raptor species trained by falconers to chase away birds that can damage fruit crops. Some growers have reported losing more than 40 percent of their harvest to bird pests. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
An Upper Russian Lake rainbow trout. (Photo by Dave Atcheson)

Tight Lines: Return to Upper Russian Lake

It had been at least ten years since my last visit to the U.S. Forest Service’s cabin on Upper Russian Lake, so I figured it… Continue reading

An Upper Russian Lake rainbow trout. (Photo by Dave Atcheson)
A male ruffed grouse shows its black "ruff" while displaying on a drumming log in central Wisconsin. Ruffed grouse were introduced to the Kenai Peninsula in 1995-97. (Photo by J. Bronsdon)

Refuge Notebook: Ruffed grouse on the Kenai Peninsula

I don’t hunt game birds much anymore, partly because I don’t have a decent bird dog and partly because ptarmigan and spruce grouse just don’t… Continue reading

A male ruffed grouse shows its black "ruff" while displaying on a drumming log in central Wisconsin. Ruffed grouse were introduced to the Kenai Peninsula in 1995-97. (Photo by J. Bronsdon)

An Outdoor View: Success in fishing

Tell people you went fishing, and their usual response will be, “How’d ja do?”What they really want to know is how many you caught, how… Continue reading

This undated photo shows a bi-fold coldframe in New Paltz, N.Y. Seedlings can keep warm and cozy even in cold weather when the bi-fold cover of this coldframe is closed to capture and hold the sun's warmth. (Lee Reich via AP)

Using a coldframe is like moving your garden south

In one weekend, you could effectively move your garden — or at least part of it — a few hundred miles south. If you’re handy,… Continue reading

This undated photo shows a bi-fold coldframe in New Paltz, N.Y. Seedlings can keep warm and cozy even in cold weather when the bi-fold cover of this coldframe is closed to capture and hold the sun's warmth. (Lee Reich via AP)
Ranger Macey teaches summer campers about the impacts of pollution to waterways on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Working at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is more than a job

The annual rush of tourists and new explorers coincides with summer days when the sun never really disappears. So when I showed up in Alaska… Continue reading

Ranger Macey teaches summer campers about the impacts of pollution to waterways on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Why we fish

Author’s note: The Clarion first published this column in 1996. Lots of things have changed since then, but the reasons we fish remain the same.… Continue reading

This April 15, 2016 photo provided by Dean Fosdick, shows a succulent mix in Fosdick's Langley, Wash., greenhouse. Think of succulents as the new African violets. They thrive indoors or out. Succulents are easy to deal with, are resistant to disease and thrive in the dry humidity common inside homes in winter. (AP Photo/By Dean Fosdick) (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Succulents are good indoor winter houseplants

If you’re shifting to houseplants as cold weather approaches, consider gardening with succulents. Succulents are easy, disease-resistant, and thrive despite the dry air common indoors… Continue reading

This April 15, 2016 photo provided by Dean Fosdick, shows a succulent mix in Fosdick's Langley, Wash., greenhouse. Think of succulents as the new African violets. They thrive indoors or out. Succulents are easy to deal with, are resistant to disease and thrive in the dry humidity common inside homes in winter. (AP Photo/By Dean Fosdick) (Dean Fosdick via AP)

An Outdoor View: Name things you fear

If you were to name the thing you most fear, what would it be? I don’t mean the fear that Donald Trump will be president,… Continue reading

Tom Collopy and Mary Frische of Wild North Photography based in Homer spent over four years photographing the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Celebrate Refuge’s 75th birthday with special event

Celebrate Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s 75th Birthday year with a grand opening art show event on Oct. 8, from 6-8 p.m., at the Kenai Chamber… Continue reading

Tom Collopy and Mary Frische of Wild North Photography based in Homer spent over four years photographing the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Sheep Creek, which receives meltwater from Dinglestadt Glacier that straddles the boundary between Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Kenai Fjords National Park, should sustain good salmon habitat regardless of warming air temperatures for the foreseeable future. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Where salmon streams get their water matters

Did you know that the Kenai Peninsula has 1,800 miles of anadromous streams and rivers that flow into our surrounding salt waters from 374 outlets?… Continue reading

Sheep Creek, which receives meltwater from Dinglestadt Glacier that straddles the boundary between Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Kenai Fjords National Park, should sustain good salmon habitat regardless of warming air temperatures for the foreseeable future. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: A dangerous word

Author’s note: I took many fishing trips with my friend, Doug Green, who died 10 years ago. This story features two of those trips. —… Continue reading

This undated photo shows flowering bulbs in New Paltz, N.Y. Over time, spring flowering bulbs, especially narcissuses like the ones shown here, can multiply to the point of becoming overcrowded, at which time they need to be dug up, separated, and replanted. (Lee Reich via AP)

Plan and plant now for spring-flowering bulbs

It’s nearly that time of year when gardeners think of spring — of planting bulbs that are going to bloom then.Bulbs are “pre-packaged” flowers, so… Continue reading

This undated photo shows flowering bulbs in New Paltz, N.Y. Over time, spring flowering bulbs, especially narcissuses like the ones shown here, can multiply to the point of becoming overcrowded, at which time they need to be dug up, separated, and replanted. (Lee Reich via AP)
McKenzy Johnson poses with the Dall ram she shot on an Aug. 10 hunt with her father and a family friend. McKenzy was the only one to draw a sheep tag for the hunt, which occurred out past Tok.

The family that hunts together …

The first time 13-year-old McKenzy Johnson took a shot at the Dall ram she missed. Though McKenzy, her father Doug Johnson, and a family friend… Continue reading

McKenzy Johnson poses with the Dall ram she shot on an Aug. 10 hunt with her father and a family friend. McKenzy was the only one to draw a sheep tag for the hunt, which occurred out past Tok.
Strands of Elodea spew out of the Eyak Lake spillway in Cordova during March 2015. Rapid management response to early detection of Elodea in Stormy and Daniels Lakes makes this an unlikely future scenario on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by J. Morton)

Refuge Notebook: Invasive plants: Planning for the future

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to take part in the course “Field Techniques for Invasive Plant Management” taught by instructors from the National… Continue reading

Strands of Elodea spew out of the Eyak Lake spillway in Cordova during March 2015. Rapid management response to early detection of Elodea in Stormy and Daniels Lakes makes this an unlikely future scenario on the Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by J. Morton)

An Outdoor View: Fishing for memories

Fall caught me by surprise this week. One day, it was summer. The next day held that chilly dampness that says summer has gone south… Continue reading

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo, Ken Hudonjorgensen and his friends take flight above Provo, Utah. (Dominic Valente/The Daily Herald via AP)

Paraglider shares passion for the sport

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Ken Hudonjorgensen peers into the deep blue New Zealand sky; the year is 1989, and he sees someone flying up there… Continue reading

In this Aug. 25, 2016, photo, Ken Hudonjorgensen and his friends take flight above Provo, Utah. (Dominic Valente/The Daily Herald via AP)