Life

This virtual snake, an Ekans, was spotted at the Refuge Visitor Center through the augmented reality of Pokemon Go. No real snakes are found in the state, otherwise. (Image courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Wildlife viewing through augmented reality: It’s a new game

Driving past the Refuge entrance sign last week, a group of boys gathered nearby caught my attention. It’s an unusual hangout spot, so I stopped… Continue reading

This virtual snake, an Ekans, was spotted at the Refuge Visitor Center through the augmented reality of Pokemon Go. No real snakes are found in the state, otherwise. (Image courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Humpy year

Author’s note: This column first appeared in the Clarion on Aug. 16, 2002. I’ve edited it for clarity.In years ending with an even number, such… Continue reading

Photo provided by Amanda Tweed

Pushki making its presence felt on peninsula

A family trip in the Alaska wilderness can turn sour in a hurry if the proper precautions are not taken against the unassuming but dangerous… Continue reading

Photo provided by Amanda Tweed
This undated combination photo taken in New Paltz, N.Y., shows a strawberry bed, left, after being renovated, and at right a few weeks later, readying for next spring's crop. (Lee Reich via AP)

Strawberry beds get a boost from renovation

If you saw my strawberry bed, you might think I don’t like strawberries. The leaves have been lopped off, some plants were ripped out of… Continue reading

This undated combination photo taken in New Paltz, N.Y., shows a strawberry bed, left, after being renovated, and at right a few weeks later, readying for next spring's crop. (Lee Reich via AP)
Coyotes, now common on the Kenai Peninsula, naturally colonized the peninsula in the early 1900s. They are perhaps the most adaptable carnivore in North America.

Refuge Notebook: Coyotes prove adaptable on the Kenai Peninsula

Coyotes are perhaps the most adaptable carnivore in North America, ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts and from Central America north to Interior… Continue reading

Coyotes, now common on the Kenai Peninsula, naturally colonized the peninsula in the early 1900s. They are perhaps the most adaptable carnivore in North America.

An Outdoor View: High water

Back when I did more crazy things than I now do, I used to fish the Kenai far more than I now do. I didn’t… Continue reading

Cutting mosquito numbers in the garden helps control disease

Mid-summer is shirt-sleeve weather, an enjoyable time of year to be out and about with family and friends. But it also is the heart of… Continue reading

Tips for traveling in bear country

ANCHORAGE — A basic rule on what to do when encountering a bear in the wilderness is so common, it’s long been a mantra: “If… Continue reading

Close-up view of a tardigrade's claws that can range from two small 'Y' shaped points to oddly-shaped barbed fish hooks depending on the species. (Photo by Rebekah Brassfield, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Moss piglets? More common than you think on the Kenai

Mosses and lichens are among the most abundant plants on the Kenai Peninsula, both of which contribute to the ecosystem on a large scale. But… Continue reading

Close-up view of a tardigrade's claws that can range from two small 'Y' shaped points to oddly-shaped barbed fish hooks depending on the species. (Photo by Rebekah Brassfield, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Saving the kings

Unless you’ve been in a coma for the past several years, you’ve heard that the so-called early run of Kenai River king salmon is in… Continue reading

In this undated photo, the white bracts of a kousa dogwood make the tree a beautiful sight to behold in summer and are shown here in New Paltz, NY. (Lee Reich via AP)

Dogwoods’ beauty continues into summer

The last of the “hounds of spring” is in its glory. Dogwood.The flamboyant show began back in late winter when cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), a… Continue reading

In this undated photo, the white bracts of a kousa dogwood make the tree a beautiful sight to behold in summer and are shown here in New Paltz, NY. (Lee Reich via AP)
This sawyer beetle found its way into an excavated pit on day two. A camper's trowel helped it find a safe way out. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

Refuge Notebook: Kenaitze youth dig into their past at Susten Archaeology Camp

There is a subtle little path leading into the woods off of a quiet dirt road deep in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. It whispers… Continue reading

This sawyer beetle found its way into an excavated pit on day two. A camper's trowel helped it find a safe way out. (Photo courtesy Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)

An Outdoor View: Salmon 7 Ways

While grilling the last of last year’s salmon the other day, I got to wondering about what other people did with salmon. Curious, I e-mailed… Continue reading

This Aug. 5, 2013 photo shows artichokes on a beachfront near Clinton, Wash. Globe artichokes have much to contribute in home gardens, from providing thin layers of leathery leaves for delectable dining to serving as flowery backdrops in border settings. Pollinators, like the bees shown here, like their purple thistle-like blossoms, too. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

More than edibles, artichokes can be ornamentals

Globe artichokes have much to contribute to home gardens, from providing thin layers of leathery leaves for delectable dining to serving as flowery backdrops in… Continue reading

This Aug. 5, 2013 photo shows artichokes on a beachfront near Clinton, Wash. Globe artichokes have much to contribute in home gardens, from providing thin layers of leathery leaves for delectable dining to serving as flowery backdrops in border settings. Pollinators, like the bees shown here, like their purple thistle-like blossoms, too. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
Brown bears help transport the nutrients acquired in the ocean by salmon to the terrestrial system where it can have cascading effects on riparian vegetation and even bird communities. The average female brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula deposits 80 pounds of marine-derived nitrogen in the terrestrial ecosystem each year (Photo by Berkley Bedell).

Refuge Notebook: With marine-derived nutrients, what goes around comes around

As early runs of king and sockeye return to streams of the Kenai Peninsula, they bring more than the roe and milt that brings about… Continue reading

Brown bears help transport the nutrients acquired in the ocean by salmon to the terrestrial system where it can have cascading effects on riparian vegetation and even bird communities. The average female brown bear on the Kenai Peninsula deposits 80 pounds of marine-derived nitrogen in the terrestrial ecosystem each year (Photo by Berkley Bedell).

An Outdoor View: On freezing fish

In the 40-some years I’ve been freezing fish, I’ve learned a lot of things, and some were learned the hard way. Here’s some of what… Continue reading

This undated photo taken in New Paltz, N.Y., shows blue delphinium spires, in background, nestled in amongst blue bachelor buttons, and even a blue-handled faucet in the foreground. (Lee Reich via AP)

Delphiniums are a worthwhile challenge

My delphiniums are now in all their stately glory, the 5-foot, blue spires reaching for the sky as they guard the gate to my vegetable… Continue reading

This undated photo taken in New Paltz, N.Y., shows blue delphinium spires, in background, nestled in amongst blue bachelor buttons, and even a blue-handled faucet in the foreground. (Lee Reich via AP)

Voices of Faith: The Lord gives and the Lord takes away

I once worked as a car salesman for a season before I moved to Alaska 23 years ago. The Lord Jesus had a powerful, profound… Continue reading

Foam on the water a sign of life, death

While sitting in the front of a canoe on a twisty Alaska creek, my daughter asked to steer closer to the riverbank. She wanted to… Continue reading

An Outdoor View: The sailor’s walk

This column first appeared in the Clarion on March 31, 2006.The “sailor’s walk,” best described as sort of a lurching swagger, is an interesting phenomenon.… Continue reading