Life

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kara (upper left) and Zach Johnston (lower right) of Soldotna descend the upper slopes of snowy Skyline peak on April 8.

Skyline Trail offers early season challenge

A view from the well-traveled Skyline trail on a clear day can be a rewarding sight of the Kenai Peninsula mountains any time of the… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Kara (upper left) and Zach Johnston (lower right) of Soldotna descend the upper slopes of snowy Skyline peak on April 8.
An ornamental variety of gentian that bloomed in early January 2016 among ice crystals in a rock garden on the bluffs above the Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Kathy Wartinbee)

Refuge Notebook: Warm winters and other signs of the Anthropocene

Most Alaskans would likely agree that this has been a winter of very strange weather with very strange outcomes. Winter 2015 was the warmest the… Continue reading

An ornamental variety of gentian that bloomed in early January 2016 among ice crystals in a rock garden on the bluffs above the Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Kathy Wartinbee)

An Outdoor View: Wildness

Every so often, I hear the claim that the government owns too much land in Alaska.I disagree. To me, Alaska’s main attraction — and why… Continue reading

In this undated photo taken in New Paltz, N.Y., pieces of cloth keep overturned planters in place and increase frost protection for tomato transplants beneath them. (Lee Reich via AP)

Untimely spring frosts threaten plants; how to prepare

Spring’s last frost — when the mercury takes its final plunge to freezing temperatures until autumn — is a seminal point in the gardening calendar.… Continue reading

In this undated photo taken in New Paltz, N.Y., pieces of cloth keep overturned planters in place and increase frost protection for tomato transplants beneath them. (Lee Reich via AP)
Dan Saxton chopping firewood at a yurt in Colorado prior to joining the cabin program at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Dan Saxton)

Refuge Notebook: Kenai Refuge cabins provide solitude with a bit of comfort

Before I landed my dream job here with the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Cabin Program, my wife and I had standing New Year’s Eve plans… Continue reading

Dan Saxton chopping firewood at a yurt in Colorado prior to joining the cabin program at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo courtesy Dan Saxton)

An Outdoor View: Looking back

Excerpts from “An Outdoor View” columns that are at least as true today as they were when I wrote them:Familiarity breeds content, Sept. 1994I’m finding… Continue reading

A younger Jerry Deppa builds Finger Lakes Cabin on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in 1965 - over 50 years ago. (Photo courtesy Jerry Deppa)

Refuge Notebook: You never know who will walk through the door

You never know who will walk through the door at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. I had the pleasure in late January of… Continue reading

A younger Jerry Deppa builds Finger Lakes Cabin on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in 1965 - over 50 years ago. (Photo courtesy Jerry Deppa)

An Outdoor View: Changes are afoot

“No man’s life, liberty or property are safe when the Legislature is in session.”— Lawyer, politician and newspaper editor Gideon J. Tucker, 1866As I write… Continue reading

The top three winners in Homer's 23rd Annual Winter King Salmon Tournament show off their fish to the crowd. (Left to right) Colt Belmonte placed third for a 24.8 pound king, winning $16,588; Kelly Grose won $21,112 for his 25.25 pound king and Eric Holland took first place with his 26.45 pound king. Holland's prize of $31,668 was more than the 2015 tournament's first place prize. All the anglers are Homer residents. (Photo by Anna Frost, Homer News)

A day fit for kings

The 2016 Winter King Salmon Tournament champion, Eric Holland, only told the crowd during the Saturday evening awards ceremony that he caught the winning fish… Continue reading

The top three winners in Homer's 23rd Annual Winter King Salmon Tournament show off their fish to the crowd. (Left to right) Colt Belmonte placed third for a 24.8 pound king, winning $16,588; Kelly Grose won $21,112 for his 25.25 pound king and Eric Holland took first place with his 26.45 pound king. Holland's prize of $31,668 was more than the 2015 tournament's first place prize. All the anglers are Homer residents. (Photo by Anna Frost, Homer News)
One of 30 cow moose recently captured and collared in Game Management Unit 15A and 15B in a joint effort by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Dan Thompson, Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

Refuge Notebook: Agencies work together to study Kenai moose

Moose continue to be one of the most valuable species that reside on the Kenai Peninsula. They trigger an emotional response from most folk and… Continue reading

One of 30 cow moose recently captured and collared in Game Management Unit 15A and 15B in a joint effort by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Dan Thompson, Alaska Department of Fish and Game)

Depend on it

Every song I’ve ever heard apparently is stored somewhere in my memory. I’ll be busy doing something, and some force in the record player of… Continue reading

Refuge Notebook: Structure resulting from motion

Refuge Notebook: Structure resulting from motion

When Alaskans travel, we commonly run into people we know in far-away obscure places.   Instead of running into someone I knew during a recent trip,… Continue reading

Refuge Notebook: Structure resulting from motion
The 2015 Card Street Fire was controlled on portions of the north and east flanks because of a change in forest characteristics created by two different fuel treatments conducted in 1984 (white lines) and 2009 (black lines). (Graphic by Kristi Bulock)

Refuge Notebook: How prior fuel treatments helped manage the 2015 Card Street Fire

On June 17, 2015 the Card Street Fire, fueled by strong westerly winds and very hot and dry conditions, became extremely active and made a… Continue reading

The 2015 Card Street Fire was controlled on portions of the north and east flanks because of a change in forest characteristics created by two different fuel treatments conducted in 1984 (white lines) and 2009 (black lines). (Graphic by Kristi Bulock)

An Outdoor View: The Trump Wall

On June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York, Donald Trump proclaimed his intention to be president, and said, “I will build a great… Continue reading

In this Tuesday, March 1, 2016 photo, this assortment of leftover vegetable and flower seeds, in a Langley, Wash., hobby greenhouse, awaits a germination test. Some seeds remain viable for just a year while others will sprout after being stored three years or more. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

Are last season’s saved seeds still viable? Test them

If you save seeds, you might wonder whether those from last year are still viable. A quick and easy pre-season seed germination test can answer… Continue reading

In this Tuesday, March 1, 2016 photo, this assortment of leftover vegetable and flower seeds, in a Langley, Wash., hobby greenhouse, awaits a germination test. Some seeds remain viable for just a year while others will sprout after being stored three years or more. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
In this Feb. 21, 2016, photo, a skier jumps through a Bogus Basin terrain park in Boise, Idaho. (Chadd Cripe/Idaho Statesman via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT (KTVB 7); MANDATORY CREDIT

‘The only sexy thing on the hill’: Ski resorts add terrain parks

BOGUS BASIN, Idaho — Corey McDonald was a Boise skateboarder 30 years ago when videos of snowboarders inspired him to go to Bogus Basin and… Continue reading

In this Feb. 21, 2016, photo, a skier jumps through a Bogus Basin terrain park in Boise, Idaho. (Chadd Cripe/Idaho Statesman via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT (KTVB 7); MANDATORY CREDIT
This undated photo shows kumquat which is an easy and tasty citrus that can be grown in cold climates, indoors in winter in New Paltz, N.Y. (Lee Reich via AP)

Kumquat: an unusual potted citrus bearing edible fruit

Cold and snowy winters agree with me just fine. Still, as a northern gardener, my mouth waters and my hands itch to be able to… Continue reading

This undated photo shows kumquat which is an easy and tasty citrus that can be grown in cold climates, indoors in winter in New Paltz, N.Y. (Lee Reich via AP)
ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, JAN. 16-17- In this photo taken Jan. 1, 2015, Washington State Park volunteer Dave Acheson leads a group of fat tire bike riders along Rex Derr Trail overlooking Pearrygin Lake near Winthrop, Wash. (Stephen Mitchell via AP)

Snow biking inspires new winter trail options

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Snowshoers and snow bikers appear to be forging a relationship that could expand the reach of single-track trails during winter.While snowshoeing… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, JAN. 16-17- In this photo taken Jan. 1, 2015, Washington State Park volunteer Dave Acheson leads a group of fat tire bike riders along Rex Derr Trail overlooking Pearrygin Lake near Winthrop, Wash. (Stephen Mitchell via AP)
A brown bear recently emerged from its den makes its way down a steep slope in the Kenai Mountains. (National Geographic Society photo)

Refuge Notebook: Why do bears wake up in winter?

Last week, during yet another winter meltdown on the Kenai Peninsula, I heard three stories about bears on the prowl. There was a guy in… Continue reading

A brown bear recently emerged from its den makes its way down a steep slope in the Kenai Mountains. (National Geographic Society photo)

An Outdoor View: Dead people

As I lurch and groan through the so-called golden years, I find myself thinking more and more about dead people.When you attain a certain age,… Continue reading