Sitka trailcam photographer Hugh Bevan caught another striking image at a place not far from Sitka he calls "Scary Creek": a sow and her two cubs taking an evening stroll toward the beach to dine on spawning pink salmon. Bevan's cam, one of several he maintains around Sitka, snapped this picture at 6 PM on August 7, 2014, about 10 miles south of town.
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Dr. Nancy Huntly is a terrestrial ecologist from the Utah State University in Logan, but she's no stranger to Alaska. She's spent considerable time researching mammal and plant communities on the Aleutian islands, and their relationship to human culture. Huntly is a Science in Residency Fellow at the Sitka Sound Science Center. She'll be speaking at UAS on Sep 3.
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State planners still see a road across Baranof Island as an important part of transportation infrastructure -- though it may take decades to become reality. The Department of Transportation held an open house and informational meeting in Sitka this week (8-20-14) on the latest draft of the Southeast Alaska Transportation Plan. And while maintaining and refurbishing the ferry system is high on the list of priorities for the region, major road construction -- both in Juneau and in Sitka -- remains on the books.
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Sitka drivers frustrated by poor road conditions on Halibut Point Road during this summer’s paving project can take heart: It’s going to get better. Al Clough, the Southeast Regional director for the Department of Transportation says that while heavy rains have been a setback, the road will be done -- or a driveable temporary surface in place -- by the end of the paving season a month from now.
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Using seawater to heat large buildings in Alaska is no longer a pipe dream. Andy Baker, an engineer with YourCleanEnergy LLC, helped design an ocean-sourced heat pump system for the Seward Sealife Center which will pay back the community’s investment in less than nine years -- just in fuel savings. Baker spoke to the Sitka Chamber of Commerce this week (8-20-14) about practical applications for a technology that has quickly moved from theory into reality.
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Singer/songwriter Ben Seretan coordinates the Island Institute's Sitka Fellows Program, which provides studio space, meals, and time for artists/scholars under 30. He was a Fellow himself last year, and he'll release a dual LP album (and cassette tape) of his Sitka-influenced work this October 28. The Sitka Fellows Open Studio will be held 7 PM Thu Aug 28 in the Yaw Art Building.
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San Francisco band, The Stone Foxes are here in town to play a show this weekend, and they stopped by the KCAW studios during Hometown Brew to play a few songs. If you missed the performance, you can hear it here!
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Ready for a trip to Hawaii, Mexico, Florida? Tickets for the annual Raven Radio Raffle are available this Saturday at the Farmer's Market, Sunday at Sea Mart from 3-5pm and weekdays at the station, $10 each. The winning ticket holder will win 2 tickets on Alaska Airlines to any Alaska Airlines destination with no blackout dates. Please contact Amy at 747-5877 with questions.
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After 53 years of continuous service, the turbines at Sitka’s Blue Lake Hydro plant are quiet. Walt Dangel, one of the original powerhouse operators at Blue Lake, threw the switches turning off the plant in a small decommissioning ceremony Monday morning (8-18-14). Dangel was assisted by Frank Rogers, Sitka’s senior plant operator. The two old turbines produce a combined 6 megawatts of power. They’re being replaced by three new turbines that will produce 16 megawatts.
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After an unprecedented two extensions, the summer king salmon season for trollers in Southeast is over. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game closed the fishery at 11:59 PM Monday, August 18 -- two days later than planned. The target for the three-day opener was 36,000 kings. But on day one it looked like trollers were bringing in about 12 fish per day. During the first opener of the season -- the first week of July -- trollers were landing about 50 kings per day.
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