Migratory Birds in Copper River Delta Region

Image by B Mully via Flickr One of the world’s most amazing sights recently took place not far from Cordova, Alaska. As many as five million shorebirds making a pit stop on the Copper River Delta during their annual migration.
For the past 21 years, the Forest Service, in partnership with the local Chamber of Commerce, the Prince William Sound Science Center and a host of public agency and private sector organizations, have celebrated the arrival of these feathered visitors during the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival.

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Illegally Discarded Fish Waste May Draw Bears, Fines for Violators

Image via Wikipedia(Anchorage) – As the summer fishing season peaks in Southcentral Alaska, anglers and dip netters are reminded not to dispose of fish waste in Anchorage area streams, lakes and neighborhoods. Discarding fish waste on public or private property is against state and municipal law and can draw bears into areas frequented by the public. Violators may be subject to fines ranging from $300 to $1,000.
The Divisions of Sport Fish and Wildlife Conservation have recently received numerous reports of salmon waste dumped into Anchorage creeks, lakes and neighborhood areas. This illegal activity is a serious public safety concern; fish waste can draw bears to an area from more than a mile away.
“People may not realize they are putting other people in danger when they illegally dump fish or fish carcasses, but this is a serious public safety issue,” said Jessy Coltrane, area biologist for the Division of Wildlife Conservation. “Fish carcasses attract bears, and bears may defend these food sources if people accidentally come near.”
Moving fish carcasses from drainage to drainage also has the potential to introduce fish pathogens into stream systems, endangering local salmonids, said Dan Bosch, area biologist for the Division of Sport Fish.
To properly dispose of unwanted fish or fish carcasses in a safe manner, please follow these recommendations:

• If fish is not spoiled and is well packaged, it can be donated to Bean’s Café, which serves meals to the homeless (1101 E. 3rd Ave between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.)
• The Alaska Zoo, Bird Treatment and Learning Center, and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center will usually accept fish donations for wildlife. Fish cannot be spoiled, smoked, flavored or badly freezer-burned. Call each facility prior to donating to learn about hours and specific needs (Bird Treatment and Learning Center, 562-4852; Alaska Zoo, 346-3242; Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, 783-2025).
• Filleted carcasses and other fish waste should be taken directly to a waste transfer station or to the landfill. Another option is to freeze fish waste to eliminate odors and then place it out with garbage on the morning of trash pickup. Do not put waste out the night before trash pickup.

Great Video on Tongass National Forest

Here comes the Portage Valley BioBlitz!

Image via Wikipedia The Portage Valley BioBlitz is part of a network of BioBlitzes happening all over the world. A blend of science and celebration, citizen scientists (you!) team up with the pros to catalog plants & animals in Portage Valley in the heart of the Chugach Children’s Forest. 24 hours of fun and discovery. Findings are catalogued and displayed for the whole world to see and to use for further research.

When, where & what

The Portage Valley BioBlitz takes place from noon to noon (12PM-12PM) July 23 - July 24. Our Valley will ring out with the sounds of explorers marking down and writing up the local flora and fauna. Any pure science you take part in can be augmented with various other equally fun non-scientific outdoor activities, and you can also, if you wish, do some crafty stuff or hang out with very knowledgeable scientists.
Portage Valley BioBlitz is the first of its kind in southcentral AK and is sponsored by the Chugach National Forest, the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center, and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game Wildlife Diversity program. There's going to be a herd of naturalists and swarms of nature enthusiasts from across the area turning out to inventory all the animals, plants, fungi, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and the millions of micro-organisms. Come ready to find out what all that stuff growing in Southcentral's backyard really is, and what it's doing there.

For more information contact:

Chugach National Forest
3301 C St., Anchorage, AK
907-743-9500

Register Now for the Summer Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Workshop

Image via WikipediaThe Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), in cooperation with the Outdoor Heritage Foundation of Alaska, is hosting the 29th Becoming an Outdoors-Woman in Alaska Workshop, August 5-7 at Lost Lake Boy Scout Camp, Mile 306 Richardson Highway (50 miles south of Fairbanks). The workshop is over half full, so don’t wait. Register today! “Becoming an Outdoors-Woman” is an international program which focuses on teaching outdoor skills; skills usually associated with hunting and fishing, but useful for many outdoor pursuits. Designed primarily for women, BOW workshops are an opportunity for anyone, 18 years of age or older who is interested in learning outdoor skills.

Over 40, hands-on classes are scheduled during the weekend workshop. Classes include: Firearms Safety, Fur Sewing, Fly Tying, Boating, Survival, Archery, Field Dressing, Spin Fishing, Rappelling, Shotgun, Fly Fishing, Map & Compass, Big Game Hunting, Small Game Hunting, Rifle, Salmon Fishing, Chainsaws, Fly-Fishing, Smoking Salmon, Canoeing, Trapping, and much more. All classes are hands-on and taught at the beginner level.
The BOW workshop is for you if…

• You have never tried these activities, but have hoped for an opportunity to learn.
• You are a beginner who hopes to improve your skills.
• You already participate in some of these activities, but would like to try some new ones.
• You are looking for the camaraderie of like-minded individuals.

The basic workshop fee, if you bring your own tent is $225, or $250 for cabin lodging. The fee includes meals and lodging as well as instruction, program materials, and use of demonstration equipment.
Registration is required. Just visit: www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=outdooreducation.bow . Click on the “Schedules” link and then the “INTERIOR SUMMER BOW WORKSHOP” to print registration materials. The workshop is over half full, so don’t wait. Register today!

You may fax registrations to (907) 459-7347 if paying by credit card or if paying by check you may mail registrations to: ADF&G, Attention Nancy Sisinyak, Division of Sport Fish, 1300 College RD, Fairbanks, AK 99701. Registrations cannot be accepted over the phone.

For additional information contact Nancy Sisinyak at ADF&G, (907) 459-7346.

Alaska Outdoor News Mission

Image via WikipediaThe author of this blog grew up in Alaska and spent some of his post-college adult years there.  Having left Alaska for the lower 48, he joins many whose hearts are still in Alaska though they reside elsewhere.  As we develop this blog, we will try to provide readers with news that will help folks get out and enjoy the great state of Alaska.

Additionally, the author will pontificate freely on his views from afar on the current state of affairs in the greatest U.S. state.  He will see it as a major accomplishment if he at times has Alaskans angry with him as well as at other times outsiders. For one thing, that will mean that someone is reading his material.  But, it will also mean that he is providing various views on topics. 

For those not from Alaska, and especially for those who have never visited, it is a unique place.  It is populated with folks just like the ones in your neighborhood, but also with some of the most eccentric characters imaginable.  The awesome thing is that sometimes these people coexist pretty well.  Then again, there is the occasional shootout at the community well...an actual event I will elaborate upon later.

Anyway, what this means is that there is a diversity of views in Alaska perhaps unmatched anywhere.  That, along with the diversity in geography, weather, and most other things is what separates Alaska from the rest of the U.S. more than do the miles.

I miss it greatly and enjoy the prospect of using this blog to alleviate some of the longing that I have for the great state of Alaska.