ANCHORAGE — An Italian climber who tumbled to his death on North America’s highest mountain was not using ropes and snow anchors as advised on a deceptively dangerous section of trail on Mount McKinley, a ranger said Tuesday.

Luciano Colombo fell 1,000 feet to his death Monday while traversing Denali Pass, a 45-degree slope near 18,000 feet on the West Buttress route, used by most climbers to reach the top of the 20,320-foot mountain in Alaska.

ANCHORAGE — Environmentally conscious investor organizations urged the Environmental Protection Agency in a letter Tuesday to take a closer look at plans for a huge copper and gold mine in Alaska near some of the world’s best-producing wild salmon streams.

Together, the nearly 30 investor organizations represent over $170 billion in assets, according to Trillium Asset Management Corp. and Calvert Investments, two groups leading the organizations in the request to EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

ANCHORAGE — A coalition trying to stop development of a huge copper and gold mine in Alaska brought its fight to the nation’s capital this week in an effort to protect the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery.

The group, which consists of Alaska Natives, commercial fishermen, chefs, jewelers, sportsmen and others, is opposed to developing the Pebble Mine, a world-class copper and gold deposit that sits near the headwaters of Bristol Bay and one of the world’s last and greatest wild salmon fisheries.

ANCHORAGE — Defending champion Lance Mackey pulled into the checkpoint at Nikolai on Tuesday just two days into the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and said a fifth victory does not look promising.