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A golden-crowned sparrow nibbled on elderberry flower buds. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Enjoying birds, blooms and more near the Mendenhall Glacier

The trail to Nugget Falls was a lively place in early May.

A golden-crowned sparrow nibbled on elderberry flower buds. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Jane Hale (Courtesy Photo)

Coming Out: My second skin

I’m sloughing off those old pernicious ideas and wearing a second skin.

Jane Hale (Courtesy Photo)
A white-winged scoter handles a prickly sea urchin. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: An April scrapbook of little observations

Spring wings and other things.

A white-winged scoter handles a prickly sea urchin. (Courtesy Photo / Bob Armstrong)
Michelle Bonnet Hale (Courtesy Photo)

Coming Out: Dodged that bullet

“You deserve your own process.”

Michelle Bonnet Hale (Courtesy Photo)
The author’s dog Cora rides a canoe on the Yukon River. Two-thirds of all the flowing water in Alaska makes its way into the Yukon. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Alaska’s water crop is a natural resource

Alaska’s freshwater supply is so abundant the numbers are hard to comprehend.

The author’s dog Cora rides a canoe on the Yukon River. Two-thirds of all the flowing water in Alaska makes its way into the Yukon. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
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I Went to the Woods: Here they come

Tourism isn’t all good and it isn’t all bad.

  • Apr 27, 2022
  • By Jeff Lund For the Juneau Empire
  • NewsColumns
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George Divoky and his friend Matt Thomas pose in front of Divoky’s cabin on Cooper Island after repairing polar-bear damage in April, 2022. (Courtesy Photo / Craig George)

Alaska Science Forum: His 48th summer on top of the world

In the ’80s, 225 pairs of black guillemots nested on Cooper Island. Last year: 25 pairs counted.

George Divoky and his friend Matt Thomas pose in front of Divoky’s cabin on Cooper Island after repairing polar-bear damage in April, 2022. (Courtesy Photo / Craig George)
Nikki is an old favorite that we see near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center; here she is with a couple of new cubs. Black bears mate in early summer, but the fertilized egg is not implanted until fall; then gestation takes about seven months, resulting in a tiny cub that won’t emerge from the den until early summer. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)

On the Trails: Reproductive delays in mammals

By Mary F. Willson For the Juneau Empire Human animals have a simple, direct system: copulation and sperm delivery may lead to fertilization of an… Continue reading

Nikki is an old favorite that we see near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center; here she is with a couple of new cubs. Black bears mate in early summer, but the fertilized egg is not implanted until fall; then gestation takes about seven months, resulting in a tiny cub that won’t emerge from the den until early summer. (Courtesy Photo / Kerry Howard)
Jane Hale (Courtesy Photo)
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Coming Out: Swimming to Hell

The self as examined by punk rockers and Sartre.

Jane Hale (Courtesy Photo)
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Two dogs greet each other Jan. 7, 2022, when the temperature was minus 22F and the sun set before 5 p.m. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Endless northern winter about to end

The end is in sight.

Two dogs greet each other Jan. 7, 2022, when the temperature was minus 22F and the sun set before 5 p.m. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
It's not that Southeast Alaskans don't have style, it's just that the style happens to contain a lot of waterproof materials such as the jacket his wife wore to check shrimp pots. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: All about style

Style isn’t about clothing, it’s everything.

It's not that Southeast Alaskans don't have style, it's just that the style happens to contain a lot of waterproof materials such as the jacket his wife wore to check shrimp pots. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
Janalee Minnich Gage, activist and artist at home in Ketchikan. (Courtesy Photo / Janalee Minnich Gage)

Planet Alaska: ‘A day that changed everything’

“Whoosh! I was floating,”

Janalee Minnich Gage, activist and artist at home in Ketchikan. (Courtesy Photo / Janalee Minnich Gage)
This photo, available under a Creative Commons license, shows a European robin. While its name is similar to that of the American robin, they are not closely related. (Courtesy Photo / Charles J. Sharp)

On the Trails: Same name, very different birds

A tale of two (or more) robins.

This photo, available under a Creative Commons license, shows a European robin. While its name is similar to that of the American robin, they are not closely related. (Courtesy Photo / Charles J. Sharp)
The paw of an anesthetized female lynx trapped north of the Arctic Circle that weighed 22 pounds. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Live-trapping lynx in the far north

By Ned Rozell NORTH OF COLDFOOT — The lynx looks out from inside a chicken-wire cage. Despite its loss of freedom and the nearby squeaking… Continue reading

The paw of an anesthetized female lynx trapped north of the Arctic Circle that weighed 22 pounds. (Courtesy Photo / Ned Rozell)
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Sustainable Alaska: Cosmic consciousness, Earth Day, and the magic of time and space

Earlier this spring I had the great privilege of skiing from Knik Lake to McGrath…

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Keishísh enjoys the beach in Juneau (Yeilk’ Vivian Mork / For the Capital City Weekly)

Planet Alaska: This old dog

This old dog is a good dog.

Keishísh enjoys the beach in Juneau (Yeilk’ Vivian Mork / For the Capital City Weekly)
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On the Trails: Whelks learning and hemlocks fluting

Whelk-learned individuals.

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The author thought this reel was about five years old, but this photo from a trip to the Truckee River in California seven years ago made him realize just how long his favorite reel has been around. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)

I Went to the Woods: What makes a favorite

By Jeff Lund I was doing some math, which can be difficult. Not just because I’m an English teacher, but because it can be hard… Continue reading

The author thought this reel was about five years old, but this photo from a trip to the Truckee River in California seven years ago made him realize just how long his favorite reel has been around. (Jeff Lund / For the Juneau Empire)
An injured coyote with only three usable legs has survived over a year, hunting small mammals. (Courtesy Photo / Cheryl Cook)

On the Trails: Wild animals surviving serious injuries

To be adaptive, the benefits have to outweigh such costs.

An injured coyote with only three usable legs has survived over a year, hunting small mammals. (Courtesy Photo / Cheryl Cook)
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Gimme a Smile: Enjoy the charm of Wordle

I’ve jumped onto the Wordle bandwagon.

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