Alaska Outdoors

A char moves into Sam Creek along with hundreds of sockeye salmon. The char is skinny now, but will get fat gorging on salmon eggs. (Courtesy Photo | Jonny Armstrong)

The impossible journey of the juvenile coho

Turns out finance and salmon survival have something in common: the importance of diversification.

A char moves into Sam Creek along with hundreds of sockeye salmon. The char is skinny now, but will get fat gorging on salmon eggs. (Courtesy Photo | Jonny Armstrong)
A starfish on a recent low tide. (Kerry Howard | Courtesy Photo)

Low-tide explorations

June brought some good low tides, lower than minus four feet.

A starfish on a recent low tide. (Kerry Howard | Courtesy Photo)
Frozen ground underlying the North Slope of Alaska is warming; much of it may thaw by the end of the century. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Warming in the north continues as predicted

Just outside my window here at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, workers are drilling into the asphalt of a parking lot using a truck-mounted rig.… Continue reading

Frozen ground underlying the North Slope of Alaska is warming; much of it may thaw by the end of the century. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Coho salmon and Arctic char aggregate while feeding on sockeye salmon eggs. While coho derive much of their summer growth from invertebrates, char may rely entirely on sockeye salmon eggs, fry and smolt. (Courtesy Photo | Jonny Armstrong)

The impossible journey of the juvenile coho

Turns out finance and salmon survival have something in common: the importance of diversification. As a Ph.D. student with the University of Washington’s Alaska Salmon… Continue reading

Coho salmon and Arctic char aggregate while feeding on sockeye salmon eggs. While coho derive much of their summer growth from invertebrates, char may rely entirely on sockeye salmon eggs, fry and smolt. (Courtesy Photo | Jonny Armstrong)
A starfish on a recent low tide. (Kerry Howard | Courtesy Photo)

Low-tide explorations

June brought some good low tides, lower than minus four feet, so out we went to look at the rocky intertidal zone. This is always… Continue reading

A starfish on a recent low tide. (Kerry Howard | Courtesy Photo)
Frozen ground underlying the North Slope of Alaska is warming; much of it may thaw by the end of the century. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Warming in the north continues as predicted

Just outside my window here at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, workers are drilling into the asphalt of a parking lot using a truck-mounted rig.… Continue reading

Frozen ground underlying the North Slope of Alaska is warming; much of it may thaw by the end of the century. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Three intrepid adventurers exploring an ice cave on Mendenhall Glacier in 2012.

The 2018 guide to lesser known tours

Dear Intrepid Visitors and Curious-Minded Locals, After years of researching Southeast Alaska’s tourism industry, it’s my great pleasure to release the 2018 Guide to Lesser… Continue reading

Three intrepid adventurers exploring an ice cave on Mendenhall Glacier in 2012.

The 2018 guide to lesser known tours

Dear Intrepid Visitors and Curious-Minded Locals, After years of researching Southeast Alaska’s tourism industry, it’s my great pleasure to release the 2018 Guide to Lesser… Continue reading

Shallow water rushes by as we cross the creek. (Photo by Gabe Donohoe)

Fish Creek wading

I have a memory of shallow water rushing over my feet.

Shallow water rushes by as we cross the creek. (Photo by Gabe Donohoe)
A bear on Admiralty Island sizes up the author last year. (Photo by Bjorn Dihle)

Reflections of a Predator

The bears in my head are much scarier.

A bear on Admiralty Island sizes up the author last year. (Photo by Bjorn Dihle)
A female Swainson’s thrush carries nesting material. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

Hiking Sheep Creek Valley

The valley is rich in nesting, singing songbirds.

A female Swainson’s thrush carries nesting material. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
Photo by Jos Bakker

Are dandelions taking over the country?

Their cheery, bright yellow flower heads adorn the roadsides in late spring, before the compulsive mowing machines decapitate them. Foraging deer, bears, and human herbivores… Continue reading

Photo by Jos Bakker
A bear on Admiralty Island sizes up the author last year. (Photo by Bjorn Dihle)

Reflections of a Predator

The morning before I began a trek across Chichagof Island, I was so nervy I vomited. I came up with rational reasons to stay home… Continue reading

A bear on Admiralty Island sizes up the author last year. (Photo by Bjorn Dihle)
Shallow water rushes by as we cross the creek. (Photo by Gabe Donohoe)

Fish Creek wading

Last Monday, my friends Ian and Claire joined me on a mellow meander through the forest, out Fish Creek on North Douglas. Last time I… Continue reading

Shallow water rushes by as we cross the creek. (Photo by Gabe Donohoe)

Hiking Sheep Creek Valley

In early June, Parks &Rec hikers went up the Sheep Creek trail on a day of fitful rain showers and intermittent sunshine. This is a… Continue reading

Photo by Jos Bakker

Are dandelions taking over the country?

Their cheery, bright yellow flower heads adorn the roadsides in late spring, before the compulsive mowing machines decapitate them. Foraging deer, bears, and human herbivores… Continue reading

Photo by Jos Bakker
Mark Hieronymus poses with a steelhead caught in 2014 on a Southeast Alaskan river. (Photo by Tyson Fick)

Hunting for fish in Alaska’s steelhead-bearing rivers and streams

For most people, steelhead — sea-run rainbow trout — are “the fish of 10,000 casts.” To catch them, you stand waist-deep in a spring-melt river,… Continue reading

Mark Hieronymus poses with a steelhead caught in 2014 on a Southeast Alaskan river. (Photo by Tyson Fick)
All steam ahead with huge packs and sleds. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)

Traversing the Juneau Icefield

The University of Alaska Southeast Outdoor Studies Program has a yearly leadership capstone trip to compile all of the skills learned over the year. This… Continue reading

All steam ahead with huge packs and sleds. (Gabe Donohoe | For the Juneau Empire)
A cinnamon-colored black bear forages on intertidal shellfish on a cliff. (Photo by Joss Bakker)

Land and sea

We often think of land and sea as totally separate entities, and this is commonly reflected in separate governmental jurisdictions. But the biological reality is… Continue reading

A cinnamon-colored black bear forages on intertidal shellfish on a cliff. (Photo by Joss Bakker)
A long-armed brittlestar clings to the underside of a rock, sharing the space with a chiton and other inhabitants. (Photo by Kerry Howard)

Tidepooling in May

Mid-May brought some fairly low tides during the daylight hours, so naturally I had to go prowling in the intertidal zone to see what I… Continue reading

A long-armed brittlestar clings to the underside of a rock, sharing the space with a chiton and other inhabitants. (Photo by Kerry Howard)