Alaska Outdoors

Three bears have recently been seen out and about in Juneau - this one, near the Auke Bay ferry terminal, one on Back Loop, and one downtown.

Out walkin’ after midnight

It’s not bedtime quite yet for at least three bears in the Juneau area — one in the Auke Bay ferry terminal area, one downtown… Continue reading

Three bears have recently been seen out and about in Juneau - this one, near the Auke Bay ferry terminal, one on Back Loop, and one downtown.
Two tundra swans on the Arctic coastal plain.

Off the Beaten Path: My first polar bear

On a muddy beach on Barter Island, near the still waters of the Beaufort Sea, small polar bear prints mixed with the track of a… Continue reading

Two tundra swans on the Arctic coastal plain.

On the Trails: Big things from small ones

We marvel at the flight of hummingbirds, the songs of humpback whales, or a mountain goat leaping from ledge to ledge. Good! But small things… Continue reading

Off the Beaten Path: The Sinking of the Islander and the Legend of its Lost Gold

In mid August of 1901, the SS Islander, a 240-foot luxury steamer deemed “unsinkable” and designed specifically for the Inside Passage, set sail from Skagway.… Continue reading

Senator moves to halt proposed ban on Alaska predator hunts

FAIRBANKS — U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is looking to stop a proposed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ban on some bear, wolf and coyote hunts… Continue reading

Mendenhall Glacier reflection.

Wild Shots

The Empire Outdoors page is looking for superb images of Alaska’s wildlife, scenery or plant life. Send your photos via email to outdoors@juneauempire.com. For all… Continue reading

Mendenhall Glacier reflection.
Surviving western and mountain hemlock at Goose Cove, Peril Strait, Alaska appear as green trees among the numerous dead yellow-cedar trees, illustrating a successional shift in tree species in response to yellow-cedar decline.

Report: Some yellow cedars to remain healthy through 2100

It turns out polar bears and yellow cedar trees have something common. So do ice seals and red cedars. That commonality: One is negatively impacted… Continue reading

Surviving western and mountain hemlock at Goose Cove, Peril Strait, Alaska appear as green trees among the numerous dead yellow-cedar trees, illustrating a successional shift in tree species in response to yellow-cedar decline.
A winter wren at the remains of a salmon. Sometimes, they and other birds pick maggots from the carcasses.

On the Trails: Wrens

The little brown bird that we have long called the winter wren nests in forests across northern North America and Eurasia (plus a bit in… Continue reading

A winter wren at the remains of a salmon. Sometimes, they and other birds pick maggots from the carcasses.
Adaptive instructor Tristan Knutson-Lombardo and Rhonnie McMaster try out adaptive ski equipment on Jan. 17, at a day SAIL's ORCA program and Eaglecrest Ski Area have organized for five years now.

Photos: Adaptive Day at Eaglecrest

Outdoor Recreation and Community Access (ORCA) adaptive instructors Megan Ahleman and Sean O’Neill demonstrate how to use stand-up outriggers and a mono ski, adaptive equipment… Continue reading

Adaptive instructor Tristan Knutson-Lombardo and Rhonnie McMaster try out adaptive ski equipment on Jan. 17, at a day SAIL's ORCA program and Eaglecrest Ski Area have organized for five years now.
Sea ice floats off the coast north of Barrow.

The case for rallying around sea ice

The ice floating on top of the world covers pretty much the entire Arctic Ocean in midwinter. By late summer it shrinks to half that… Continue reading

Sea ice floats off the coast north of Barrow.

Planetarium: 100 Years of General Relativity

Steve Kocsis, who teaches astronomy at the University of Alaska, Southeast, will present ‘100 years of Einstein’s General Theory’ at the Marie Drake Planetarium on… Continue reading

Fireside lecture: Capitol history

Today’s Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Fireside Lecture, the third of the season, will focus on the history of Alaska’s Capitol. Local architect Wayne Jensen will… Continue reading

The Anan Wildlife Observatory is located 30 miles southeast of the town of Wrangell. Anan Creek has the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, which supports the high density of black and brown bears. The facilities consists of a covered viewing shelter, decks, photo blind, and an outhouse.

Observatory permits soon

WRANGELL—Permits will soon become available for those wanting an opportunity to view bears at Anan Wildlife Observatory this summer. Starting Feb. 1 at 8 a.m.,… Continue reading

The Anan Wildlife Observatory is located 30 miles southeast of the town of Wrangell. Anan Creek has the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, which supports the high density of black and brown bears. The facilities consists of a covered viewing shelter, decks, photo blind, and an outhouse.

Treadwell comment period extended

The US Forest Service is providing an additional six-day comment period on the Treadwell Ditch Trail Environmental Assessment by accepting comments from Jan. 20 through… Continue reading

Girls on Ice accepting applications

Girls on Ice, a free wilderness education program, is accepting applications now through Jan. 29. Each year, two teams of nine teenage girls and three… Continue reading

Commerce secretary approves halibut bycatch plan

The Secretary of Commerce has approved a fishery management plan amendment to reduce halibut bycatch in four sectors of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands… Continue reading

In Cook Inlet, some groups are asking what oil and gas development may do to beluga whale habitat.

Beluga concerns arise for Cook Inlet oil leasing

With the annual lease sale approaching and the Alaska LNG Project proposed to enter Cook Inlet, some groups are asking what oil and gas development… Continue reading

In Cook Inlet, some groups are asking what oil and gas development may do to beluga whale habitat.
Hikers approach one of Icelands many waterfalls.

Traveling Outside: A landscape of hidden folk

After my daughter and I returned from a recent trip to Iceland, I began thinking about how Icelandic alpine is different from Juneau’s. I knew… Continue reading

Hikers approach one of Icelands many waterfalls.
Oliver Shanley the poodle stands on the porch of John Muir Cabin, where he stayed the night of Dec. 23, 2014. During the last fiscal year, the cabin was rented 263 nights, a new record.

Juneau cabins break attendance records

Juneau’s U.S. Forest Service roadside cabins set rental records this year.For the fiscal year between Oct. 1, 2014 and Sept. 20, 2015, “we posted the… Continue reading

Oliver Shanley the poodle stands on the porch of John Muir Cabin, where he stayed the night of Dec. 23, 2014. During the last fiscal year, the cabin was rented 263 nights, a new record.
Common murres swim in Auke Bay in December. Local birder Gus van Vliet counted between 3,000 and 4,000 of the birds in Auke Bay in late November and early December. A large number have also been gathering at the mouth of Glacier Bay. Usually, this time of year, the birds winter away from coastal areas, but thousands have been washing ashore, dead, in Prince William Sound and Southcentral Alaska. Some dead birds have also been recorded in Sitka and Glacier Bay.

Murres in Southeast affected by die-off

One of Alaska’s most common seabirds is dying off in unusually high numbers, and though the majority of common murres found dead have been in… Continue reading

Common murres swim in Auke Bay in December. Local birder Gus van Vliet counted between 3,000 and 4,000 of the birds in Auke Bay in late November and early December. A large number have also been gathering at the mouth of Glacier Bay. Usually, this time of year, the birds winter away from coastal areas, but thousands have been washing ashore, dead, in Prince William Sound and Southcentral Alaska. Some dead birds have also been recorded in Sitka and Glacier Bay.