Porcupines are quilling the mushing spirit Oct 7, 2009
Kenai Peninsula mushers are in a prickly situation. They need to train their dogs in the cooler evening hours, but nighttime is when porcupines come out. (Anchorage Daily News)
The other Ionia: Healthy living fuels Ionia, Alaska Oct 4, 2009
Located on 160 acres of spruce forest on the Kenai peninsula, the homesteading village is comprised of nine hand-built log cabin homes and is home to approximately 50 people. The village has its own sawmill and a log community center, where the youngsters of the village spend most of their time. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard, MI)
Surprise first-time champ Oct 4, 2009
Kisner also held off Ivy O'Guinn, the strongest runner on the Kenai Peninsula, on the final stretch. "I didn't even see this coming," said Kisner, who won by two seconds over the Skyview senior. (Anchorage Daily News)
Former lawmaker Specking dies at 90 Sep 30, 2009
Specking, who died Sept. 19, represented the Kenai Peninsula district when he was elected in 1970. He also worked as a legislative assistant to Gov. Jay Hammond, helping with the establishment of the Alaska Permanent Fund. (Juneau Empire)
Redoubt volcano will continue to be calm, scientists say Sep 30, 2009
Mount Redoubt had one of its last significant explosions April 4, when it sent an ash plume more than 8 miles into the air and dropped ash on several Kenai Peninsula communities. The erupting volcano forced the Cook Inlet Pipeline Co. to remove millions of gallons of oil stored at the Drift River Terminal, just 22 miles from the erupting volcano. (Anchorage Daily News)
Cabin dating creates record of Peninsula habitation Sep 22, 2009
A UAA graduate student this summer joined a Kenai Peninsula ecologist and a local historian in their ongoing study of "cabin cookies." Tiffany Curtis is using tree-ring data from slices of old cabin logs in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to learn where the cabins fit into Peninsula history. By comparing tree-ring data from the cookies with a 400-year tree-ring history of the Peninsula created by refuge ecologist Ed Berg, the year of a cabin's construction can be estimated. (Anchorage Daily News)
Alaska editorial: Gov't health care will fall short of the mark Sep 19, 2009
Web search powered by YAHOO. President Barack Obama's speech to the Congress and the public on health care reform last week certainly laid out in definitive terms the challenge facing this country. (Juneau Empire)
Alaska unemployment at 8.3%; job loss rate may be slowing Sep 19, 2009
The Kenai Peninsula jobless rate also was 8. 6 percent in August. (Anchorage Daily News)
Native leaders urge developers to consult in villages Sep 17, 2009
Industry negotiators raised that concern when CIRI was negotiating a deal with Atlantic Richfield Co. to explore on CIRI land on the Kenai Peninsula years ago. Ultimately, CIRI inked several deals with Arco, and during that period CIRI had no changes in top management while Arco had "at least four," she said. (Anchorage Daily News)
Capitol to get new heating system before session Sep 15, 2009
A specialized contractor had to be brought in from Moose Pass on the Kenai Peninsula, to fix it, Johnston said. "They had to more or less rebuild it - it was a major, major repair," he said. (Juneau Empire)
Home school: Making the grade? Sep 13, 2009
" Such rules wouldn't have w 00003116 orked for her children, she said. Her kids learned on their own time lines, according to their own brain development, something she and her husband studied before embarking on home schooling. One son didn't learn to read until he was 8, but then sped ahead and was in college chemistry classes by 15. The problem, school administrators say, is that quite a number of kids end up at public school after their parents fail at home schooling, and teachers have to... (Anchorage Daily News)
State railroad seeks help in weed war Sep 11, 2009
Miller said the opposition remains, and resolutions against herbicide passed by communities along the Railbelt - the Denali, Mat-Su and Kenai Peninsula boroughs, the Native village of Eklutna and the Talkeetna Community Council - still stand. Thompson said critics contention that other methods of controlling weeds have not been tried is not borne out by the record, or by other railroads. (Juneau Empire)
Anchorage vacancy rate ranks among the lowest in state Sep 9, 2009
6 percent, Kenai Peninsula Borough 7. 6 percent, and and Fairbanks North Star Borough 12. (Anchorage Daily News)
Legislators hesitant on plan to hire aide's spouse Sep 7, 2009
He was also hired by the Kenai Peninsula Borough in 2001 to lobby for a private prison in that area, a project that Veco was involved in as well. The prison won the support of the Legislature but Kenai voters ultimately rejected it. (Anchorage Daily News)
Dry dock lifts Seward economy Sep 6, 2009
Much emphasis is put on tourism in Seward, which has been down a bit this summer, as a major contributor to the economy of the Kenai Peninsula city, which has 2,600 residents. "Overall everyone is feeling the economic downturn a little bit," said Laura Cluberton, public relations and programs coordinator for the Seward Chamber of Commerce. (Juneau Empire)
Weekend schedule and results Sep 5, 2009
1:30, 4 and 7 p.m.: Kenai Peninsula Racing Pigs ... 1:30, 4 and 7 p.m.: Kenai Peninsula Racing Pigs. (Anchorage Daily News)
Bear encounters in Alaska Sep 4, 2009
Welcome to "bear camp," an outpost of the Kenai Peninsula fishing lodge Great Alaska International Adventure Vacations, where families come to hike, fish, raft and, of course, check out the bears. "We had 60 bears last night," says our 28-year-old guide, Matt Vermillion, who gave up real estate and a cubicle in Virginia for Alaska. (CNN)
Letters to the editor (9/3/09) Sep 3, 2009
Kenai Peninsula lacks Begich ... I live on the Kenai Peninsula, and so far Sen ... He has been invited to attend several town meetings on health care, but has decided that the Kenai Peninsula is not worth his time. (Anchorage Daily News)
• First Friday Roundup Sep 3, 2009
The Torrent, a U.S. Army supply vessel, was wrecked and sank in July of 1868 near Port Graham, on the Kenai Peninsula. In 2006, a team of four investigators led by Steve Lloyd started an expedition to find the remains of the shipwreck. (Juneau Empire)
Taking the kids to meet the bears Sep 3, 2009
Welcome to "bear camp," an outpost of the Kenai Peninsula fishing lodge , where families come to hike, fish, raft and, of course, check out the bears. advertisement. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Alaska State Fair schedule Aug 31, 2009
1:30, 4 and 7 p.m. -- Kenai Peninsula Racing Pigs. BLUEBONNET STAGE. (Anchorage Daily News)
UAS enrollment up 30 percent from last fall Aug 31, 2009
Kenai Peninsula College, a UAA campus, reported a 26 percent increase at the beginning of its fall semester, Aug. 24. "We're very excited that more new students are choosing to come to UAS. We're particularly pleased that undergraduates from all over Alaska and the Lower 48 are engaging in academic opportunities unique to Southeast Alaska," Chancellor John Pugh said. (Juneau Empire)
Swan found with arrow piercing its side Aug 29, 2009
A wildlife enthusiast photographing trumpeter swans Thursday, August 27, 2009, at Tern Lake on the Kenai Peninsula was shocked to discover an arrow sticking out of one of them. The swan was still alive when Jeff Bryden, lead law enforcement officer for Chugach National Forest, responded to the report. (Anchorage Daily News)
Homer balks at massive biker rally Aug 28, 2009
and proceed 7,000 miles to the Kenai Peninsula. Only riders on air-cooled Harleys -- generally the noisy kind -- can participate. (Anchorage Daily News)
Boy Dies After Dragged by Own Cow at Alaska Fair Aug 23, 2009
ANCHORAGE, Alaska A 9-year-old Alaska boy has died after he was dragged several hundred feet by his own cow at the Kenai Peninsula State Fair in Ninilchik. The boy's father, Blair Martin, says his son Mathias died at Providence Alaska Medical Center on Friday night, hours after he was dragged by the cow at the fairgrounds. (Fox News)
Moose warts ugly but benign Aug 22, 2009
Another unrelated disease, called "sleigh hoof," is commonly seen in moose around the lower Kenai Peninsula. This disease results in long, curly hooves due to faulty keratinization. (Anchorage Daily News)
Rising Ocean Acidity Erodes Alaska's Fisheries Aug 21, 2009
Mathis, talking with commercial salmon fishermen in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, said many have reported that fish this year weighed 20 percent less than those from past runs. The change could be significant for all Americans: Alaska in 2007 accounted 62 percent of the United States' commercial seafood catch, according to the Marine Conservation Alliance. (Scientific American)
Upgrades set for Kenai Peninsula parks Aug 20, 2009
KENAI - Repair and construction work is expected to start Friday at a pair of Kenai Peninsula parks - one in Kasilof, the other in Nikiski ... KENAI - Repair and construction work is expected to start Friday at a pair of Kenai Peninsula parks - one in Kasilof, the other in Nikiski. (Juneau Empire)
Mushers from around world plan for Iditarod Aug 19, 2009
" And it's a tradition in the Mackey family. Mackey's father, Dick Mackey, won the Iditarod in a photo finish in 1978 and his brother, Rick, was the 1983 champion. On the Kenai Peninsula, 1984 Iditarod champion Dean Osmar, the father of Iditarod musher and Yukon Quest champion Tim Osmar, will work with equal enthusiasm to prepare rookie musher Wattie McDonald of Stonehaven, Scotland, for the 2010 Iditarod. "He's good with the dogs, knows how to take care of dogs," said the elder Osmar, owner of... (Juneau Empire)
Troopers offer coffee along Seward Highway Aug 18, 2009
They parking lot is a popular midway stop for boaters and anglers returning to Anchorage from the Kenai Peninsula. Share this page. (Juneau Empire)
Snap of twig alerts dog-walker to charging grizzly Aug 14, 2009
" LESS FEAR OF HUMANS The brown bear Brush shot is one of nine that died at the hands of someone other than a hunter on the Kenai Peninsula this year. Through mid-August last year, there were 25. Hunters have taken five more, with a fall hunt set to begin Sept. 15. State biologists want to ensure that no more than 10 female grizzlies of a reproductive age are killed in one calendar year. They will end the hunt as that number approaches. In all of 2008, 39 Kenai Peninsula bears were shot in self... (Anchorage Daily News)
Fatal Alaska road crashes prompt town hall meeting Aug 11, 2009
"It is much better than it's ever been before, but it has not improved as quickly as our population is growing," said Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Dave Carey. "The reality is we have to do a better job. We, the people, have to say, 'This is unacceptable.'". (Juneau Empire)
Who's up / Who's down Aug 9, 2009
UP -- High-risk boaters: State stocks Kenai Peninsula launches with loaner life jackets. Strap it on, stud, we don't want to have to drag the river for you. (Anchorage Daily News)
Scientists: Three Alaska, Washington glaciers shrinking Aug 9, 2009
Edward Josberger, finds a rapid and sustained retreat of the Wolverine Glacier on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula and the Gulkana Glacier in Interior Alaska, as well as the South Cascade Glacier in Washington state, which is in the North Cascades near Sentinel Peak. Scientists have been studying the three glaciers for 50 years and say the rate of retreat has increased in recent years. (Juneau Empire)
A cry for a safer highway Aug 9, 2009
"It is much better than it's ever been before, but it has not improved as quickly as our population is growing," said Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Dave Carey ... Alaska State Troopers and the Department of Transportation were on hand to hear opinions from legislators, Anchorage Assembly members and citizens, some who had come from Anchorage or the Kenai Peninsula to attend. (Anchorage Daily News)
Cascade glacier shrinking at accelerated pace Aug 8, 2009
Known as benchmark glaciers, the South Cascade Glacier, along with the Wolverine Glacier on Alaska s Kenai Peninsula and the Gulkana Glacier in interior Alaska, have all shown a rapid and sustained retreat, the report said. For years scientists have reported glaciers around the world were melting, but the study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, offers some of the most definitive findings to date. (Longview Daily News, WA)
Clam-digging family narrowly escapes tide Aug 8, 2009
While there are many risky outdoor activities on the Kenai Peninsula, clamming typically isn't one of them. But last month a family from Palmer found out that even shoveling for shellfish can be dangerous, if proper attention is not paid to the surroundings. (Anchorage Daily News)
Arctic ice sparser since the Fram's voyage Aug 8, 2009
Alan Boraas is an anthropology professor at Kenai Peninsula College. ADVERTISEMENT. (Anchorage Daily News)
Three 'benchmark glaciers' rapidly retreating Aug 7, 2009
Known as "benchmark glaciers," the South Cascade Glacier in Washington state, along with the Wolverine Glacier on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula and the Gulkana Glacier in Interior Alaska, have all shown a "rapid and sustained" retreat, the report said. For years scientists have reported glaciers around the world were melting, but the study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, offers some of the most definitive findings to date. (Anchorage Daily News)
Tents and music Aug 4, 2009
First, hailing from the Kenai Peninsula, is the Mabrey Bros. Band. (Wasilla Frontiersman, AK)
Seward gets breather before next storm hits Jul 31, 2009
The service has issued a flood advisory for the Kenai Peninsula, and Alaska State Troopers continue to tell hikers and boaters to be careful because of the fast-moving rivers and streams. At least one hiker was lost for half a day earlier in the week because a raging river kept him from his destination, troopers said. (Anchorage Daily News)
Seward roads flooded; trains halted till Friday Jul 30, 2009
The Kenai Peninsula has been inundated with rain over the past couple of days that has washed out roads, closed part of an airport and put a damper on the tourism industry ... Seward and the rest of the southern part of the Kenai Peninsula are expected to get as much as another inch of rain today, he said ... Ron Long, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assemblyman and vice president of the Seward Chamber of Commerce, said, "We've got a few days left and this whole bay is so dynamic and whatever is washing... (Anchorage Daily News)
50 years later Jul 26, 2009
In 1999, Hagmeier was even the first documented blind person to hike the Chilkoot Trail, and the following year, he hiked the Resurrection Trail on the Kenai Peninsula. "He always wanted to get out and do more - more hiking and more camping," Christy Hagmeier said of her husband. (Juneau Empire)
One fish, two fish Jul 26, 2009
A harvest ticket system, he said, did not work when Fish and Game tried it on the Kenai Peninsula in the 1980s, Bentz said. "It did not provide the information we needed," he said. (Juneau Empire)
High-flying horses Jul 25, 2009
During an Alaska tour 22 years ago, then-18-year-old Anthony Jackson, who grew up on the Kenai Peninsula, attended a show in Soldotna and "fell in love," according to Lashinsky. Jackson convinced the tour to take him on, and several months later he joined the team. (Anchorage Daily News)
Rescued sea otter pup dies at Alaska SeaLife Center Jul 24, 2009
The pup was just 10 weeks 00003D6B old when he was found abandoned in Seldovia on the Kenai Peninsula. ADVERTISEMENT. (Anchorage Daily News)
Alaska gets $17M for forests, trails Jul 23, 2009
1 million for public visitor centers in Juneau, the Kenai Peninsula and Ketchikan ... 4 million for accessibility improvements for trails in Juneau and the Kenai Peninsula. (Juneau Empire)
Palin: Tour is thanks, not 'bye' Jul 21, 2009
And she watched grizzlies at a wildlife sanctuary on the Kenai Peninsula ... And she watched grizzlies at a wildlife sanctuary on the Kenai Peninsula ... And she watched grizzlies at a wildlife sanctuary on the Kenai Peninsula. (Juneau Empire)
Outdoors hotline Jul 21, 2009
WHERE: Arc Lake on Kenai Peninsula. DETAILS: Arc Lake, about two miles south of Soldotna on the Sterling Highway, will be stocked with juvenile landlocked silver salmon that will reach catchable size by 2010. (Anchorage Daily News)
Alaska wildfires have burned 1 million acres Jul 21, 2009
The Shanta Creek fire on the Kenai Peninsula had consumed more than 13,000 acres as of the morning of July 20, 2009. Related Links. (Anchorage Daily News)
Palin: Alaska tour is thanks, not goodbye Jul 20, 2009
And she watched grizzlies at a wildlife sanctuary on the Kenai Peninsula. In all, Sarah Palin has been on eight trips outside her Anchorage base since announcing her resignation two weeks ago. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Available jobs in Alaska decline from a year ago Jul 19, 2009
The Kenai Peninsula rate was 9. 8 percent, the same as in May but up from 7. (Anchorage Daily News)
Alaska's largest wildfire continues to increase in size Jul 17, 2009
The 13,761-acre Shanta Creek fire 5 miles southeast of Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula also was a concern, fire officials said. Nearly 500 firefighters have been assigned to the fire sparked by lighting about two weeks ago. (Juneau Empire)
Homer area mine played role in World War II Jul 16, 2009
Taking on statehood in 1959, the Kenai Peninsula forgot its chrome deposits, relying now on a far richer resource oil ... Now, resource experts know that Red Mountain's chrome deposits are part of a great arc of rocks from the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, through the Chugach Mountains to the Knik River and all the way to Sutton. (Juneau Empire)
Alaska skies hazy from wildfires Jul 14, 2009
A fire of more than 13,000 acres southeast of Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula also was contributing to the haze. Another large fire of more than 14,000 acres was burning northeast of Fort Yukon. (Anchorage Daily News)
MADDOCKS: Palins move shocks Alaskan lawyers and leaves their future unclear Jul 11, 2009
"I think her lawyers are trying to determine how they can better get to where they d like to be," said Speaker Mike Chenault of the Alaska Legislature, a Republican from the Kenai Peninsula. "And they figure that if she resigns, people can t be taking so many potshots at her, which isn t good for their business.". (Framingham TAB, MA)
Wild in search of investors Jul 11, 2009
She and her family delayed a dipnetting trip to the Kenai Peninsula in order to attend the game, but she understands why others might go for entertainment options other than the Wild. "Right now, they're making it easy for the fans to choose (not to come)," said season-ticket holder Nahir Strout, an Eagle River woman who attends games with her husband and two kids. (Anchorage Daily News)
Weather offers little aid to those fighting Alaska wildfires Jul 10, 2009
Smoke from multiple fires, including the Minto Flats fire and the Shanta Creek fire on the Kenai Peninsula, have been blanketing Anchorage in a thick haze for days ... The fire was burning about nine miles east of developed lands at Kasilof, according to the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management. (Anchorage Daily News)
Listening to the landscape of Breathe Owl Breathe Jul 10, 2009
In the 1970s, his grandfather was the town reverend in Moose Pass, a tiny town on the Kenai Peninsula. He said he is very excited to be heading this way. (Juneau Empire)
70 active fires burning in Alaska, Minto Flats is largest Jul 9, 2009
Winds were expected to shift on the Kenai Peninsula, which could help drive up humidity there and help combat the Shanta Creek fire, burning at 2,250 acres Wednesday, he said. The conditions have prompted state forestry officials to suspend permits for open burning on the Kenai and in the Mat-Su, both of which were experiencing high fire danger. (Anchorage Daily News)
Woman dies in Seward Highway wreck near Portage Jul 5, 2009
The death on the highway came on a day when troopers significantly beefed up their patrol on the Kenai Peninsula ... The Fourth of July is one of the busiest weekends on the highway, with many Anchorage residents heading south to the Kenai Peninsula. (Anchorage Daily News)
Scientists lower Redoubt threat level Jul 2, 2009
A series of eruptions beginning in March disrupted air traffic and dusted Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and Gov. Sarah Palin's hometown of Wasilla with volcanic ash. Based on past events, geologists said eruptions could last for months, but Redoubt's last significant blast was April 4. (Juneau Empire)
Bridge could save fuel Jul 1, 2009
To Earthquake wrote on Jun 30, 2009 9:29 AM:" I agree that there are risks involved with a bridge and earthquakes, however, that goes for all current bridges near Anchorage, both going north and south. To not have another way to evacuate is just stupid. Not only for Anchorage, but the whole Kenai Peninsula. There's only one way out by road. Period. Disasters take many forms. It's just bad planning to not build it. Anchorage isn't getting any smaller, growth happens whether we want it to or not.... (Wasilla Frontiersman, AK)
Inside Alaska business Jun 24, 2009
On the Kenai Peninsula -- Sherry Collinsworth, older worker specialist, Mile 26. 1 or P.O. Box 6973, Nikiski 99635, 907-776-7583 or. (Anchorage Daily News)
Gulf of Alaska's salmon become scarce Jun 21, 2009
Fisheries biologists have been talking about PDO ever since, but it took on a new significance last year after ocean temperatures dipped and Kodiak Island, Susitna Valley and Kenai Peninsula king runs all plummeted. The return to the Deshka River, traditionally the most popular and productive king stream in the Susitna Valley, dropped from the range of 30,000 to 60,000 fish per year to less than 8,000 in 2008. (Anchorage Daily News)
