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Brown bears at the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. (Alaska Department of Fish and Game photo)

Opinion: Let’s make sure the Mulchatna massacre never happens again

I join the many Alaskans appalled by the revelation that state officials in planes and helicopters recently killed 94 brown bears (including 11 cubs), five… Continue reading

Brown bears at the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary. (Alaska Department of Fish and Game photo)
Fireweed rock glacier flows within the massif near McCarthy in 2023. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Glaciers made of rock, ice and bear scat

The grizzly hadn’t seen my dog or me, so I yelled and waved my arms. The bear stood, looked in our direction for three unforgettable… Continue reading

Fireweed rock glacier flows within the massif near McCarthy in 2023. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Voters in the City and Borough of Juneau municipal election will decide this fall whether to approve $27 million in bond debt to fund the majority of the construction cost for a new City Hall. A similar $35 million measure was rejected last year. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: Debating a new City Hall again

This week, the CBJ Assembly decided to ask voters to approve a $27 million bond obligation for a new City Hall. Last month, they approved… Continue reading

Voters in the City and Borough of Juneau municipal election will decide this fall whether to approve $27 million in bond debt to fund the majority of the construction cost for a new City Hall. A similar $35 million measure was rejected last year. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
The author’s wife hikes along a 15-mile alpine trail. The two split the trek into two days. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: A stirring experience

There is a point in a long, steep or heavy-pack hike when you look at your feet and accept the speed at which they are… Continue reading

The author’s wife hikes along a 15-mile alpine trail. The two split the trek into two days. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
Cow parsnip, also known as Indian rhubarb, is common along Juneau’s trails. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)

On the Trails: Cow parsnip and phototoxicity

Out on the wetlands at the end of Industrial Boulevard in early July, Lincoln’s sparrows and savannah sparrows were everywhere, chipping and flitting. Shorebirds were… Continue reading

Cow parsnip, also known as Indian rhubarb, is common along Juneau’s trails. (Photo by Mary F. Willson)
Craig George leads Ned Rozell on a snowmachine trail north of Utqiagvik in May 2010. (Photo by Ned Rozell)

Alaska Science Forum: Craig George’s remarkable northern legacy

I was sad to learn recently that Craig George was missing and presumed dead when a raft he was floating upon hit a logjam in… Continue reading

Craig George leads Ned Rozell on a snowmachine trail north of Utqiagvik in May 2010. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Larry Persily

My Turn: Pistachio donuts, saddle shoes and the Law of Bladders

There are many joys of aging, such as discounts at stores and services, using it as a convenient excuse for being forgetful, and smiling that… Continue reading

Larry Persily
Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File Tents and various items are scattered across the Mill Campground in August of 2022.

My Turn: Alaska Legislature should play a major role in addressing the root causes of homelessness

The government’s solution to solving the homeless crisis in America, including in Alaska, could be compared to someone with a leaky roof adding more pans… Continue reading

Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File Tents and various items are scattered across the Mill Campground in August of 2022.
Interstate 25 in Wyoming. (Public domain photo CC BY-SA 4.0)

Living and Growing: The Road to Freedom

As a teenager growing up in Colorado, I was eager for my freedom. There was nothing wrong in my household. I was blessed with loving… Continue reading

Interstate 25 in Wyoming. (Public domain photo CC BY-SA 4.0)
A violet-green swallow has distinctive white flank patches — and wider wings — than a Vaux’s swift. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)

On the Trails: Swifts and swallows at Fish Creek

On a gray, drippy day at the end of June, a friend and I walked briefly at Fish Creek. The roses were blooming and thimbleberries… Continue reading

  • Jul 10, 2023
  • By Mary F. Willson
A violet-green swallow has distinctive white flank patches — and wider wings — than a Vaux’s swift. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
(Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: The question of term limits

If passed by voters, a proposed ballot initiative would limit all state legislators to serving 12 consecutive years and impose a lifetime maximum of 20… Continue reading

(Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)
Chenega Bay in 1964 following the great earthquake. A schoolhouse survived the earthquake and tsunami that followed. The tsunami destroyed houses lower than the schoolhouse. (Photo by George Plafker)

Alaska Science Forum: Feet on the ground right after the big one

On March 27, 1964, California geologist George Plafker was attending a research conference in Seattle when news came of a big earthquake in Alaska. “It… Continue reading

Chenega Bay in 1964 following the great earthquake. A schoolhouse survived the earthquake and tsunami that followed. The tsunami destroyed houses lower than the schoolhouse. (Photo by George Plafker)
The Alaskan wilderness has been the setting of countless stories which provide inspiration as much as entertainment. (Photo by Jeff Lund)

I Went to the Woods: Building your cabin

I am embarrassed to admit that I only recently read “One Man’s Wilderness,” the story of Dick Proenneke. Some stories are legendary and therefore become… Continue reading

The Alaskan wilderness has been the setting of countless stories which provide inspiration as much as entertainment. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Living and Growing: Raising our voices when the national song falters

I should warn you now: If you ever go to a sporting event with me, I tend to yell a lot and I will sing… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Photos by Mary F. Willson Female goatsbeard flowers, left, are less conspicuous, so the inflorescence is less decorative. Male goatsbeard flowers, right, have visible stamens and slightly larger petals than females, making the inflorescence showy.

On the Trails: Cowee Meadows

On a cool, gray day just after the sunny summer solstice, a group of friends set out to enjoy the annual Cowee Meadow flower show.… Continue reading

Photos by Mary F. Willson Female goatsbeard flowers, left, are less conspicuous, so the inflorescence is less decorative. Male goatsbeard flowers, right, have visible stamens and slightly larger petals than females, making the inflorescence showy.
A totem stands outside the former Hospice and Home Care of Juneau on Oct 14, 2022. The facility shut down days later after providing services for about 20 years. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)

My Turn: Ongoing lack of hospice care complicates matters of life and death

“Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone?” - Joni Mitchell Last September Juneau’s Hospice and Home… Continue reading

A totem stands outside the former Hospice and Home Care of Juneau on Oct 14, 2022. The facility shut down days later after providing services for about 20 years. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Alexander B. Dolitsky

My Turn: What is freedom?

Editor’s note: The following is an account of a fictional conversation. Recently I had a conversation with an American in her late 20s about current… Continue reading

  • Jul 1, 2023
  • By Alexander B. Dolitsky
Alexander B. Dolitsky
Public domain photo from the Library of Congress Jefferson “Soapy” Smith standing at bar in saloon in Skagway on July 29, 1989.

My Turn: Soapy Smith rides again

I recently spent a rainy Sunday afternoon in the Gold Rush cemetery in Skagway, wandering behind tour guides who reenacted Skagway’s most famous story: the… Continue reading

  • Jul 1, 2023
  • By Barbara Hood
Public domain photo from the Library of Congress Jefferson “Soapy” Smith standing at bar in saloon in Skagway on July 29, 1989.
UAF Chancellor Dan White pretends to take a sample from a mammoth skull with the help of Matthew Wooller to promote the Adopt a Mammoth Program at the Museum of the North on the UAF campus on Aug. 5, 2022.

Alaska Science Forum: Adopted mammoth fell 15,000 years ago

A few days ago, Mat Wooller had news about a woolly mammoth my friend LJ and I “adopted” last October. “You’ve got one of the… Continue reading

  • Jun 29, 2023
  • By Ned Rozell
UAF Chancellor Dan White pretends to take a sample from a mammoth skull with the help of Matthew Wooller to promote the Adopt a Mammoth Program at the Museum of the North on the UAF campus on Aug. 5, 2022.
Author standing at the Sitka terminal ramp May 22 waiting to board the Columbia to Haines. (Photo courtesy of Regina Discenza)

My Turn: My costly experience with the Alaska Marine Highway System

Last year during the summer of 2022 I wanted to visit a few small towns in Alaska with the ferry. Air service to Gustavus was… Continue reading

Author standing at the Sitka terminal ramp May 22 waiting to board the Columbia to Haines. (Photo courtesy of Regina Discenza)