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Fishery managers overseeing Alaska’s faltering salmon runs should be able to rely on a more comprehensive and holistic approach to science that considers all habitat, from the middle of the ocean to freshwater spawning streams far inland, according to a task force report on salmon research needs. The report was issued this month by the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force, a group established through a 2022 act of Congress to identify knowledge gaps and research needs. The task force comprises close to 20 members and includes scientists, f...
Bearfest this week provides an opportunity for people to try their artistic skills at making holiday ornaments. In the shape of bears, of course. But nothing ordinary about these ornaments — they will hang on the national Christmas tree on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The U.S. Forest Service has selected a tree from the Wrangell Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest — they won’t say which one yet — and the agency has called on Alaskans to create 10,000 ornaments for the big tree and multiple smaller trees that will be display...
Somewhere in the Wrangell district of the Tongass National Forest lies a prize package — a special holiday ornament containing a possible winning ticket, among other surprises. The U.S. Forest Service hid ornaments in each of the nine districts of the Tongass to raise awareness for the 10,000 ornaments that Alaskans are being asked to create for the Capitol Christmas Tree and multiple smaller trees that will be on display this holiday season in the nation’s capital. This year’s premier holiday tree will come from the Tongass. It comes from...
Ottesen's Ace Hardware is restoring the outside of the former fire hall on Front Street to bring back its original appearance. The fire station was completed in 1941 and was active until 1986 when the department moved into the Public Safety Building on Zimovia Highway. The building later became part of Ottesen's. When David and Boots Roehildt bought the hardware store in 2022, the sign that said Ottesen's Inc. was removed to reveal that the original Wrangell Fire Department lettering was still...
Living amid craggy peaks and remnant glaciers, Southeast Alaska mountain goats survive in variable conditions, often dealing with heavy snowfall and extreme cold. But a new study published and written by an Alaska wildlife ecologist shows that many goats die in avalanches. Kevin White, who worked with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game before continuing his studies at the University of Alaska Southeast and University of Victoria, British Columbia, has concluded over a 17-year project, using data from 421 collared goats, that between 23%...
Tens of millions of dollars raised by a landmark climate law in Washington state will go to Native American tribes that are at risk from climate change and rising sea levels to help them move to higher ground, install solar panels, buy electric vehicles and restore wetlands, Gov. Jay Inslee announced July 16. The money — $52 million — comes from the 2021 Climate Commitment Act, which auctions off allowances for heavily polluting companies in the state to emit carbon, with the revenue invested in education, transportation and other programs. Con...
Two environmental groups have filed a new legal challenge to the Biden administration’s approval of a proposed multibillion-dollar project that would send Alaska North Slope natural gas to overseas markets. In a petition filed with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club argued that federal agencies failed to properly consider harms that the massive gas project would cause to Endangered Species Act-listed animals living in the affected marine areas: polar bears, Cook Inlet beluga whales and...
The Alaska Division of Public Health is hoping to expand wastewater-monitoring programs that have proved useful in detecting outbreaks of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, a recent report said. Testing at Anchorage’s John M. Asplund Wastewater Treatment Facility, the municipality’s main wastewater plant, was able to provide notice of a spike in COVID-19 cases in January 2023, several days ahead of patients’ cases that were confirmed by health laboratories, said a bulletin recently issued by the division’s epidemiology section. The inf...
Photographer Matt McDonald had lived on Puget Sound for years but had never seen a whale, so he was elated when he spotted a giant marine mammal just off Seattle’s waterfront one evening. The excitement was short-lived. As McDonald tracked the whale in his camera’s viewfinder, a Washington state ferry that dwarfed the animal came into the frame. The next morning, he saw on the news that the humpback whale had died in the collision he witnessed. “I still remember the moment when they crossed paths and my heart just started sinking like, ‘Oh m...
Though it may be of little solace to people who struggle to find available housing, Wrangell continues to rank among the lowest-cost communities in the state for apartment rents. This month’s Alaska Economic Trends magazine, published by the Alaska Department of Labor, shows the median monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment — utilities included — at $1,081 in Wrangell and Petersburg, which are lumped together for the annual survey. That’s the lowest of the 11 areas covered in the report. The Kodiak Island Borough topped the survey at $1,713...
When paddlers from around Southeast departed from Wrangell in canoes toward Juneau, they had not just a physical journey ahead of them, but a journey of personal healing too. They were heading to Juneau for Celebration, the biennial festival that honors Southeast Alaska Native culture and heritage. The week-long journey May 29 to June 4 was a time for many of the close to 70 people aboard six canoes to reflect on life and to heal from past traumas. "We're in this gorgeous bay, with the glacier...
Due to cruise ship cancellations, summer tourism numbers could come in slightly below last year. Matt Henson, the borough’s marketing and community development coordinator, said that based on the number of cruise ships scheduled, he now expects 21,000 to 23,000 visitors. Last year’s count totaled 23,000. Before the season started, Wrangell expected close to 30,000 cruise visitors, if all the berths were filled. The canceled stops have cut into that number. Jeanie Arnold, Nolan Center director, said revenue is down from last year. “The numbe...
After developer Wayne Johnson withdrew his offer last month to purchase the former hospital, the borough now is in the process of deciding how to move forward with the property. Mayor Patty Gilbert said in an interview July 10 that the assembly will discuss options at its next meeting, scheduled for July 23. The assembly will need to regroup and think about all the options, she said. Gilbert added that there are a few parties interested in the property, but said to her knowledge there have been no formal offers. The borough owns the 1.94-acre...
The candidacy filing period opens Aug. 2 for this year’s municipal elections for mayor, borough assembly, school board and port commission. Candidates will have until Aug. 30 to complete the declaration form, which will be available starting July 31 at the borough clerk’s office in City Hall. Mayor Patty Gilbert’s two-year term expires this fall and will be on the Oct. 1 election ballot, along with the assembly seats currently held by Bob Dalrymple and Jim DeBord. The assembly seats are for three-year terms. Gilbert, who is finishing her first...
Wrangell schools online student registration will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 7, for grades K-12 at wrg.powerschool.com/public/. For those who need assistance, in-person registration will be held Monday, Aug. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the elementary school gym. The first day of school for students is Thursday, Aug. 22, with teachers starting earlier in the week. This year’s holiday break will start after classes end on Friday, Dec. 20, with school reopening on Monday, Jan. 6. Student fees remain unchanged from last year and are due at the t...
Tommy Wells was taking down Fourth of July decorations downtown on July 11 as he talked of his decision to resign as chamber of commerce executive director, effective Aug. 1. He submitted his resignation late last month. His reason was very close to home. "My oldest son was in a car wreck about three years ago, left him paralyzed," he said, adding that, back in Texas, his son has been dealing with subsequent medical issues which have lately worsened and necessitated his being hospitalized for...
First Bank is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a special event for the community from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 19, at the Nolan Center. The public is invited. The Southeast Alaska bank’s board of directors and staff will host the event, one of several planned for communities where the financial institution operates. First Bank is headquartered in Ketchikan and is the only commercial bank headquartered in Southeast Alaska. It opened its doors in 1924. The locally owned bank has branches in Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell and Craig. T...
The following list of winners was submitted to the Sentinel by the chamber of commerce and event organizers. Volunteers tried their best to get everyone's name correct. These winners are in addition to the names published in the July 10 Sentinel. Boat races Unlimited (head-to-head, at up to 99 mph on the course) First: Randy Easterly Second: Curtis Kautz Third: Gary Allen Jr. Limited (circular course, at 115-hp and under) First: David Gillen Second: Brett Abrahamson Third: Curtis Kautz Greased p...
The chamber of commerce awarded prizes for last month’s king salmon derby at a ceremony July 11 at the Nolan Center. Charlie Webb, of Anchorage, won the $1,500 cash prize for the largest fish of the derby, at 43.5 pounds. Wrangell’s Diana Nore took second place, and $750, for her 38.1-pound catch. Mike Ramsey, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, won $500 for finishing third with his 37.3-pound salmon. The king derby — in its 69th year — ran June 15-30. Connor Blake won $100 for the largest salmon in the 12-and-younger age division with his 22.6-po...
Alaska U.S. District Court Judge Joshua Kindred resigned after a federal judicial council determined he had “sexualized relationship” with a clerk, lied about it to a senior judge and investigators, and maintained a hostile workplace for law clerks. Kindred resigned effective July 8, after the judicial council for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requested his resignation in a May 23 order. Kindred was nominated by President Donald Trump in November 2019 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February 2020. The order followed the work of a s...
The federal government has awarded more than $5 million in grants to the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute to help the state agency find new ways and new places to sell fish. Of the federal money, over $4 million is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Regional Agriculture Promotion Program, known as RAPP. That money will be used in specific areas of the state to help improve international markets, said Greg Smith, an ASMI spokesperson. “The timing of the RAPP funds is well-aligned with the Alaska seafood industry’s needs to combat numer...
A federal judge on July 8 sentenced two members of a Washington state family for selling more than $1 million of Filipino-made products which were marketed as authentic “Alaska Native produced artwork.” The scheme involved two Ketchikan shops for about five years, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska. The family members were ordered to pay restitution, complete home confinement and community service, and write apology letters for violating the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act (IACA). Glenda Tiglao Rodrigo, 46, w...
Gov. Mike Dunleavy on July 11 signed into law a bill originally aimed at curbing the meteoric rise in opioid overdoses in the state, but which turned into comprehensive crime legislation that Alaska lawmakers approved in the final hours of the legislative session. Lawmakers built the wide-ranging law around Dunleavy’s proposal to increase penalties for fentanyl and methamphetamine dealers. The law also directs the state to look into why minority groups are overrepresented in the prison system, creates the crime of assault in front of a child, t...
Commercial trolling for king salmon closed July 8 in Southeast Alaska after an eight-day opening. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported July 8 that it expected trollers would reach their harvest target for the first chinook salmon retention period of the summer of 66,700 kings. The fishery opened July 1. The department manages the first summer chinook retention period to harvest 70% of trollers’ allocation of about 92,400 treaty salmon for the summer fishery. Trollers will be able to catch the remainder of their chinook allocation d...
Of all the courses offered by the Della Keats precollege program, the three high school students in the University of Alaska Anchorage lobby were most struck by the cadaver lab in their anatomy and physiology course. It’s not the kind of opportunity students from rural Alaska usually get, which is the point. Bristol Albrant, a 16-year-old from Ketchikan, said the experience was indescribable. “That’s definitely not normal,” she said. For Tanya Nelson from Napakiak, it was her first time seeing a cadaver. “Probably most of our first time,” sh...