A recently vacated Wildlife Trooper post in Unalaska is staying empty for now.
As KUCB's Annie Ropeik reports, it means staffing levels will be unconventionally low in the town that's home to the patrol vessel Stimson.
Being an Alaska Wildlife Trooper in Unalaska means having two jobs: working on land with local law enforcement, and going out to sea aboard the Stimson.
A new memorial plaque was placed on Killisnoo Island. / Credit: Lisa Phu
More than 70 years have passed since the U.S. government forced the people of Atka from their homes to an internment camp on Killisnoo Island in Southeast Alaska. Sending the Atkans to the old whaling and herring village -- 1,600 miles from their island in the Aleutians -- was supposed to protect them from Japanese invasion during World War II.
Their experiences have not been forgotten. As KTOO's Lisa Phu reports, group of Southeast Alaskans traveled to Killisnoo last weekend to memorialize the Aleut people of Atka.
It’s sport fishing season in downtown Unalaska -- and you might see folks fishing in some new spots this year.
For the first time, the entire Iliuliuk creek is open to fish for Dolly Varden trout -- from Alyeska Seafoods up to Unalaska lake.
"So right there, where both foot-walking bridges are, we had a bunch of complaints -- people calling and saying, ‘Hey, you can’t fish there!’" says Alaska Wildlife Trooper Sergeant Robin Morrisett. "Well, this year you can, for Dolly Varden only."
Tribes, local governments, and residents from the King Cove region are suing federal officials for denying them the right to build a road through a wildlife refuge.
"We’re at the point where we can’t let this go, and we’ve got to keep moving forward," says Della Trumble.
She's a spokeswoman for the King Cove Corporation and the Agdaagux Tribe. They are two of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that was filed Wednesday in United States District Court in Anchorage.
Pavlof's ash plume as seen from the air on June 3, 2014. /Credit: Paul Horn, ADFG
Ash is still blowing from the erupting Pavlof Volcano, prompting airlines in the Alaska Peninsula region to cancel some flights Wednesday morning.
PenAir canceled its morning flights from Anchorage to Cold Bay and Unalaska. And all Grant Aviation flights in and out of Unalaska are on hold right now.
PenAir’s service to Sand Point has not been affected.
There’s no word yet on the status of the airline’s afternoon flights.
Parts of Alaska are gearing up for hotly contested elections this fall -- but not the Aleutian Islands or Bristol Bay. Both of the region’s state legislators are running unopposed, after the deadline to file as a candidate passed on Monday.
Twenty-year state Sen. Lyman Hoffman will be the only candidate for his seat in August’s primary. He represents the Aleutians, Bristol Bay and parts of the Y-K delta.
F/V Arctic Hunter shortly after it ran aground in November 2013. / Credit: Jennifer Shockley
An abandoned crab vessel will finally be pulled off the beach in Unalaska, more than seven months after it ran aground. But as KUCB's Lauren Rosenthal reports, the Arctic Hunter isn’t the only shipwreck that’s awaiting removal.
Lava fountains at Pavlof Volcano, as seen from the southwest on June 2. /Credit: Rachel Kremer
Pavlof Volcano is erupting on the Alaska Peninsula, sending a haze of ash out above nearby towns.
The volcano’s ash plume is up to 18,000 to 20,000 feet Tuesday.
That’s put local airlines on alert.
PenAir spokeswoman Missy Roberts says the ash hasn’t caused problems for any flights just yet. Planes made it in and out of Sand Point last night and Cold Bay this morning.
