Blog.HaulingGear.com Archive (8-2008 to 3-2014)

Proposed Alaska mine might boost 1 vital export but hurt another December 30 DIANA BLASS AND MARINA CRACCHIOLO Medill News Service ILIAMNA, Alaska It was another subfreezing day in Alaska as Glen Alsworth prepared for a 200-mile flight to a remote southwestern region of the state. Oreos, diapers and milk were among the items he stored in the back of his plane. Before long, the single-engine aircraft glided past the Redoubt Volcano and through the ravines of glacier-runoff water. Wonder and satisfaction crossed Alsworth’s face. “I look out the window – that’s my office,” he exclaimed. Alsworth is known as the “flying mayor” in the Lake and Peninsula Borough, balancing his time between running his small airline and volunteering as the mayor of a region that’s caught in a debate over how international trade.... http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/30/4720581/proposed-alaska-mine-might-boost.html BLM plans summer work at Red Devil Mine KYUK-AM BETHEL, Alaska (AP) — Federal officials a

Unmanned Aerial Surveillance aircraft Scan Eagle launches from the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton http://t.co/hcTvpSo1 — Hauling Gear #Alaska (@haulinggear) December 22, 2012 Could #UAV testing in Alaska lead to an economic boom? Those already working with the technology believe so http://t.co/Ml0ZIjihUs — KTUU.com (@Ch2KTUU) December 31, 2013 re: FAA info on drones in Alaska. Our job "development of a set of standards" http://t.co/aEhGidm1rq is fitting > http://t.co/v6OcF2okWA — Hauling Gear #Alaska (@haulinggear) December 31, 2013 Paper: Drone giant California loses bids for federal testing sites http://t.co/TDWyJJZcdm — Hauling Gear #Alaska (@haulinggear) December 31, 2013

Important fishery regulation question at core of Kookesh overfishing case Craig Medred December 29, 2013 Angoon, AK (Photo credit: bpotter1942 ) Then-Alaska state Sen. Albert Kookesh, from the village of Angoon on wild Admiralty Island in Southeast Alaska, thought the Alaska Department of Fish and Game had over-stepped its authority when it snagged him for overfishing in 2009. A powerful, veteran lawmaker intimately familiar with Alaska law, Kookesh and four other fishermen were caught in Kanalku Bay with 148 sockeye salmon, nearly double their combined legal limit of 75. Four of the five men eventually faced charges of exceeding their limits. At the time he was cited, Kookesh argued it was common practice for local fishermen to ignore bag limits in order to catch extra fish to bring home to their community. And at trial, he contested Fish and Game's authority to set a 15-salmon-per person bag limit. Only the state Board of Fisheries could set catch limits, his attorney ar

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2013 27 questions on Kenai king management The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has posted an interesting set of frequently asked questions on Kenai River king salmon management. The concise, four-page FAQ focuses on the 2013 season, and delves into issues such as escapement policies, how fish are counted, and research projects. Of course, low king returns to the famed Kenai have caused a lot of... http://deckboss.blogspot.com/2013/12/27-questions-on-kenai-king-management.html Map shows growing trend of locally sourced food in Alaska Posted: Saturday, December 28, 2013 11:45 pm Nancy Tarnai FAIRBANKS — A Google Map of community-supported agriculture farms shows the growth of CSAs in Alaska. Created by Deirdre Helfferich, managing editor at the UAF School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences, the map introduces 32 CSAs to viewers, providing basic information and contact sources for each farm. Helfferich started collecting CSA names in 2009

Appeals Court Reinstates Overfishing Charges Against Kookesh, Two Others By Casey Kelly, KTOO - Juneau | December 27, 2013 - 4:05 pm kstk.org Overfishing charges against former State Senator Albert Kookesh and two other men have been reinstated by the Alaska Court of Appeals. In 2009, Kookesh and three others – Rocky Estrada, Sr., Stanley Johnson, and Scott Hunter – were fishing for sockeye salmon at Kanalku Bay near his hometown of Angoon. A state wildlife trooper observed them catching more salmon than allowed under their subsistence permits, and issued citations. Kookesh, Estrada, and Johnson challenged, saying the Alaska Department of Fish and Game cannot establish catch limits. They argued the only way to enact limits is through the Alaska Board of Fisheries. A District Court judge agreed, and.... http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/12/27/appeals-court-reinstates-overfishing-charges-against-kookesh-two-others/ https://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20131227/appeals-court-rei

Revisions to federal fisheries act released for public review BY MOLLY DISCHNER, ALASKA JOURNAL OF COMMERCE Published: 2013.12.24 02:58 PM The act regulating America’s fisheries could see changes under the discussion draft proposed by the House Natural Resources Committee. The Magnuson-Stevens Act, or MSA, was up for reauthorization this year but that process won’t be finalized until 2014. The House Natural Resources Committee released draft legislation Dec. 19 with 30 pages of proposed MSA changes that address several major fisheries issues, including catch share programs, electronic monitoring, rebuilding plans and the term “overfished.” The draft legislation would authorize the MSA through 2018, and also authorize appropriations for five more years at the current funding level. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., chairman of that committee, said the changes will help..... http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/December-Issue-5-2013/Revisions-to-federal-fisheries-act-rele

A king without a crown: Chinook vulnerable to ocean forces BY ABBY LOWELL, MORRIS NEWS SERVICE-ALASKA/JUNEAU EMPIRE Published: 2013.12.24 03:00 PM Editor’s note: This is the ninth in the Morris Communications series “The case for conserving the Kenai king salmon.” Alaska’s long-lived monarch — the king salmon — has fallen from its throne. The species, which once thrived as a fabled ruler in state waters, was sought-after by fisherman from all over the world. Their massive presence in rivers like the Kenai, the Yukon and the Taku, to name only a few, brought sport and commercial fisherman to banks and river mouths for a chance to harvest this mighty resource. The largest known king — weighing in at 126.5 pounds — was caught in a fish trap off Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska in 1938. Today, fish of that caliber are seemingly nonexistent. Alaska has seen unprecedented declines in recent years resulting in.... http://www.alaskajournal.com/Alaska-Journal-of-Commerce/December-I