Hiking on the Tongass National Forest

Shelter on Rainbow Falls Trail - Wrangell Ranger District Photo: Alaska Vistas

Shelter on Rainbow Falls Trail - Wrangell Ranger District Photo: Alaska Vistas

At more than 17 million acres in size, the Tongass National Forest located in Southeast Alaska is the largest forest administered in the overall national forest system. The Tongass is world renowned for its old growth temperate rain forests covered with enormous Sitka spruce, Hemlock fir, and Yellow cedar. These forests protect watersheds that support some of the most productive fisheries anywhere. Like all national forests, the Tongass is managed for multiple uses and outdoor recreation is a key component among these varied opportunities.

The Tongass National Forest Trail System

One of the best ways to see the special and unique places of the Tongass is to take a day hike or backpacking trip on one of the forest’s many trails. Working from Misty Fiords in the south to Admiralty Island at the northern reaches of the forest, there are no less than 103 developed trails available for public use. Read More »

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The Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears – Its History and Future

np-rapp127_page_01It seems the land of Polar bears is rich in acronyms. Initial efforts to better understand the bears had a formal start in Fairbanks, Alaska with the establishment of the Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in 1965. Meeting in private, the working group developed the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears that was discussed by circumpolar nations in Oslo, Norway in 1973. By 1977, Canada, Norway, Russia, Denmark and the United States had ratified the agreement.

Parties to the accord set an initial trial period of five years for the agreement. Participants decided to leave the program in place after the initial period until one of the signatories requested its termination. Norway expressed interest in reopening discussions under the agreement in 1981, but could garner no support by other participants. Finally by March of 2009, it was apparent that the conservation of Polar bears needed to be revisited in the North. Delegates from Arctic nations met in Tromsø, Norway on March 17 to 19, 2009 to discuss the bears for the first time since 1981. Read More »

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Wolf Control in Alaska

http://www.public-domain-image.com (public domain image)Even in this state were people generally support the hunting, gathering and trapping of animals, the issue of aerial control of wolf populations is divisive. Just a review of voter initiatives bears this out. Alaskan residents have voted to place limits on aerial wolf control three times to date, in 1996, 2000 and 2008. Likewise, the Alaska Legislature has regularly enacted legislation to overturn or modify the intent of approved voter initiatives.

The recent dust up in the press between Actress Ashley Judd and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin over wolf control has done little to clarify the issue with the public. It is fair to say residents of Alaska remain divided over the practice supported by the State of Alaska. Read More »

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Earthquake Monitoring and Reporting in Alaska – The Alaska Earthquake Information Center

theb0963The Alaska Legislature established the Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC) by statute in 1986. Home of the second greatest earthquake recorded in 1964 and the most seismically active state in the Union, Alaska has a selfish interest in monitoring earthquake activity within the state.

Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC)

The Alaska Earthquake Information Center acts as a hub that receives data from hundreds of seismic sites located throughout Alaska. Additionally AEIC processes data received from the West Coast and Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska. Staff at AEIC records the location and intensity of roughly 22,000 earthquakes each year. Data recorded by AEIC adds in making public warnings of earthquakes and is used to further research in the field.

Earthquakes in Alaska

Earthquakes result from the impact of great tectonic plates spread across the earth’s surface. The plates can slide along each other or one plate can override another. Alaska is located along the northern portion of the Ring of Fire, a circularly shaped line of volcanic and earthquake activity located in the Pacific Ocean. The Alaska part of Ring is composed of the North American Plate colliding with the Pacific Plate and the northwest movement of the Pacific Plate being subducted under the arc of the Aleutian Islands. The Aleutian Megathrust found under the island chain is the cause of large magnitude earthquakes in Alaska. Read More »

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A Review of Wild Seafood Sustainability Certification Programs

A Snowy Valdez, Alaska Harbor Photo: Alan SorumProducers of wild Alaskan seafood understand how important it is for our fisheries to be managed on a sustainable basis. Methods employed to meet this need include use of enforceable catch limits, improving catch efficiency, limiting fishing efforts and implementation of quota share programs.

Since many fisheries in the world do not strive to meet similar goals, Alaska is keen to alert consumers about the sustained yield practices used in the state. One way to achieve this goal is to use an independent, third party to certify seafood in Alaska is being harvested on a sustainable basis. Several Alaska fisheries, like those directed at the five species of Pacific salmon are certified as sustainable by a group known as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and bear an ecolabel that can easily be recognized by seafood consumers.

World Wildlife Fund Seafood Ecolabel Program Study

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) commissioned Accenture Development Partnerships to make an independent assessment of seafood sustainability certification programs. The study, Assessment Study of On-Pack, Wild-Capture Seafood Sustainability Certification Programmes and Seafood Ecolabels. Accenture, was recently released and looked at seven certification programs that use ecolabels targeted at seafood consumers.

Using criteria established by the World Wildlife Fund, Accenture assessed the fisheries management claims made by these ecolabeling schemes. Criteria addressed in the study included consideration of climate change, evaluation of supply chain facilities, impacts made to fish and ecosystems, social and ethical practices, and humane treatment of animals.

The executive summary of the report states, “None of the standards analysed are in complete compliance with the criteria identified and defined by WWF as necessary for credible ecolabels or certification programs. The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the only ecolabel that is close enough to be considered compliant with these criteria.” Read More »

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