Sluggish mosquitoes, sprung from the leaves where they overwintered. Moths and butterflies flitting the fields and south-facing slopes. Beetles skittering along in pinstripe-grooved exoskeletons. How many insects are stirring on the surface of Alaska? That’s a fun but hard-to-answer question that Derek Sikes recently pondered in response to writer and wilderness guide Michael Engelhard. I […]
ANCHORAGE – Governor Bill Walker signed an Arctic policy bill into law Monday, taking a major step forward in defining Alaska’s involvement in Arctic development. Sponsored by Representative Bob Herron of Bethel, HB 1 outlines the state’s priorities for Arctic policy and spells out ways in which the state will attain those priorities. “As the […]
In a blow to environmentalists, the Obama administration gave conditional approval to oil giant Royal Dutch Shell to go ahead with drilling six exploratory oil wells in the Chukchi Sea. The conditional approval by the Interior Department sets aside a major hurdle for the oil company as it continues with its plans for drilling in […]
At the edge of a spruce forest in Interior Alaska, archaeologists have unearthed bone pendants that might be the first examples of artwork in northern North America. During the last two summers, teams led by UAF’s Ben Potter have expanded the breadth of the Mead Site, a white spruce bench that overlooks Shaw Creek Flats […]