There are some long-term investors in the proposed Pebble Mine that are fighting for the project online. Many have held onto their stock for years hoping the massive gold and copper deposit in Southwest Alaska gets developed.

The political fight and concerns over its proximity and potential risk to Bristol Bay salmon have left their dreams, so far, unrealized.

Dylan Brown, a Washington, D.C.-based reporter for E&E News spoke with Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove about his recent story headlined, “Embattled Pebble investors would rather fight than switch.”

Grove: So I had heard this described as “online Pebble trolls,” and there’s a guy in your story that describes what they’re doing more as “social engineering,” but maybe you can explain to me kind of what’s going on here.

Brown: Yeah, so I kind of first ran across this crew of guys a few months back, and they started reaching out, predominantly online and also through email to get a hold of me about, you know, kind of what’s going on with the Pebble Project. And so I ended up speaking with a few of them and they described an effort that’s kind of unusual, when it comes to investing. But to really go on the offensive and start talking about why they think this project is a good one and why it should be developed. And they described it as “social engineering.” So essentially them reaching out to all the stakeholders involved and that includes federal agencies, state regulators and reporters to try to figure out where the project was at, because obviously this is a huge project making its way through the federal permitting process, which can take a while.

Grove: My understanding is they can be kind of aggressive. You interviewed some and I just wondered, who are these people? And what is a “NAK Long?”

Brown: So that was the term that they use to describe themselves. It’s about a group of about two dozen hardcore investors (“NAK” for the Northern Dynasty stock symbol, “long” for long-term investor). That means they have about 40,000 to upwards of 250,000 shares in Northern Dynasty, the parent company of Pebble Limited Partnership, and these are just kind of guys from across the country.

One of them I talked to was a former lawyer from Vancouver, British Columbia who’s been investing in mining stocks for 30 years. And contrast him with the young man I talked to about social engineering, and he’s based in Bellingham, Washington. Just a kind of a group of far-flung people across the country that have found each other online. And so they they congregate predominantly in these message boards and forums. The one I did the most research on this was called Stock Twits, which is kind of a social media site, as it were, for investors. So they’ll get on there and talk about the Pebble Project and essentially kind of banter back and forth and insult one another and it kind of just turns it into any old place on the internet at that point.

Grove: For people that have not been, you know, every day checking their stock price, can you walk me through the timeline of what the stock has done, sort of the last few years?

Brown: Yeah, so it’s had a hard time, I guess, to sum it up neatly. Since about 2011, as the EPA and the Obama Administration got heavily involved with regulating the Pebble Project, the stock price for Northern Dynasty has collapsed, and so it’s gone from well over $20 to at this point under a dollar.

Grove: So they get pretty aggressive about this investment of theirs, and why is that and what is different about their tactics than other investors?

Brown: Yeah, my, since the story’s come out my social media has kind of exploded, in mostly not-so-nice ways, but it’s very interesting. I mean, this is a project with a potentially huge payoff for these guys. I mean, this is, according to the Northern Dynasty, the largest green field — so kind of untouched — mineral resource in the world. So that draws a lot of people looking to get rich in a big way, and so what generates a lot of the animosity and hostility towards anybody who writes about the project, as I’ve been doing for the past three years, is tied up in how much money is at stake and how much of their own finances are at stake. One investor, I pointed out, you know, he was tired of hearing from the opponents because they put his retirement at risk. So that gives you kind of an idea of how much money is invested from these guys.

The partial government shutdown continues — 19 days and counting. It’s affecting hundreds of U.S. Forest Service workers all over Southeast Alaska. In Petersburg, most of the 75 agency workers are furloughed.

The lights are out for most of the Petersburg Ranger District. Interim District Ranger, Ted Sandhofer, is still reporting to work but he says he’s not allowed to talk to the media during the shutdown. And all Forest Service media offices are closed including at DC headquarters.

“When we’re on furlough, we’re basically not doing any of the agency’s work,” said Ken Dinsmore of Sitka. He’s the Local 251 Union President for forestry workers in Alaska and has worked for the Forest Service for decades. He represents about 200 workers in Southeast along with others throughout the state. He says the furlough doesn’t just affect federal workers but also local economies.

“Say, for example in Petersburg, 75 employees, here in Sitka, maybe 50 aren’t getting paid, you’re taking that revenue not only out of the employees hand but you’re taking it out of the community as well from what they might have spent,” Dinsmore said.

The partial shutdown means workers considered essential are on the job without pay and non-essential workers aren’t working at all. Dinsmore says there are circumstances when some employees could get called back in to work but it would be on a limited basis.

“Such as a timber sale that may be still active and needs to have the contract administered and payments made and collected, that sort of thing,” he said.

For right now though it’s a wait and see for dozens of Petersburg workers. KFSK approached several of them for their thoughts on the furlough but most wouldn’t comment. A few did.

“It’s really an uncertain time,” said Carin Christensen, a part-time employee whose husband also works for the Forest Service. “We don’t know when we’re going back to work, how it will happen, you know, how this will get resolved.”

So far, her family has been okay financially but all of that depends on how long the shutdown lasts and if the government decides to pay workers back pay afterwards.

The timing hasn’t been the worst. Winter is a low production time of year for the Forest Service. There is less field work outside and more paper work inside. But Christensen says workers are missing time to prepare for their next projects.

“It’s a good time to plan, it’s a good time to do maps, it’s a good time to do any of the office work that you don’t have time to do during the summer,” she said.

Another furloughed Petersburg Forest Service couple is Heath and Marina Whitacre. He’s a hydrologist and she’s a writer-editor.

Heath says they hope the furlough doesn’t last too long and really impact their finances. But he says they’re trying not to let themselves get worked up about it because they can’t change anything.

“There’s nothing we can do about the shutdown,” he said. “Just kind of letting go of that and stressing about something you can’t influence. That’s happening in Washington DC at an entirely different level. Locally, we can’t do anything about it.”

He says the shutdown will affect science-based projects that include data collection like snow surveys. Marina says hiring seasonal workers for summertime field work will be backlogged.

“We were supposed to have selections or working on it before a certain that’s already passed,” Marina said. “And I think that one week–the week we’ve been closed already–was a critical week for that.”

The Whitacres went through a previous extended shutdown in 2013, which lasted for 16 days. They received back pay after that. Heath says some people don’t understand what it’s like to be furloughed when they call it a paid vacation for the feds.

“That doesn’t feel good,” Heath said. “I want to give the people — the tax payers — their money’s worth. I want to be at work, working, if I’m getting paid. And so, that part of it doesn’t really sit well with me … but what am I going to do about that also?”

Dinsmore has been through many furloughs in the past and Forest Service workers received back pay for the time they were off. But he says this time could be different.

“I don’t see that as being any sort of a guarantee this time around,” Dinsmore said. “So, I just caution employees to not count on that.”

For now, all they can do wait on decisions being made thousands of miles away in the country’s capital.

As for the U.S. Coast Guard, they are not part of the furlough. All of Petersburg’s 27 Coast Guard employees are working without pay. They conduct search and rescue missions and aid navigation.

Anchorage School Board member Dave Donley has been appointed by Governor Dunleavy to serve in the Department of Administration.

A spokesman for the governor says that since January 2nd, Donley has been deputy commissioner of the department. In his duties, he will help oversee state administrative services such as finance, labor relations and mail distribution.

Donley is a former lawmaker — serving in the state House from 1987 to 1992 and the state Senate from 1993 to 2003. He was recently a lobbyist for Hope Community Resources, an Anchorage nonprofit that provides services to people with developmental disorders and mental health issues. Donley’s wife Jamie currently serves as the lobbyist for the nonprofit.

A spokeswoman for the Anchorage School Board says that Donley hasn’t said he will step down from his position on the board. He served in his capacity as a board member as recently as Monday, several days after he was hired by the state. According to the school board, it isn’t unprecedented for someone to serve on a school board in Alaska and also work for the Governor.

Donley has served on the board since 2017, and is up for reelection in 2020.

On Tuesday night the Juneau School District Board of Education voted unanimously to accept the gift of a Tlingit name for Juneau-Douglas High School. As with other schools in the district, the Tlingit name of Yadaa.at Kalé will be an addition, not a replacement.

The oldest high school in Alaska’s capital sits at the base of a mountain. That mountain shares its name with the city, and with the school: Juneau.

But it has other names.

“Yadaa.at Kalé is an ancient name. So it’s not as if Mt. Juneau was always called Mt. Juneau,” said Barbara Cadiente-Nelson, Indian Studies Program director for the Juneau School District. She believes names have power. They connect people and places.

For more than a year, a group of people has worked to connect Yadaa.at Kalé to another place: Juneau-Douglas High School.

The push was led by students, including senior Arias Hoyle.

“Even though it’s the name of Mt. Juneau, it does not mean Mt. Juneau. It means ‘beautifully adorned face,’” Hoyle said.

Hoyle said student support for the Tlingit name was widespread at his school. To prove it, he collected signatures from around 70 students of diverse backgrounds.

Elders and leaders representing the Áak’w Ḵwaan and T’aaḵu Ḵwáan approved the choice of Yadaa.at Kalé. They offered the name as a gift to the high school, after meeting with students and district staff last April.

Tlingit elder David Katzeek was one of the leaders at that meeting. He graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School in 1962.

Katzeek said Yadaa.at Kalé is open to interpretation. One of the things it means is “coming home.”

He explained it like this: Imagine you’re on your way back from a long trip hunting or fishing. Stormy waters. You’re in a small canoe. Waves are crashing.

“Sometimes the people in the boat would feel like maybe we’re not going to make it,” Katzeek said. “And they’d be working together, woosh.ji.een.”

Katzeek then demonstrated how the boat’s passengers would express themselves in Tlingit when the mountain comes into view.

“We see that beautiful face of the mountain … That mountain is just getting more beautiful all the time,” Katzeek said.

Juneau-Douglas principal Paula Casperson welcomes the name.

“It’s hard for me to see a downside. I think that this just adds on to what I view as a strength of the Juneau School District, which is incorporating where we live and the people and the place that we are,” Casperson said.

Cadiente-Nelson said using Tlingit names can be a step toward healing from a painful history. One that has been marked by violent suppression of the Native community.

The name, though, is for everyone.

“The restoration and bringing it back to life, though it’s always been there. It’s meaningful to not just the Native people of this region, but I believe to the majority of this community,” Carperson said.

At their January meeting, the Juneau School Board voted to make Yadaa.at Kalé an official part of Juneau-Douglas High School’s name.

It won’t happen overnight. Some things, like a new sign out front, will take time and, more importantly, money.

But Casperson said the school’s website will be updated quickly. She hopes it will include a pronunciation guide, with audio. Getting the new name on anything printed, like student IDs, will be as simple as changing the template.

Hoyle was at the school board meeting when the name was accepted. The vote was unanimous and earned a standing ovation from an unusually large audience. The board members joined in.

After the vote, Hoyle said he felt confident. The change, he said, would be empowering.

Hoyle plans to graduate in May. When he does, he hopes his diploma will name him a graduate of Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.

This week, some places in the Fairbanks area saw temperatures in the negative 30s and 40s Fahrenheit.

It only stayed like that for a few days — though more severe cold is predicted before the week is over.

Fairbanks’ cold snaps have historically been the stuff of legend. But due to climate change, and some other factors, they have become less frequent and less severe.

Mary and Dick Bishop arrived in Fairbanks in the fall of 1961. That December, Fairbanks experienced its most intense cold snap on record — averaging about -54 F for the last week of the month.

“Nothing’s bad after that,” Mary Bishop said, laughing. “We got quite an initiation.”

Over the past 50-plus years living in the Interior — most of it in Fairbanks — the Bishops have seen plenty of intense cold spells where it’s -40 F or colder for more than a week.

They said there’s a list of challenges that come along with that cold.

“Your tires are flat on one side,” Dick Bishop said, “and all the cars just didn’t start.”

“We had minimal insulation in (our) house,” Mary Bishop said, “and our young boys just lived in snowsuits.”

But the Bishops said those bottom-scraping temperature periods don’t happen nearly as often these days.

And they’re right, according to Rick Thoman, a climatologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

He says that the definition of a cold snap is somewhat “in the eye of the beholder.” But when he mapped out the “great cold snaps” using the Fairbanks weather record, he defined it as a week where temperatures averaged -40 F or colder.

“Cold, like so many other environmental hazards in Alaska, is often cumulative,” Thoman said. “So one cold day, OK, you just get through it. But after several days of deep cold, as things start to really freeze up, the impacts grow,” said Thoman.

What he found was that over the last 80-some years, there’s been a noticeable change: The more recent cold snaps haven’t been as cold, and they’re occurring less frequently than they used to.

Thoman said a significant driver of that is climate change. But he said there are other factors too. One is related to urban growth, especially the increased number of cars on the road.

“Cars put out a lot of water just from burning gasoline, and that helps thicken up ice fog,” Thoman said. “And ice fog, believe it or not, is actually a pretty good blanket.”

That’s only a relatively small piece of it, according to Thoman, because when he looks at the data from other places in the Interior that have seen no population change, there’s a similar trend.

Another piece, he said, is natural variability — multi-decade cycles in the atmosphere and ocean that can be more conducive or less conducive to creating that super-cold weather.

But he added that even though those natural cycles have gone through at least one full rotation since the 1970s, “We have not see a return to the temperatures or the frequency of the cold snaps that we saw before that.”

The current forecast for the end of this week show lows in the -30 F to -50 F range in the Fairbanks area. Will it add up to a week cold enough to make it on Thoman’s graph of great cold snaps? Not this time, he said.

The Alaska Division of Agriculture is seeking applicants for a federal grant program targeting specialty crops around the state.

Alaskans can receive grants of up to $60,000 for projects that “enhance the competitiveness of Alaska Grown specialty crops, sustain farmers’ livelihoods, and strengthen local communities,” according to a statement from the division.

“We’re looking to connect with producers,” said Lyssa Frohling, a Division of Agriculture grant coordinator. “We’re looking to connect with nonprofits, schools, basically any business that can demonstrate a project that will benefit Alaska farmers and producers and specifically the specialty crop producers.”

What’s a specialty crop? They can include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and even horticulture, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Frohling said past Alaska grant recipients have included a wide range of projects.

“There’s a rhubarb variety trial project going down in Southeast Alaska; we also funded a peony project that’s studying a lot of storage — like cold storage of peony crops — and then also dealing with thrips, which is a big pest that peony producers are trying to deal with in Alaska,” Frohling said.

The state is planning to hold an informational teleconference for potential applicants on Jan 16 from 10-11 a.m. and Jan. 23 from 2-3 p.m. The deadline to submit a letter of intent for the grant is Feb. 11, and the final deadline is March 25. Click here for teleconference and application details.

An Alaska credit union wants to offer banking services to businesses in the state’s legal cannabis industry.

Based in Anchorage, Credit Union 1 is starting a pilot program to learn more, and Credit Union 1 CEO James Wileman talked with Alaska Public Media’s Casey Grove about the program.

Grove: Why does Credit Union 1 want to get into providing these financial services and a few years into the legal industry, why hasn’t it been done already in Alaska?

Wileman: Credit Union, 1 has always efforted to make our own magic and identify those who are under-served. And now with cannabis- and marijuana-related businesses, we see it very similarly. They don’t have access to any banking service. They are completely under served as a cash-only basis. And we’re just really excited to be providing a service to a group of entrepreneurs that don’t have access to it, number one, but have that Alaskan spirit of can-do and will do and they have done so for the last couple of years, and we’re excited to get in and be a part of it. I think the reason that it didn’t happen sooner was, there’s a risk involved. There’s some significant compliance that you have to make sure you maintain and do, and a lot of Institutions have decided over the last few years, obviously, not to get into that. We’ve worked on a program very diligently for the last, probably a year to 18 months, and we feel like we’ve put it together and now it’s time to find out.

Grove: How many businesses do you have participating at this point and what services specifically are you offering?

Wileman: So we’re looking to start our pilot program with just a handful of businesses. I believe it’s five to seven and we’ve chosen businesses from different aspects of the industry so that we can make sure we have those pieces in place and understood. And once we have that operating for a short period of time, we’re hoping less than six months, we’ll look to expand and add a few more businesses. Possibly up to, say 10 for example, and then operate our program for a little bit there as well. So we’re hoping within about six, maybe seven or eight months, if things go smoothly and we don’t find anything that needs major adjustment, that we would be ready in the second to third quarter of 2019. The services that will be available (will) be like for any other businesses. Ability to wire funds, for example, for taxes. Send ACH payments for bills. Making you know connections to payroll services, so that employees could get paid by direct deposit instead of cash, which right now I know some businesses do on randomized days so that their employees are safe and things like that.

Grove: What are some of the difficulties that you’ve seen that are different for banking with the cannabis industry as opposed to any other business?

Wileman: Yeah, you’ve got marijuana still being on the federally, you know, Schedule I narcotics list. So that introduces some variance there of risk that you have to account for. There’s guiding principles out there from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, which is a part of the U.S. Treasury that provides guidance on banking marijuana related businesses in the cannabis industry. And as long as you follow those and build a program that gives you that reasonable certainty, you are doing what’s required. Then you shouldn’t have any issues, and for us it’s about building a program that makes sure we do those things.

Grove: I feel like for some people the issue of cannabis is not so much about the legality, it’s more of a social issue for them. And I wonder, is there concern at Credit Union 1 about being associated with drug culture?

Wileman: I mean, Credit Union 1 has always prided itself on being a financial institution that serves everybody. All means. Economically, socially, ethnically. All walks of life. We see, certainly that issue here, but we don’t take a political or moral stand on it. This is a business that was established legally in the state of Alaska in 2014 with licensees beginning operations in ’15. And I think just like the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board licenses bars, package stores, things of that nature. I see the marijuana-related businesses being in a very similar bucket, in that they are providing a legal service that people need or want or do enjoy, and that’s a personal preference on a personal level and it’s not our place to make a moral judgment on that. And, you know, we certainly understand there are those that might have those concerns, and we’re happy to have those conversations. But when you come at it from what makes sense and serving those who are under served and doing the right thing, you can you can weather those conversations and those discussions, and we’ve done so over the years as a credit union very well, and we think we will continue to do the same.

Stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews

Young considers crossing aisle as shutdown grinds on

Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington D.C.

In Congress, several Republicans are talking about voting with the Democrats to reopen most of the unfunded departments. Among Alaska’s delegation to Congress, two say they’re warm to the idea, and one isn’t saying.

Furloughed U.S. Forest Service workers feel uncertain about the future

Angela Denning, KFSK – Petersburg

As the partial government shutdown continues, it’s affecting hundreds of U.S. Forest Service workers all over Southeast Alaska.

Pebble EIS delayed, but not by federal shutdown, says Army Corps

Avery Lill, KDLG – Dillingham

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed that the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble Mine is now expected in mid-February rather than January 2019, as previously estimated.

Fairbanks teen charged in fatal stabbing of older brother

Associated Press

An 18-year-old Fairbanks man has been charged with manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of his older brother.

Alaska port official charged with trying to drown daughter

Associated Press

A high-ranking official at the Anchorage Port is under arrest, accused of twice trying to drown his 8-year-year-old daughter.

Anchorage School Board member Dave Donley appointed to Dunleavy administration, remains on board

Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage

A spokesman for the governor says that since January 2nd, Donley has been deputy commissioner of the Department of Administration. According to the school board, it isn’t unprecedented for someone to serve on a school board in Alaska and also work for the Governor.

New salmon-counting technique treats Alaska stream like a crime scene

Nathaniel Herz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage

Oregon State University Professor Taal Levi has spent the past several years exploring whether a new technology called environmental DNA, or eDNA, can be used to count salmon.

Grant program aims to cultivate specialty crops across Alaska

Kirsten Swann, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage

A federal grant program provides grants of up to $60,000 for projects that “enhance the competitiveness of Alaska Grown specialty crops, sustain farmers’ livelihoods, and strengthen local communities,” according to the Alaska Division of Agriculture

Fairbanks’ famously severe cold snaps are getting less cold and more rare

Ravenna Koenig, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Fairbanks

Over the last 80-some years, there’s been a noticeable change in Fairbanks: The more recent cold snaps haven’t been as cold, and they’re occurring less frequently than they used to.

Alaska Made: Tonkin cane, silver spoons and the ultimate fly rod

Matt Miller, KTOO – Juneau

Jon Lyman of Juneau only makes a dozen bamboo fly rods each year. That’s because of the long and meticulous work that he puts into this handcrafted art.

In Alaska, the percentage of federal employees in the workforce is one of the highest in the country. But right now, many of those employees aren’t getting paid.

That’s because the federal government is in its third week of a partial shutdown. Around 5,700 people in Alaska work for unfunded federal agencies. So right now, they’re furloughed or working without pay.

Alaska Public Media’s Abbey Collins checked in with state economist Neal Fried about how the shutdown fits in to the overall picture of Alaska’s economy.

Interview Highlights:

Federal employees in Alaska’s workforce: “It’s about 5 percent of 4.5 percent is federal civilian employees. When we look at the actual numbers it’s about 15,000 actual jobs on an annual basis. They tend to be stable jobs. There’s some seasonality to it but not a whole lot. And they’re well paid jobs. Oil is first, mining is second and they (federal jobs) run in third place.”

Part of the state economy’s basic sector: “The federal government is responsible for almost a third of all economic activity in Alaska. It might be even more than that now, because the oil sector has shrunk in relation to the rest of the economy. If this goes on for longer, other things will be effected besides just federal employees.”

Economic impact: “There is not a measurable effect yet. That doesn’t mean there wont be…if this continues for a little while longer, a couple more days, we could start picking this up in our actual numbers…our January employment numbers.”

“I can’t measure how federal employees are changing their habits. There’s just no way of me measuring that right now. Obviously it creates some anxiety. It creates some anxiety in the overall economy…because they spend money in our economy.”

Effect of past shutdowns: “I don’t think there have been really lasting effects here. In other words, if it ended tomorrow, if we look back at all kinds of data, we would never be able to even pinpoint this. So it’s really going to be a matter of how long this lasts.”

Neal Fried is an economist with the Alaska Department of Labor.

About a month ago, former Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Andy Mack abruptly signed off on a draft management plan for Kachemak Bay State Park. After Mack left the job and a new governor was sworn in, DNR rescinded the plan. It said it will release the next version of the plan for public comment before it’s officially adopted.

DNR’s handling of the process under a new governor could revive a long-running debate over a commercial salmon hatchery’s operations in the park.

Two days after November’s big earthquake, former natural resources commissioner Mack was in his Anchorage office to sign off on the draft management plan.

The document applies to Kachemak Bay State Park and other recreation areas on the southern Kenai Peninsula. It’s a big deal because it dictates the recreational and commercial activities allowed in the park.

The move was not only unexpected, but it was odd.

DNR’s offices are closed on weekends and the building itself was shut down because of the earthquake. It was also just one day before Gov. Mike Dunleavy was sworn into office.

Mack said he signaled his intention to sign the plan beforehand. He also argues his signature didn’t officially put the plan in place.

“There would have been an opportunity for the public to actually consider what we had put out. Most of the changes, if any, at that point would have been technical or legal changes,” Mack said.

Mack said his signature moved the process to what’s called the “intent to adopt” phase, which allows the public to comment on the plan one last time.

However, DNR spokesperson Monica Alvarez said that’s not true.

“When a commissioner signs a plan like that, he is in fact adopting that plan,” Alvarez said. “What happens is there is an opportunity – there’s 20 days after the plan is issued, adopted – for the public to be able to request reconsideration on his action.”

Mack’s replacement as commissioner, Corri Feige, rescinded Mack’s actions later that week. The new administration said it doesn’t know why Mack signed the plan.

And despite questions about why Mack signed on the dotted line, what the plan could look like when it’s finished is up in the air. Dunleavy has sharply different views about salmon management than the previous governor, Bill Walker.

Walker’s administration was seen as more sympathetic to commercial fishermen, and the plan Mack signed would have granted flexibility to Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association.

The group, funded by commercial fishermen, has a contentious pink salmon release site at the head of Tutka Bay, a popular tourist destination in the state park.

Dunleavy is more aligned with sport fishing advocates, and those advocates adamantly oppose the hatchery’s plans to relocate some of its production to the head of the bay. Opponents say it will disrupt that section of the park and that the fish in the net pens could cause water quality issues.

They also worry that the association could push to further increase its operations in the park.

“We think there are conservation concerns with that and wanted a more thorough review process, you know, open and transparent process with DNR,” Kenai River Sportfishing Association Executive Director Ricky Gease said. “We’re confident that that’s going to occur moving forward.”

The management plan Mack signed does allow the hatchery association to continue using its remote release site at the head of Tutka Bay. It released fish there for the first time in 2018 following several years of controversy.

However, Cook Inlet Aquaculture just applied to renew its permit with DNR.

Mack approved the association’s initial permit, and he maintains that the hatchery and the release site are compatible with the park. While he acknowledges that Dunleavy is more aligned with the sport fishing industry, he said that wasn’t a factor in his decision to sign the plan.

“So there was a lot of inputs to the process and it had been a very long process,” Mack explained. “In my opinion, it had been very well vetted publicly, and there was plenty of input at that point to make a decision.”

Many stakeholders say Mack rushed the process, including Cook Inlet Aquaculture Executive Director Dean Day.

Even though the park plan Mack signed would have cleared one major hurdle the hatchery association currently faces, Day doesn’t necessarily assume that DNR’s new leadership will do anything different.

“It’s something that’s definitely an area of concern,” Day said. “We have to know what the outcome is going to be and then we can we can go from there.”

Cook Inlet Aquaculture hopes to have its permit renewed by the spring when it plans to move the net pens into Tutka Bay, but the timeline for that and the Kachemak Bay State Park management plan’s final approval is unclear.

“Often when we have a new administration, they may have different ideas about how to address things and that remains to be seen both here at DNR and Fish and Game,” Alvarez added.

She said pending any changes to the process, DNR hopes to release the final draft of the management plan in the next three months.

A child was found dead in a Fairbanks residence that burned Monday. Alaska State Troopers report that the two-year-old girl was in a bedroom of a mobile home in Gold Rush Estates that burned in the early morning hours of January 7th.

Troopers say a man and a woman were able escape the fire without injury.

The child’s body has been sent to the state medical examiner for autopsy. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Republicans in Congress remain mostly united behind President Trump and his rejection of legislation to re-open government departments unless it includes $5 billion for a border wall. But the Alaska delegation is split on this.

The U.S. House has now passed three spending bills, to fund the departments of Agriculture, Transportation and Treasury. No more than a dozen Republicans voted with the Democrats, and Alaska Congressman Don Young wasn’t among them.

On Wednesday, Young said he’d probably vote for the spending bills. He predicted a good number of Republicans would vote yes and that would signal to the White House that it has to compromise.

He didn’t have a lot to say as he left the House chamber Thursday after voting against two spending bills.

“I said ‘probably!'” Young retorted, when asked to square his votes with the intentions he stated Wednesday.

On the other side of the Capitol, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she’s urging her colleagues to pass spending bills to reopen most of the closed departments. She said it’s fine for the president to continue to press for border security.

“But do that within the construct of the Homeland Security bill,” Murkowski said. “You don’t need to hold hostage the Interior bill, the financial services bill, the transportation, housing, urban development bills.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan said questions about how he would vote on spending bills that don’t include the wall are hypothetical, since the president has already said he won’t sign them.

“I want to make very clear one thing, and that’s: I support the president in his efforts, and in his administration’s efforts, to secure our border,” Sullivan said in a video he made to explain his view to Alaskans.

Here’s a bit of good news for furloughed workers: The Senate, by voice vote, on Thursday passed a bill agreeing to restore back-pay to them, once the shutdown ends.

The House plans to pass one more spending bill Friday. That one would fund the Department of Interior. The salaries of about 2,600 Alaskans are riding on that bill.

Stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews

Former state workers sue, saying they were unconstitutionally fired

Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau

A lawyer and two doctors are suing the state, saying they were fired from their jobs by Governor Mike Dunleavy for unconstitutional reasons.

Alaska gasline project board ousts its $1 million man

Rashah McChesney, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Juneau

The state’s highest paid employee was fired from $45 billion gas line project today.

In Congress, Alaskans are split over shutdown

Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington D.C.

Republicans in Congress remain mostly united behind President Trump and his rejection of legislation to re-open government departments unless it includes $5 billion for a border wall. But the Alaska delegation is split on this.

2 drivers die in east Anchorage head-on collision

Associated Press

Two drivers died in Anchorage in a head-on collision on the city’s east side.

2-year-old dies in Fairbanks mobile home fire

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Alaska State Troopers report that the two-year-old girl was in a bedroom of a mobile home in Gold Rush Estates that burned in the early morning hours of January 7th .

Trump administration responds to criticism of continued work on Arctic drilling during shutdown

Elizabeth Harball, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage

The Interior department has responded to questions from a Democratic congressman about its continued work to advance oil development in Alaska during the partial government shutdown.

Ask an Economist: What does the partial government shutdown mean for Alaska’s economy?

Abbey Collins, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage

That’s because the federal government is in its third week of a partial shutdown. Around 5,700 people in Alaska work for unfunded federal agencies. So right now, they’re furloughed or working without pay.

Dunleavy administration could revive debate over contentious Kachemak Bay State Park hatchery

Aaron Bolton, KBBI – Homer

About a month ago, former Alaska Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Andy Mack abruptly signed off on a draft management plan for Kachemak Bay State Park. After Mack left the job and a new governor was sworn in, DNR rescinded the plan.

Elite medics mix combat and wilderness training in Alaska Search and Rescue

Zachariah Hughes and Joey Mendolia, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage

If you get stuck or injured out in the middle of nowhere, Alaska isn’t the worst place to do it. The state hosts some of the most elite, specialized rescue operators and equipment in the world.

Video by Joey Mendolia.

If you get stuck or injured out in the middle of nowhere, Alaska isn’t the worst place to do it. The state hosts some of the most elite, specialized rescue operators and equipment in the world. Many of the same pilots and medics who work in military combat zones overseas train in Alaska, practicing their techniques and tactics on in-state Search and Rescue operations. For a small group of military specialists, the state’s unique terrain and wilderness make it an ideal training ground.

On a recent January morning, with the ground temperature around 8 degrees, the rear cargo ramp of a an HC-130J cargo plane was open. A few thousand feet below, the frosty trees, frozen rivers and snowy mountains ringing Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson zoomed by down below.

Members of the Alaska Air National Guard got ready to throw objects out of the plane’s long belly toward the drop-zones on the ground. One prop was called “the heavy.” Comprised of metal railroad ties and other weights affixed to a pallet-like platform, the contraption weighed around 600 pounds. When it was released, the heavy rolled out of the plane’s rear ramp with a metallic whooshing sound and surprising rush of air. It disappeared before floating into the distant background beneath two green parachutes hovering above it like lily-pads.

On this training mission, the heavy and several other parcels were supposed to simulate dropping equipment and supplies into a rescue situation.

The next things out: the humans.

On board the plane are three elite pararescuemen, medics who train for military personnel recovery in difficult situations. Nicknamed PJ’s, they wore brightly colored jackets and jump-suits, futuristic looking parachute backpacks, helmets, goggles and everything else necessary to keep flesh from freezing during a 4,000-foot decent through the January air.

“In terms of rescue, this is the place to be,” explained Major Niul Manske of the 212th Rescue Division during a pre-jump briefing Wednesday morning. Combat Rescue Officers and PJ’s are the Air Force’s elite medics. They’re the ones who train to go behind enemy lines in conflict zones and rescue downed fighter pilots, or extract injured soldiers from mountainous cliffs. They are expected not only to survive for days at a time in rugged environments, but treat all manner of life-threatening injuries in the process. In addition to hazardous terrain and perilous weather, in war zones they are expected to navigate lethal threats from an enemy, as well.

Alaska offers these special forces an ideal place to train, and be useful to the state’s civilian population in the process.

“The missions that we have here in Alaska are as complicated, as difficult, and as life-threatening as they are down-range,” Manske said, using a military term for combat zones.

Manske was recently deployed to Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Though tactics differ markedly from state-side missions, PJ’s use many of the same rescue medicine techniques when they deploy. The same expertise navigating High Altitude, Low Opening parachute jumps or helicopter-assisted hoists can be used in remote rescue scenarios, say reaching injured hikers, stranded snowmachiners, or mountainous airplane crashes in Alaska.

PJ’s are the specialists of last resort in the state’s elaborate web of Search and Rescue capabilities. They are the ones sent out for recovery if other agencies like the Coast Guard, State Troopers, or Civilian Air Patrol aren’t able.

Knowing when that’s what the situation calls for is determined by the Rescue Coordination Center run out of a modest office on JBER. There, Lieutenant Colonel Keenan Zerkel leads a staff of 12 that monitor military and civilian Search and Rescue emergencies around the clock.

Zerkel’s original connection with the RCC and its pararescuemen was personal.

“I love it because my brother was pulled off of a mountain back in 1995 when he was in a plane crash,” he explained. “This unit went out and saved his life. And so it’s pretty special for me to get to go out and pick up other people.”

Not every remote medical emergency or Search and Rescue operation calls for military assets. Hospitals along the road system will typically call on private companies like LifeMed to get patients to urgent care. Oftentimes the Troopers or local search and rescue groups are in the best position to find a stranded individual. But the Rescue Center acts like a brain, a headquarters for centralizing information and communication to figure out the best thing to do.

Because Alaska is so big and the environment so challenging, the Rescue Center personnel get a lot of practice carrying out missions. For the RCC that means constantly practicing protocals for multi-agency coordination. For the pilots flying airplanes and helicopters, as well as their crews and the PJ’s, it means continuously honing their skills in situations somewhere between training drills and full-blown combat operations. The capability is a benefit to the state, and the repetition is an asset for unit personnel.

“We’re used to flying in the dark, we’re used to flying over mountains, we’re used to flying in snow storms, we’re used to being out of gas, we’re used to someone bleeding in the back,” Zerkel said. “We get exposed to these stressors.”

By it’s own count, during the last 25 years the Rescue Coordination Center under Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing has saved around 2,400 lives.

Housing is not the main culprit for Unalaska’s high cost of living. That’s according to a survey conducted by the City of Unalaska’s Planning Department.

Through the national questionnaire from the Council for Community and Economic Research, Unalaska’s cost of living index was 7th overall – behind Manhattan; Nantucket, MA; San Francisco; Honolulu; Brooklyn; and Washington DC.

For Planning Director Bil Homka, the results were an eye opener.

“These other costs kind of snuck up. Even though we thought we were high, who would have thought our groceries came out to be the highest index of all the communities in the survey as well as healthcare,” Homka said. “Of the six indicators, we’re in the top three in the country for five of them.”

Two hundred sixty-seven communities took part in the survey which aims to provide a reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas.

The survey complies the costs of specific items – like a teeth cleaning or a bag of potato chips — and then weighs them based on consumer spending patterns.

Housing was the only index Unalaska did not rank in the top three. The city came in 33rd.

“I’m glad we weren’t first because then I think people would have wondered, what kind of resort community is this?” Homka said.

The survey provides concrete data that Alaska is an expensive place to live. Healthcare costs were the highest in Unalaska, with Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage rounding out the top five.

But Homka says the data doesn’t provide comparisons to other rural Alaska communities – places that don’t have weekly air and cargo shipments.

“I’m certain that there are other smaller communities like us, all over Alaska – that if they were part of this study – would have even higher expenses,” Homka said.

While the survey has its shortcomings, Homka will use the numbers as a baseline. He says they give him a better understanding of what factors contribute to the costs of living in Unalaska.

City Manager Thomas E. Thomas will use the data when negotiating salaries. He wants to be sure that city employees can afford to live and stay in Unalaska.

“We’ve had people move here and say oh that salary’s great and then they get here they realize this is not what I expected,” Thomas said. “We’ve had people leave after a few months because they didn’t factor in things.”

At this point, the planning department is considering continuing the survey twice a year.

Homka says the results will be used to inform projects including the city’s Comprehensive Plan update.

What makes you want to stay in the community where you live? Is it easy to get around? Do you feel connected to your neighbors? Everything from building new playgrounds to giving people access to computers helps make a livable community. On the next Talk of Alaska we’ll talk with international experts and local leaders about feasible solutions for making communities great for everyone, whether you’re 8 or 80.This program is part of Alaska Public Media’s Solutions Desk.

HOST: Anne Hillman

GUESTS:

• Christopher Schutte, Municipality of Anchorage Director of Economic and Community Development
• Gil Peñalosa, 8-80 Cities Founder & Chair
• Terry Synder, AARP Alaska State President

Call 550-8422 (Anchorage) or 1-800-478-8255 (statewide) during the live broadcast

Post your comment before, during or after the live broadcast (comments may be read on air).

Send an email to talk@alaskapublic.org (comments may be read on air)

LIVE Broadcast: Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. on APRN stations statewide.

SUBSCRIBE: Get Talk of Alaska updates automatically by email, RSS or podcast.

In December, a federal judge ruled that the City and Borough of Juneau’s cruise ship passenger fee could not be used to fund projects that did not directly support cruise ship vessels. Since then, communities in the Upper Lynn Canal have been trying to determine if the decision could affect funding for local infrastructure projects.

The Municipality of Skagway relies on funding from Alaska’s Commercial Passenger Vessel tax, or CPV, for roughly a third of its budget.

Vice Mayor Tim Cochran says that the tax helps pay for projects to accommodate the one million cruise ship passengers that visit the city over the summer.

“Our season population jumps up probably 2,200-2,500. We have now seen over 11,000 passengers on Tuesdays and Wednesday. Water, sewer, garbage incinerator, all of these services need to accommodate this influx of people,” Cochran said.

Last month Judge Russel Holland sided with the cruise industry in a lawsuit against the city of Juneau. Holland ruled that municipal cruise ship passenger fees can only be used to fund projects that directly support cruise ship vessels.

During a discussion of the Skagway Borough’s finances at a meeting last week, Assemblyman Orion Hanson asked whether the ruling had any impact on CPV funding for Skagway’s infrastructure projects.

Vice Mayor Tim Cochran responded that state funding from cruise ship passenger taxes would not be affected.

“I don’t think that has any bearing on CPV, Orion. I think there is concern that there could be confusion, but the court case in Juneau was on a passenger fee that the City and Borough of Juneau imposed. It was not the CPV. Two different animals,” Cochran said.

Juneau’s Marine Passenger Fee and the state’s Commercial Passenger Vessel tax are different. Juneau calculates its passenger fee based on the number of passengers on a ship. That fee is paid for by the cruise lines even if the cost is passed on to consumers.

The state’s passenger tax, on the other hand, is paid directly by the passenger. That’s the tax that Skagway and Haines rely on for infrastructure projects that support passengers on shore.

Although Judge Holland’s decision only applies to Juneau’s fee, there are concerns that it could have implications for the state’s passenger tax. Holland’s ruling cites the 1899 Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act, which states that fees imposed on a ship or its passengers can only be used to fund services for the vessel.

Incoming representative Sara Hannan of House District 33 said that this could cause problems for communities that rely on cruise ship tourism.

“This is a deep concern. To have that ruling be so narrow, I think reflects the antiquity of the law that it’s based on,” Hannan said.

Hannan will represent the Upper Lynn Canal in the State Legislature once she is sworn in on January 15. She said that the decision raises questions about whether federal law conflicts with the state’s tax.

“I believe we will see an appeal of the decision, and this is me speculating, I have no insider information. Whether we need a federal law changed, because of course, our head tax law didn’t address the vessel. It was the passengers disembarking because the cost to communities and their infrastructure is primarily when they step ashore. It’s not when they tie up at the dock,” Hannan said.

Municipal spending of CPV taxes has come under scrutiny before. In 2016, a state audit found that Skagway misspent some CPV funds on school playground equipment.

According to Vice Mayor Tim Cochran, the Municipality of Skagway has commissioned an updated study from consultant Jim Van Altvorst to review whether the city’s usage of CPV funds meets regulations.

“We’ve done quite well I think, adhering to the rules. And like I said we have Mr. Altvorst doing another analysis and making sure that we are within those bounds,” Cochran said.

According to Cochran, the burden from cruise ship passengers in Skagway is particularly high compared to cities such as Ketchikan and Juneau because of the community’s small population.

KTOO’s Adelyn Baxter contributed to this story.

There’s been a large fuel spill in the Yukon Flats village of Beaver.

A report from the Alaska Department of Environment Conservation says an estimated 3,000 gallons of diesel were released at the village school Tuesday. The DEC says a heavy equipment operator plowing snow damaged piping at a tank farm. It says a school maintenance worker closed a valve to halt the release. The fuel impacted area is about 600 feet from the Beaver Village well and the Yukon River.

DEC says the Yukon Flat School district and Beaver Village Tribal Council are working with the agency on response to the spill, including a plan to excavate impacted soils

Like most Republicans in Congress, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young are sticking with President Trump, who says he’ll let the partial government shutdown continue until he gets money to build a wall, or a steel barrier, on the southern border. But Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday she’s pulled in two directions.

“I’ve got a lot of people who are saying ‘Lisa, you’ve got to stand with the president. You’ve got to stand strong on this. Because we need to have border security,'” she said in a sometimes passionate speech on the Senate floor. “And then I have an equal number that are saying, ‘Please, please, do something to help reopen this government. We expect it of you. We need it from you.”

True to her moderate reputation, Murkowski wants both. She’s now pushing for temporary legislation known as a “continuing resolution” to re-open the unfunded government departments.

She’s not a fan of the kind of wall Trump talked about on the campaign trail, but Murkowski said she also wants better border security. She’s calling for a Senate hearing to consider the president’s border proposal.

“Maybe we can get a short-term reprieve. Let’s do a short-term CR, to allow us to process this,” she said. “But let’s not keep the government shut down while we do this.”

She’s also co-sponsored a perennial bill to automatically impose a continuing resolution whenever Congress fails to pass one or more spending bills. That would eliminate future shutdowns.

But not everyone’s a fan.

Sullivan has a different approach. He said this week there’s no point discussing legislation the president won’t sign. He’s been working on a bill to ensure the Coast Guard is paid during a shutdown.

Meanwhile, around the country, federal workers are getting pay stubs showing they’ve been paid a big fat zero. Or, even more strangely, pocket change.

“I think the most I saw was about 11 bucks. Or one of my reps got $2.61,” said Clinten Lancaster, an air traffic controller in Anchorage and an Alaska leader of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. He said the tiny payments were a mystery to him, but most of his colleagues got zero.

Both houses of Congress have now passed a bill guaranteeing furloughed workers will get back-pay, after the shutdown ends.

“Thanks, but what are we going to do until then?” Lancaster said.

Lancaster said most lenders and landlords have been flexible but he wonders if that generosity will last as long as the shutdown does.

Stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @AKPublicNews

Negotiations continue as members of a state House – still in disarray – try to find a majority coalition

Andrew Kitchenman, KTOO – Juneau

The legislative session starts Tuesday, and there is still no clear majority in the Alaska House. Republicans expected a 21-to-19 majority after the fall election, but Representative Gary Knopp of Kenai says he wants a more balanced coalition that includes Democrats.

A functioning government or border security? Murkowski wants both

Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media – Washington D.C.

“I’ve got a lot of people who are saying ‘Lisa, you’ve got to stand with the president. …'” Murkowski said on the Senate floor. “And then I have an equal number that are saying, ‘Please, please, do something to help reopen this government.'”

State agency orders review following accident at Prudhoe Bay well

Elizabeth Harball, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage

A state agency is holding a public hearing and requesting a field-wide review of all of BP’s oil wells at Prudhoe Bay following an accident last month.

DEC says about 3,000 gallons of diesel spilled near village of Beaver

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

There’s been a large fuel spill in the Yukon Flats village of Beaver.

Faith-based shelter fights bar transgender women

Associated Press

A federal judge heard arguments Friday in a lawsuit filed by a faith-based Anchorage women’s shelter against the city over a requirement that it accept transgender women.

Wood stove emissions device test shows promise

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

A wood stove emissions control device, known as an electrostatic precipitator, was tested at a conference in Washington DC last month, and the results are promising.

Friends went looking for a missing Southeast Alaska artist. Instead, they found a note.

Nathaniel Herz, Alaska’s Energy Desk – Anchorage

“To the world and all concerned: This is to officially notify you that Eric and Pam Bealer, by their own choice and free will, have committed suicide,” the note said. “We have gone to some effort to hide our bodies, as we do not want them found. Please do not waste time and money looking. It would serve no purpose. We are gone, leave us to our peace.”

AK: Sitka, one of the best kept secrets for surfers

Brielle Schaeffer, KCAW – Sitka

Warmer winters have pushed Sitka snowboarders and other adventurers out of the mountains and into the water.  The ocean swell and rock breaks right near the heart of town create prime wave conditions. But locals are worried about revealing too much about their secret spot.

49 Voices: Jannelle Trowbridge of Nome

Wesley Early, Alaska Public Media – Anchorage

This week we’re hearing from Jannelle Trowbridge from Nome. Trowbridge is a UAA student and Arctic Youth Ambassador who almost a decade ago sailed up to Alaska with her family from Michigan.