Birds of the Week – American Herring Gull
The largest gull In Interior Alaska, slightly larger than the Glaucous-winged Gull, is the Herring Gull. This is a highly variable species, and ornithologists disagree on how many species and subspecies there are, and even what its name should be. A big gull with pink legs and a honking big bill, it has black first and second primaries with white “windows” and a white tail, making it easy to distinguish from the similarly-sized Glaucous-winged Gull. The Herring Gull is another four year gull, resulting in a truly bewildering series of plumage changes. The International Ornithological Union and the American Ornithological…
“Silencing Alaskans Act” Likely to Return
House Bill 77 Sought to Deny Citizens a Voice in Resource Development Alaska is defined by our natural resources – spectacular wildlife, abundant fisheries, vast reserves of oil, gas and other minerals, and endless acres of forests, wetlands and water. Under our constitution, these resources belong to all Alaskans for our “common use.” They are protected through a sensible set of laws that protect the public’s interest and ensure our resources are developed prudently and sustainably for the maximum benefit of all Alaskans. Because of the tremendous value we put on these resources, Alaskans were outraged when Governor Parnell and…
“Never Alone” – Gorgeous New Game From Alaska Native Owned Game Company
I’m not much of a gamer but this game looks awesome and for $15… It’s a no-brainer purchase. Never Alone, or Kisima Ingitchuna is a “puzzle-adventure game depicting a young Iñupiaq protagonist and her arctic fox companion.” You can check out more images from the game at neveralonegame.com. While a game featuring stunning art and a Native Alaskan might be newsworthy enough – it’s the story behind the game grabbed my attention. In 2012 Alaska’s Cook Inlet Tribal Council was looking for new ways to invest. So it decided to create a video game company with an educational edge. That’s Upper One Games…
Bird of the Week – Mew Gull
By far the most common gull in Interior Alaska is the Mew Gull. And if you’ve been to Potter Marsh on the southeastern edge of Anchorage recently, you’ve seen flocks of them there, too. The Mew Gull is a three year gull, meaning there are 6-7 plumages to the mature, breeding adult you see here. In Interior Alaska, we only get adults and hatch years birds; first and second year birds wait to maturity before venturing this far north. The small, delicate bill, yellow legs and black primaries make this a pretty easy bird to identify. The yellow legs are…
Palin Slams GOP Successor in Alaska
Hey, Alaska! Sarah Palin is back. She left our state’s politics in the dust after quitting office in 2009, but yesterday she returned to her favorite local media platform—The Bob & Mark Radio Show—to slam her successor and one-time Lt. Governor, Republican Sean Parnell. The bone she had to pick with him relates to her signature legislation as governor, Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES). The oil tax system that ushered Alaska’s bank account into golden days of plenty, with a savings of more than $17 billion, ACES funded subsequent investments in roads, schools, and critical infrastructure projects. Under ACES,…
Time for Another Alaskan Debunking
It’s in all-to-common phenomenon to see articles written about Alaska by people who are not from here. Or, at least, with this one in particular I have to assume the author is not from here because she got so many things wrong. The piece I am referring to was published in a real estate blog called “Movoto,” and claimed to detail “22 Things You Need To Know About Anchorage Before You Move There.” Setting aside the grammatically challenged approach to capitalizing every word in the headline, as I read the piece, I started seeing some errors. 1. “To State the…
Open Thread: Alaska Girls
A friend sent me this intriguing movie poster the other day. Which of course meant that I had to find out about this movie, it looks fantastic. Unfortunately after spending far too long investigating I came up with no such film. There was a film called “Dragstrip Girls” staring Fay Spain who IMDB describes as “your typical B-movie drive-in bad girl – sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette, always bodacious.” After doing a reverse image search I found the awesome movie poster below, which someone photoshopped. Also, the fantastic sounding trailer… which I think we need to do a remake of.
TransCanada Says Tar Sands Flowing to Gulf in Keystone XL South
For First Time, TransCanada Says Tar Sands Flowing to Gulf in Keystone XL South (via Desmogblog) Mon, 2014-05-05 10:33Steve Horn TransCanada admitted for the first time that tar sands oil is now flowing through Keystone XL’s southern leg, now rebranded the Gulf Coast Pipeline Project. The company confirmed the pipeline activity in its 2014 quarter…
Bird of the Week – Bonaparte’s Gull
A couple of folks asked what WC meant by saying gulls had lots of different plumages. We’ll use today’s bird, the Bonaparte’s Gull, to illustrate the point. Here’s an adult Bonaparte’s Gull in breeding plumage: Note the deep black hood extending to the back of the skull, the black bill and the pale grey back. If you could see the legs, they’re fire engine red. Then there’s this bird: This is the same species, except the adult is in non-breeding plumage. The head is white, except for a small black spot behind the ear; the bill is solid black. The…