Encounters with Alaska’s Wildlife
By Bill Sherwonit Given my love for essays (both writing and reading them), it’s a special delight to have a collection of my pieces published this fall by Alaska Northwest Books. Animal Stories: Encounters with Alaska’s Wildlife includes thirty-four essays, written over two decades’ time. One of the joys of doing the book was to re-read scores of the essays I’ve written across the years and to find that a good number of them still “hold up” (at least as judged by me and the editors). To give a sense of the book’s scope and intent, I’ll here borrow from…
Voices from the Flats – Citizens Speak Out for Salmon Over Coal
~The mouth of the Chuitna River where 7 million gallons/day of mine waste would pour into Cook Inlet every day, right across from Anchorage, if the Chuitna Coal project goes through. By Bill Sherwonit I wish to add my voice, again, to the many and diverse Alaskans who oppose the destruction of a Cook Inlet salmon stream for the sake of a coal mine. And I urge other Alaskans to join the effort to stop the proposed Chuitna coal strip mine, by either attending a public hearing in Kenai on Jan. 19, or by sending comments to the state’s Department…
Voices from the Flats – We’ll Miss You Rick Sinnott
By Bill Sherwonit Over the past 15 years or so, while writing about the wild side of Alaska’s urban center, I’ve had many conversations and email exchanges with local wildlife manager Rick Sinnott. Now and then, I’ve had a chance to share his company and enjoy his dry wit, sometimes in meetings and occasionally while “in the field,” dealing with the bears, moose, sandhill cranes, and other wild critters that inhabit Anchorage. I’ve watched Rick sedate, tag, tattoo, measure, and radio-collar a black bear. I’ve joined him in searching for crane nests in Anchorage’s coastal refuge, and accompanied him and…