Hawfinch sightings in Haines Junction are a first for the Yukon Territory and a first for Canada.
Wildlife
LISTEN: Juneau author crafts a thoughtful portrait of brown bears in Alaska with ‘A Shape in the Dark’
“A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears” is a new book by Juneau writer and wilderness guide Bjorn Dihle. It combines a sweeping historical perspective with Dihle’s own experience and interviews with others in the field.
Drilling boosters, opponents consider next steps after first Arctic refuge lease sale
The state won 10-year oil leases for nine pieces of land by submitting the minimum offer: $25 an acre. But drilling for oil in the refuge is expensive, and it faces an aggressive opposition campaign.
Federal and state officials sign right-of-way permit for controversial Ambler Road
The road would stretch 211 miles from the Dalton Highway to the Ambler Mining District east of Kotzebue and would cross Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
Arctic Refuge lease sale goes bust, with no bids from major oil companies
One of the Trump administration’s biggest energy initiatives suffered a stunning setback Wednesday, as a decades-long push to drill for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ended with a lease sale that attracted just three bidders — one of which was the state of Alaska itself.
Federal judge denies requests to block Arctic refuge oil leasing
It’s a win for the Trump administration, which has pushed to lock in drilling in the refuge in its final weeks, before President-elect Joe Biden takes office and can try to stop it.
Federal judge will weigh request to block oil leasing in Arctic refuge
With the first-ever oil lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge just two days away, a federal judge in Anchorage will consider a request Monday to stop the Trump administration from issuing the oil leases.
The lease sale is set, but how much oil actually is under ANWR’s coastal plain?
While geologists say the rock formations, oil seeps and old seismic results seem promising, big questions remain about where the oil is trapped, and exactly how much of it there is.
Alaska state-owned agency to weigh bidding in ANWR lease sale
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority is asking its board to allow it to spend up to $20 million on the sale.
There’s still time to weigh in on plans for the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area
The deadline for this round of public comments is Jan. 15.