Sea otters are rapidly recolonizing Southeast Alaska. But that wildlife success story breeds challenges as they compete with commercial fishermen.
Subsistence
A month into Utqiaġvik’s whaling season, none have been landed
Some residents say this is unprecedented — the whale-dependent village captured nearly 20 whales last fall. Also unprecedented are this year’s temperatures: It was the warmest May-through-September on record in Utqiaġvik.
This old Alaska mining town is almost a ghost town. It has everything to gain from Donlin mine.
The school closed long ago. There is no city or tribal council. A proposed mine nearby could change all that. But what’s the risk?
For people who live in remote Red Devil, an old mine’s toxic legacy is not enough to doubt Donlin’s promise
A mine built Red Devil. It also left behind enough pollution to require a federal government clean up, and some people are still not supposed to eat the fish.
How do you revive an almost ghost town in remote Alaska? Ask the 20 residents of Red Devil who are betting on Donlin mine.
How do you you restart a city government? Red Devil residents are making phone calls to find out.
ConocoPhillips’ next big oil project in Alaska takes another step forward
The company hopes to construct a new oil processing facility, up to five drill sites, about 40 miles of permanent roads, a gravel mine and hundreds of miles of pipelines and seasonal ice roads.
In hot water: How warmer years might affect salmon populations
This year saw record-breaking temperatures in Bristol Bay – part of a temperature trend that spans decades. As the waters warm, scientists are trying to predict what could happen to the salmon.
In Arctic Village, Gwich’in leaders say the fight to stop drilling in the Arctic Refuge isn’t over
Until recently, Gwich’in tribes were on the winning side of the battle over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then, in late 2017, Congress opened the coastal plain to oil development.
Time for Murkowski to take a stand on Pebble? She says not yet.
Opponents of the Pebble Mine are doing all they can to get Sen. Lisa Murkowski on their side. But Murkowski is not ready to make a declaration about the mine, for or against.
Fishing regulations on the Kuskokwim: Do they restrict Yup’ik culture, or preserve it?
Regulations on the Kuskokwim River are intended to keep fish populations sustainable for the future. But they can be frustrating for the Yup’ik people who’ve fished the river for generations.