Bentley Thomas Baltzell was born 10:51 a.m. Feb. 19 at Juneau’s Bartlett Regional Hospital to parents Hannah Dobbins and Dillon Baltzell. He weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and measured 21 inches. Grandparents include Elissa and Kent Dobbins and Michelle Stigen and Chuck Baltzell.
After nearly three years on the job, Haines Animal Rescue Kennel executive director Steve Vick adopted his first HARK animal. Vick and his two dogs welcomed “super dog” Sonic, a 1-year-old husky hound mutt, into their home. Vick said he wasn’t looking for another animal but was concerned for Sonic, who was adopted out unsuccessfully several times.
Victoria and Josh Moore, son Alex, and service dog Gus returned from a two-week stay in California. In Hollister, they spent a weekend at Monkey Tail Ranch with Gus’ trainers, Tim Houweling and Elise Lalor. Alex went horseback riding as part of the organization’s equine therapy. In Disneyland, Gus got to join Victoria, Josh and Alex on rides including Pirates of the Caribbean and Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. They then headed to San Diego SeaWorld, where the dolphins were very curious of Gus.
The American Bald Eagle Foundation’s junior raptor program is featured in Alaska magazine’s online edition. The article describes the “rigorous application process” and the care the young handlers provide. It quotes junior handler Hannah Boron and raptor curator Dan Hart. An interview with Hart is featured in the print magazine’s February issue.
Martha Mackowiak and daughter Sasha returned from Albany, Ore., where they visited Martha’s father, Oliver Perry, who is “99 and a half,” Martha said. “You can start counting halves when you’re that age,” she said. They helped Perry, who recently had hip surgery, move from the rehab center back to his group home.
The third annual Chilkat Forest Investigators mushroom dinner attracted about 50 people to the Senior Center Thursday. It was the event’s biggest turnout, said interim director of Takshanuk Watershed Council Meredith Pochardt. Dinner included penne pasta topped with the Benassi family’s mushroom sauce, featuring an array of wild mushrooms. A dessert auction also took place. The fundraiser netted about $800.
Tim Shields received a standing ovation at his TEDxBerkeley talk Feb. 8, said wife Kathy Holmes. The herpetologist spoke about how he and his company, Hardshell Labs, are working toward desert tortoise conservation. The idea is to “make games of solving environmental and ecological puzzles,” Shields said. He showed a video of a rover device that may be used for watching tortoises, developed by Haines High School science teacher Mark Fontenot and senior Eli White, who were in attendance. Also on hand for the talk were JoAnn Ross Cunningham, Steve Cunningham, Leslie Roussan, Jennifer Bird, Tristan Sebens, Kee Heywood, Chandler Kemp, and Holmes’ brother Bob Holmes of Cameron Park, Calif. The talk, “Playing for Keeps,” is on YouTube.
Fourth-year Harvard medical student Daniel Buckland left Haines after spending nearly a month at the SEARHC clinic. As part of his rural medicine rotation, Buckland, who studies space medicine, worked under Dr. David McCandless. Buckland holds a doctoral degree in aerospace engineering, with research in human spaceflight.
Haines High School class of 2002 graduate Samantha Darling was named 2014 Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous 1st Princess Saturday. Darling, who was among 12 candidates, just missed winning queen. Parents Marinka and Bill Darling said they had a great time at the festival. Bill won the second place prize in the Queen’s Lottery Raffle: a 60-inch Sony TV with Blu-ray and a soundtrack system.
Kathy and Jim Warner enjoyed weeks of family time during their visits in Oregon and Pennsylvania. In Tigard, Ore., the couple spent the holidays with son James Warner, wife Lori, and baby Gavin. Kathy said a highlight was celebrating Gavin’s first birthday and Christmas. They then headed to Pittsburgh, where they attended high school together. Highlights were visiting family and attending a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game.
Melissa Aronson has crossed “visit Australia and New Zealand,” off her bucket list. She and Carol Tuynman toured Sydney before and after taking a two-week cruise from New Zealand’s southernmost to northernmost points. Aronson, who got very sunburnt, immersed herself in as much science, natural history and Maori culture as she could. She also saw penguins, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, birds and reptiles.