About 10 people met up at Portage Cove to participate in a new tour option in Haines – forest bathing. It’s not an actual bath, so no one is naked. Think of it more like a guided, outdoor meditation. Aimee Creelman, a certified forest therapy guide, led a group of locals through the state recreation […]
Posted inSoutheast News, News, Local News, Wildlife
Mystery surrounds dead pregnant humpback found in Icy Strait
A pregnant humpback whale was found dead floating in the northern waters of Chichagof Island in late July. A vessel in the area reported the carcass to the National Marine Fisheries Service and Glacier Bay National Park. The sighting happened on July 22, off the coast of Point Adolphus – an area known for its […]
Posted inLocal News, Wildlife
State euthanizes juvenile brown bear after incidents at Chilkoot State Park
Park Ranger Jacques Turcotte shot the young female brown bear on Saturday evening near the boat ramp at Chilkoot State Park. “We can attribute a few incidents to this bear,” Turcotte said. “One being trampling an unattended tent, tearing up a couple campsites, going through totes, pushing a boat off a trailer, getting up on […]
Posted inLocal News, Wildlife
Meet Ahsoka, the journey of a western Siberian eagle owl to Haines
There’s a back office inside the American Bald Eagle Foundation where visitors are not allowed. On the floor there is an artificial grass rug and a small tree stump littered with a mixture of off-white plumicorns, contour, and down feathers. Behind the stump, opposite of a water bowl, a curious western Siberian eagle owl was […]
Posted inEnvironment & Natural Resources, Local News, Salmon
Surge in sockeye salmon leads to reopened fisheries in Haines area
The state’s restrictions on red salmon fishing in the Chilkoot and Lutak Inlets have been lifted. The Department of Fish and Game announced last Thursday that subsistence salmon fishing in the Haines area will continue under the normal management plans and permit conditions. The sockeye have been slow to return and Fish and Game biologist […]
Posted inNews, Southeast News, Local News
Former Haines resident caught in record flooding in Juneau
By Francisco Martínezcuello Retired school teacher Kristina Mulready lived in Haines from 2010 to 2013, before moving to Juneau in 2021. Speaking by phone Wednesday, Mulready said her Riverside area home was flooded around 3 a.m. on Tuesday when the Mendenhall River crested at 15.99 feet, higher than last year’s previous record by more than […]
Posted inWildlife, Local News
Kroschel loses USDA license, wildlife center closes to the public
It’s about 10 a.m. Tuesday morning and Steve Kroschel is getting ready to feed and water the 66 animals at the Kroschel Films Wildlife Center in Mosquito Lake. It’s quiet. The bustle of the previous day’s four groups of cruise ship tourists fades into the distance as he considers what he’ll do with the rest […]
Posted inLocal News, Photos of the Week
Photos of the week: The fair, emergency training and bothersome bears at Chilkoot
(Rashah McChesney, Francisco Martinezcuello/Chilkat Valley News) Top photos: (left) Haines police officer Travis Russell eats corn with his family. (middle) Jim and Jack Holland, of Whitehorse, race to see who can place a beanbag the furthest before being yanked backward by their bungee cord tethers. (right) Big Jack Smith picks up empty kegs from Samantha […]
Posted inNews, Events & Entertainment, Local News
A cut above the rest: Fudge wins logging competition at Southeast Alaska State Fair
Cosmo Fudge won the log-rolling competition at the Southeast Alaska State Fair again. The 37-year-old bested the field of 16 competitors who entered, but winning his sixth straight title was not easy. “I got wet this year,” Fudge laughed. The logging area next to Harriet Hall at the fairgrounds was overflowing with spectators. There were […]
Posted inNews
New Alaska Permanent Fund reports show fiscal crisis growing closer
Financial documents published Wednesday by the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. show the fund lacks enough spendable money to immediately pay for items in the state’s annual budget, a sign that the state’s top source of general-purpose revenue is on course for a future crisis. This year, lawmakers and Gov. Mike Dunleavy approved a $1 billion transfer […]