After two pandemic years off, the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival will return Nov. 9 with eagle counts up but visitor registration down. “There’s a lot of positivity for the fest. This year’s definitely a better year. We’ve had a better salmon run, which means lots more eagles,” said Derek Poinsette, executive director of Takshanuk Watershed […]
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Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Co-owners Heather Shade and Sean Copeland celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Port Chilkoot Distillery with tours of the distilling plant, a complimentary table of charcuterie and crudité, and liquor samples from the keg Friday. Distiller Dave Thomas made a homemade bread pudding with a bourbon sauce topping. The nibbles were created by mixologist Marissa Mott, a veteran of fine dining restaurants in […]
Posted inNews
Tour operator proposes heliport at 24 Mile
The borough’s largest tour operator has proposed building a helicopter port at 24 Mile Haines Highway to expand heliskiing operations and improve access to the mountains in case of ski-related emergencies. But the proposal — by Sean Gaffney’s company Chilkat River Adventures — has raised concerns from some upper valley residents wary of noise and the potential effects of […]
Posted inNews
Coho derby at midway point, water conditions pose difficulties
Come warm weather or high water, the annual Haines Sportsman’s Association coho salmon derby advances. Canadian Paul Hearn leads the overall competition with a 12.2 lb coho and local Steve Anderson follows with an 11 pound and 10.85-pound coho. This year’s derby winner will be awarded a $1,250 check and $200 gift card to Outfitter […]
Posted inNews
DOT stores contaminated soil next to Chilkat River
The Alaska Department of Transportation broke seven state laws this summer in connection with its Haines Highway reconstruction project after its contractor SECON excavated contaminated soil associated with the Haines-Fairbanks pipeline fuel spill, and stored it next to the Chilkat River. SECON dug a 1,200-feet long, 15-feet wide, 4-feet deep trench “directly across from the area […]
Posted inNews
Early data shows kings missed escapement target
The Chilkat king salmon run gave mixed signals this year, falling below the strength of recent years but well above the record low of 2018, according to preliminary state data. The run narrowly missed the lower bound of the state’s escapement goal, breaking a three-year streak of hitting the target after decades of decline. But […]
Posted inNews, Elections
Six Candidates Running for Assembly
The following is a condensed version of CVN interviews with candidates for Haines Borough Assembly: Ben Aultman-Moore, 30, Eric Holle, 72, Margarette Jones, 27, Bill Jurewitz, 76, Jerry Lapp, 73, and Gabe Thomas, 43. The six candidates are running for three open seats. Election day is Tuesday, Oct. 4. Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at […]
Posted inNews
Chilkat sockeye salmon run bounces back after two poor years
The Chilkat River sockeye run bounced back this summer after two struggling years, according to state data. The run reached the lower end of the state’s escapement target on Sept. 7, Alaska Department of Fish and Game commercial fisheries biologist Nicole Zeiser told the CVN. As of Tuesday, escapement was at 85,130 sockeye salmon. The state’s target […]
Posted inLetters to the Editor
Let the bears eat in peace
The fish are running in the Chilkat River. We in Haines have the unique opportunity to observe bears in their natural habitat feeding and teaching their young survival skills. At this time, the bears should not be disturbed yet we are still seeing people crowding the bears for that close-up photo. We have laws against harassing […]
Posted inDuly Noted
Duly Noted
Haines court clerk Caitie Rothbart will be moving to Juneau to serve as clerk of courts for Juneau Superior Court. Caitie has lived in Haines for six years and worked at the local court for 18 months. Her new job is supervisory. Caitie starts there on Oct. 10. Tom and Susan Evans of Boise, Idaho recently visited daughter Stacie Evans. Their three-week […]