Davis Hovey, KNOM - Nome
Davis Hovey is a news reporter at KNOM - Nome.
Hovey was born and raised in Virginia. He spent most of his childhood in Greene County 20 minutes outside of Charlottesville where University of Virginia is located.
Hovis was drawn in by the opportunity to work for a radio station in a remote, unique place like Nome Alaska. Hovis went to Syracuse University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Broadcast Digital Journalism.
Northern Bering Sea trawl survey shows fisheries in flux
NOAA Fisheries' summer trawl survey shows Norton Sound red king crab are moving, Arctic cod numbers have dropped significantly and Pacific cod are continuing to increase as the Northern Bering Sea ecosystem undergoes drastic change.
Chukchi Sea ice coverage reaches record low
With a poor start for ice forming in northern Alaska waters this season, the latest climate forecasts predict sea ice may not reach Western Alaska until December.
Faced with local opposition, IPOP continues search for gold near Nome
The exploratory work has drawn formal opposition from the Native Village of Solomon, as well as dozens of public comments opposing the proposed mine project.
Norton Sound communities are facing an extended coastal flood season — and it began this weekend
Water levels reached nine feet in Unalakleet, according to NOAA’s tide gauges.
NOAA and Savoonga track cod in first-of-its-kind collaboration
Researchers and Western Alaskans alike hope to learn more about Pacific cod’s movements as they swim from the Southern to the Northern Bering Sea.
Proposed Elim quarry faces latest hurdle: lack of money
A project site has been selected and sample test results show promise, but initial estimates show the permitting process and start up work would cost around $1 million.
Scientists suspect retreating sea ice is changing the color of Alaska’s tundra
Much of the North Slope of Alaska is characterized by low, sweeping tundra hills, and a complete absence of trees. (Creative Commons photo by Paxson Woelber)
Biologists say...
‘It’s starvation.’ Biologists in Alaska see a fifth year of significant seabird die-offs
According to the National Park Service, reports received by mid-August documented thousands of dead short-tailed shearwaters from Bristol Bay, and lower numbers of other types of birds, found deceased in the Northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. This marks the fifth year in a row Alaska has seen mass seabird mortality events.
‘The ice should have been safe’: International panel gathers climate change stories from Western Alaska
Representatives from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were in Nome and Shishmaref this week to collect feedback for an upcoming report.
Preliminary NOAA survey suggests ‘low abundance year’ for king salmon
The Alaska Fisheries Science Center survey has been happening annually since 2002. This year, scientists say they see signs that chinook salmon numbers are dwindling.
Below-average sea ice levels expand Arctic shipping options
As of August 31, Arctic sea ice coverage dropped to the third lowest extent on satellite record for that day, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Years of data suggest ecosystem shifts in the Northern Bering Sea
Scientists say based on years of observations and data gathered in the Northern Bering Sea, as well as a recent research cruise, they can see warming waters and biological changes going further north.
Western Alaskans concerned about Graphite One project’s impact on subsistence
Graphite One Resource’s proposed graphite project in Western Alaska seeks eventually to become the largest graphite mine in the country, with a life of at least 40 years. Before it can set up a mine, however, the company needs to gather more environmental data and continue community outreach with local residents, who are concerned about how subsistence resources will be affected.
USGS scientists say there’s not yet enough information to tie seabird die-offs to toxins
Over the course of several seasons, dead seabirds have been found on coastlines all over the Bering Strait region, most of them emaciated. Scientists don’t know why the birds are starving, and they say they don’t have enough information yet to determine a definitive link between these specific bird die-offs and toxins created by algal blooms.
Low levels of algal toxins in northern Bering Sea of interest to scientists and residents
During the Algal Toxin Workshop on Tuesday, participants shared their knowledge about algal blooms and the biotoxins some of them produce.
Warmer waters believed to be main cause for dead pink salmon in Norton Sound
Norton Sound residents have reported salmon die-offs in unusually large numbers during the last week.
Aspiring to have a ‘live city again,’ Solomon moves forward on path to renewable energy
What used to be a fast-growing community during the gold rush in the early 1900s, the Village of Solomon is now only inhabited seasonally with no year-round residents. Located about 30 miles east of Nome, this community now seeks to return to its former status as a city.
Emmonak votes to keep alcohol and remain ‘damp’
Voters in the Western Alaska community of Emmonak have narrowly decided to continue restricted alcohol sales and remain a so-called "damp" community under local option laws.
Diomede’s outdated water system recovers only partially after failure; residents make do with snow melt and run-off
Officials say a myriad of issues — including rust buildup in the water storage tank, an outdated pressure pump and a failed heating system — caused Diomede's water system to stop working earlier this month.
‘Ragin’ Contagion’ exercise tests Nome’s ability to respond to widespread disease
The fall of 2018 marked one hundred years since the Spanish flu hit Western Alaska, devastating Alaska Native populations and wiping out some villages in the region. This month, public health officials participated in a statewide exercise that tested how communities would respond if a similar widespread airborne disease happened today.