Environment

All Alaska news stories about the environment, climate and weather. Could also include topics like animal die-offs related to the environment.

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U.S. Forest Service cuts back Southeast Alaska timber sale after public comments

After years of debate, the Thomas Bay timber sale has shrunk from an initial proposal of about 22 million board feet to 12.6 million board feet.
a whale

Study reveals 30% decline in Alaska humpbacks in last decade

The study found that almost 7,000 North Pacific humpbacks went missing between 2012 and 2021, during a marine heatwave known as “the blob.”
a woman

After the fires, a Maui community tries a novel approach to keep homes in local hands

As developers seek to scoop up burned properties in Lahaina, some locals are instead turning to a community land trust.
Spruce trees dot an otherwise tree-less tundra landscape.

Trees are expanding north in Alaska’s Arctic as a result of sea ice loss

Large areas of open ocean are driving heavy snowfall in the Arctic, which protects trees from harsh northern conditions. 
Napakiak

FEMA awards $2.4M to Napakiak as it retreats from Kuskokwim erosion

Erosion has been marching the Kuskokwim River's banks 25 to 30 feet per year toward the community’s well-water source and school building.
a parking lot

Drones assist in Alaska’s conservation efforts

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation flies many drones, some with thermal cameras and water sampling capabilities.
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Full cleanup of former military sites on Kodiak Island is still years away

Cleanup efforts for munitions at some sites, such as Kodiak's World War II-era Burma Road, can take decades according to U.S. Army officials.
a landslide

Final report filed on cause of Wrangell’s deadly landslide

State geologists say the Nov. 20 Wrangell landslide that killed six people was caused by excessive amounts of rain in a short period of time.
a riverbank

Alaska tribes accuse Canada of human rights violations, request international hearing on mining

The Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission says upstream mining in Canada violates tribes' right to a healthy environment.
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Southcentral, Southwest Alaska to see deep subzero wind chills through the weekend

Subzero Arctic air funneling into the region along with wind gusts could produce wind chills of 50 degrees below zero, meteorologists say.
a white, snowy landscape of a dam covered in snow and mountains covered in snow.

Anchorage Assembly preps for legal fight with Bronson administration over future of Eklutna Dam

The Assembly and administration have major differences over who sets the policy and what the city’s position actually is.
Lisa Murkowski

Murkowski calls proposed endangered listing for Alaska king salmon ‘wrongheaded’

Sen. Lisa Murkowski says the Wild Fish Conservancy's proposal, like its lawsuit over Southeast king fishing, is meant "to basically stop our wild fisheries."
a grader

Kuskokwim Ice Road crew fights weather to keep river traffic flowing

The crew has established and marked more than 200 miles of roads along frozen rivers, during warm weather and intermittent snow storms.
Tom McKay

Alaska House approves relaxed environmental rules for ‘advanced recycling’

Rep. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage and House Bill 143’s prime sponsor, said the bill now headed to the state Senate would keep plastic out of landfills.

Unalaska weighs energy options as geothermal project requests new terms

Unalaska is closer than ever to building a geothermal power plant on Makushin Volcano, but the project is facing investment challenges and the city is weighing its options.

Heavy winds and wet snow lead to icy streets and power outages in Anchorage

The city saw gusts as high as 82 mph in the Potter Marsh area, leading to power outages for thousands of residents.

Cuvier’s beaked whale found dead on Kodiak Island

Beaked whales are a rare sight and spend most of their lives deep in the ocean. But one was found dead on a beach near Kodiak last week.

Climate change is making it harder to survey pollock in the Gulf of Alaska

Between 2017 and 2019, pollock surveys in the Gulf of Alaska produced wildly different estimates.

More areas around Kodiak Island could become critical habitat for endangered North Pacific Right Whales

It’s estimated that less than 50 North Pacific Right Whales exist today in a range that extends from Hawaii to the southeastern Bering Sea and beyond.
man exiting legislative chamber

Alaska Senate moves toward rejecting some of Gov. Dunleavy’s 12 executive orders

Senators expressed concerns about several of Gov. Mike Dunleavy's 12 executive orders. The Legislature has until mid-March to reject them.