Community Voices

My cousin Sandra and her husband took their newly purchased boat and we headed south out of Ketchikan to try and catch some coho. We started late in the day, but we stopped the motor to drift and tried our luck at casting. Lance, Sandra's husband, got the first fish bite, but it got away. Sandra asked me if I had any nibbles, but I didn’t yet. We moved toward Mountain Point and started to catch small rockfish and bullheads, but they weren’t coho so we released them all. We started to lose hope of catching anything to keep. Read more

Congregation Beth Sholom is again hosting Anchorage’s annual “Mitzvah Mall.” (Mitzvah is Hebrew for commandment and we are commanded to do good deeds) Think of this as a “bizarre bazaar.” There is a room filled with booths, but the “vendors” are nonprofit organizations. Instead of buying more material gifts, shoppers can donate to non-profit organizations on behalf of friends, family or others on their holiday gift list. They give a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. Read more

Scientists who worked for the Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory from the late 1940s to the 1960s cranked out dozens of quirky and sometimes controversial publications in its two decades of existence. Developed during the Cold War to "solve the severe environmental problems of men living and working in the Arctic." Read more

The Alaska Native Community represents long traditions related to physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness. For many years, men, women and children had to be strong and agile to hunt, fish, gather, build and travel in extreme conditions. Relationships were necessary and prioritized, as we often depended on each other to survive.

Adventure within Range from ATMI on Vimeo.

Alaska Teen Media producers Barae and Aviva Hirsch explored Hope with U.S. Olympic Skier Holly Brooks. Brooks explains why she loves to train in the Chugach National Forest.

There is an increasing effort in Alaska to engage youth in hands-on scientific activities. One group of teens is collecting data way up in Barrow. Read more.

Every day, an average of 2,975 youth attend a Boys & Girls Clubs – Alaska Clubhouse in one of 32 communities across the state. One of the most important components in allowing these organizations to run smoothly and effectively is participation from community volunteers. Learn more.

Juvenile salmon spend important parts of their lives in stream habitat, but this part of their lives is often hidden from our eyes. Go into the forest with Richard Nelson to discover the amazing terrestrial lifecycle of Alaska's salmon species.

We found the property by accident in 1971. An ad in the paper offered a plane ride to view a 120-acre parcel of land outside Palmer. We’d been in Alaska five weeks to teach at a local elementary school and had just begun exploring the area. Read more.

Innovation is a word quickly gaining in popularity. You’ve probably heard the word. Or see the word in Forbes or Entrepreneur magazine. The company you work for may have innovation in their mission statement. Read more.

Alaska Communications and Boys & Girls Clubs – Alaska are coming together again for the fourth annual Summer of Heroes program to recognize local youth making a difference in their local communities. The search is on for five young Alaskan heroes, plus one from the Employee Program, who are going above and beyond to make an impact in the lives of others. Read more.

Popular “Tundra” cartoonist Chad Carpenter is going to be at the Loussac Library to talk about cartooning and about his latest project: “Moose,” a creepy and funny, family film. And, oh yeah, it’s important to know this film is NOT animated – it is live action. Read more.

The only permanent settlement on Admiralty Island, 55 miles Southwest of Juneau and 41 miles North of Sitka, Angoon is a small community of about 570 residents. Because of the community’s remote location, produce available in town is very expensive and has often traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles before reaching the consumer.

It’s been a tough year for snow, with warm temperatures across the state making trails conditions less than ideal. No one knows that better than the 1,300 skiers that hit the trails for the Tour of Anchorage. But trails, even in this not-so-wintery winter, bring people together to get outside and have some fun. Read more.

Anchorage citizens - breaking news! There is no “Poop Fairy”. Anchorage has some caring people who not only clean up after their own pets, but they actually pick up other dog’s poop. Unfortunately they are few and far between, yet I applaud them. Read more.

Thanks to the Lower 48 taking on our Polar Vortex - winter here in Fairbanks has been perfect: mostly warm, with plenty of snow for skiing and other winter recreating. It’s been good for chickens too. Maybe not for outside frolicking, but they haven’t reached that level of coop-fever that drives them out into the snowy yard. Read more.

The hardest thing to get used while studying abroad in Spain was the timing of Spanish meals. Spaniards eat a light breakfast, their largest meal of the day at 2 in the afternoon and a light dinner around 9 at night. Inevitably, I would find myself with my stomach grumbling around 6. Read more.

Learning to run an effective and efficient charitable organization does not happen overnight. As previously relied upon funding streams disappear, it’s imperative the nonprofit community finds innovative and sustainable ways to continue providing our much needed and relied upon services. For many of us, writing a grant for $3,000 dollars isn’t worth the effort. Read more.