Wild salmon define who we are as Alaskans; they shape our cultures, they feed our families and they support our local economies. Yet today, Alaska’s laws and rules contain few hard and fast safeguards to protect the water and other habitat salmon need to thrive. More specifically, there is no requirement to retain sufficient water in our lakes...
As our third mild winter in a row brightens into spring in southcentral Alaska, we are seeing a new indicator of our changing climate: spruce aphid. Originally from Europe, spruce aphid has become established along the Pacific west coast infesting spruce trees especially along tidewater areas and other stressed environments. In Alaska, spruce...
Hydraulic fracturing—or “fracking”—has jumped into the American lexicon in the past decade, largely due to the advent of directional drilling technology targeting shallow shale gas plays in the Lower 48, and the drinking and groundwater contamination threats they pose. The Bush Administration compounded the problem when Dick Cheney—fresh off his...
This summer I have been granted an amazing opportunity to work with Cook Inletkeeper as the ACF Ted Smith Conservation Intern in Homer, AK. I am currently a junior at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, studying Environmental Studies, a major that I have found much passion in. I am from the Big Island of Hawaii, but I also grew up part time in...
By Maya Goodini, Inletkeeper Intern, Summer 2016 The rich salmon-filled streams of Cook Inlet are a crucial part of what gives this region a sense of place, an identity. Salmon fisheries and canaries have played a significant role in shaping the history of Cook Inlet. Wild salmon are the heartbeat of south-central Alaska and define who we are as...
The Pebble Partnership has grabbed headlines recently by attacking an EPA scientist and claiming EPA somehow violated federal law by communicating with Alaskans. It’s all a phony story, of course, to pump up fear around the bogey man of “federal overreach.” But there’s a healthy dose of irony here, because while the Pebble people are crying foul...
What’s Happening: The Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADFG) is revising the management plan for Kachemak Bay and Fox River Flats Critical Habitat Areas. This process is now in the “scoping phase,” which means ADFG is looking for the issues it should address in the management plan revision. Scoping comments are due November 4. Read...
Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson had his first confirmation hearing for the Secretary of State position before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, January 11. Now it’s time to tell our Senators Lisa Murkowski & Dan Sullivan to oppose this reckless nomination. Alaskans have a long history with Exxon. More recently, we’ve learned...
Scott Pruitt is a climate change denier. As a Oklahoma Attorney General he has sued the EPA more than a dozen times to try to block regulations that protect our air, water and climate. There are a lot of frightening nominees to speak out against right now, but we believe Scott Pruitt is one of the most dangerous for Alaska. As Alaskans, we know...
The Issue: Current rules do not allow Alaskans to review and comment on applications for oil & gas hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations near their homes and communities. In September 2016, Inletkeeper petitioned the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) to amend its rules and make permits to conduct oil and gas hydraulic...
