Features
Secretary Salazar Proposes Plan for National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A)
Yesterday, Secretary Salazar outlined a proposed plan for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) that includes added protections for caribou herds, migratory bird habitat, uplands, and sensitive coastal resources. The plan emphasizes the need to protect these critical areas while maintaining an important balance between oil and gas development and cultural and natural resource protection... Read more>
Healing Waters at Tangle Lakes-Delta River corridor
It is late June in Alaska’s Delta Wild and Scenic River corridor in the time of the midnight sun. Even on cloudy days, full darkness rarely falls. In the soft dusk, several men stand thigh-deep in the Tangle River, lengths apart, their fly poles bent as they pull in their first sleek Arctic grayling along the banks of BLM’s Delta Wild and Scenic River wayside. At that instant, when the slack pole suddenly tugs and bends in an arc resembling a rainbow, there is the flash of a smile – a genuine smile -- one that some of these men have not experienced since before they were deployed to a war zone. Read more>
BLM Recognizes Alaska Homesteaders at 4th of July Event
BLM Alaska celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act by recognizing some of the last homesteaders in the nation and sponsoring an exhibit at Anchorage’s 4th of July celebration. Several Alaskan homesteaders and homesteader descendants were honored as grand marshals and rode in antique cars as part of the 4th of July parade through downtown Anchorage. Senator Mark Begich and BLM-Alaska State Director Bud Cribley presented commemorative plaques to the homesteaders... Read more>
Youth Aquatic Ecology Camp in Copper River Valley
The Youth Aquatic Ecology Camp sponsored by the BLM-Alaska Glennallen Field Office, in partnership with Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment (WISE), is an overnight camp that was held July 24 & 25. The camp was designed to teach Copper River Valley youth river ecology, aquatic entomology, hydrology, stream geomorphology, water quality, fish biology/behavior/anatomy, role of riparian areas, boating skills, and water safety. Read more>
Capturing Auroras
In the 18 years I’ve lived in Alaska, I’ve seen some spectacular photos of the auroras (northern lights). It’s only recently that I took a ‘shooting the auroras’ photography course and spent that evening in the midst of an aurora storm outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. This time, I took the photos! Once you do it, you want to do it some more! Read more>
Galena Youth Learn to Inventory Natural Resources and Measure Data
Galena high school students and interested local residents received 16 hours of training recently from Geographic Resource Solutions as part of BLM-Alaska’s $300,000 federal challenge cost-share grant, with matching dollars from the Alaska Energy Authority. The grant is in conjunction with a biomass feasibility study for the Galena school system that may save more than twice the study cost for each year it operates, while providing several family wage jobs for the community for years to come. BLM-Alaska anticipates some of the trained youth will work as summer hires to assist project staff with the data collection. When complete, this project will provide BLM-Alaska with a natural resource inventory of 250,000 acres at a cost of about 25 cents per acre.
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BLM Connections
Updates, news and more from our community partners (and local media)
Real Progress Is Being Made
A total of 5 foresters representing several organizations including BLM have visited Napaimute this summer to observe our timber harvesting operation and to provide technical assistance. This might be some kind of record for forester visits to a community – especially for the Middle Kuskokwim. BLMers Ben Seifert and Eric Geisler are mentioned in the arcticle. Read the article>
Alaska Firefighter Crews Headed to the Lower 48!
The AICC reports that five crews departed from Alaska at 8 a.m. today (7/3/2012) for the lower 48 states. The crews were originally scheduled for Salt Lake City, UT to provide support to the Clay Springs Fire that is located four miles south of Oak City, UT. While in flight, the crews were reassigned to the Fontenelle Fire in Wyoming. The five crews from AFS and DOF that departed are: Nondalton, Kenai, Copper River, Venetie #2 and Fort Yukon #3. There are 100 personnel involved in this first mobilization to the lower 48 states since 2008. An additional jet load of 100 personnel is scheduled to depart for Wyoming on Wednesday, July 4. The location of eventual crew destination is based upon operational requirements. For current information, contact 907-356-5511 or email: blm_afs_pio@blm.gov. Read the 7/3/2012 AICC Report>
BLM featured in Anchorage Daily News Article:
BLM, state agree to plug old Arctic well, but need funding
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has agreed to plug at least one additional abandoned well in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska provided it receives the money to do so. However, the issue of how or whether to address other so-called legacy well sites in the region remains under discussion between the agency and Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, or AOGCC. Read the entire article>
KSKA Radio features National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska
BLM-Alaska Arctic Field Office’s Stacy McIntosh’s talked about “People, Land, & Resources” of the NPR-A on KSKA Alaska Public Radio on Memorial Day, May 31. The talk was part of the first NPR-A science lecture series held at the Campbell Creek Science Center on Thursday evenings throughout April. KSKA also will post a web-link to Arctic Field Office Archaeologist Mike Kunz’s talk on “Prehistory of the NPR-A” and its story of human migration and the effects of prehistoric climate change on people and animals. It is information you don’t want to miss! Both of these recordings will remain in the KSKA archives. Listen to KSKA recording of People, Land, & Resources
A True Alaska Pioneer–Betty Smith is America’s Last Female Homesteader
Outside of Delta Junction, Alaska, in 1973, a local scrap dealer looking for logs for a cabin found a forest that BLM-Alaska offered up for 160-acre homesteads under the Homesteading Act. Betty Smith forded a river to claim those acres and is the last woman homesteader today.
Read the full article from the Journal Star:
http://journalstar.com/news/local/nation-s-last-woman-homesteader-once-called-nebraska-home/article_05005893-64b9-5d53-9984-43b420d753be.html
News Releases
News releases are posted by the Bureau of Land Management public affairs staff. If you have questions regarding a specific news release, please use the contact information listed on the release.
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