Where wild remains a guarded treasure, life's adventurous quest reaches beyond the security of enlightened dogmas, polished promises, or glistening stones. - Doug Myers, PURSUING THE UNTAMED
Spring Edition 2012 The ALASKA CACHE NEWSLETTER presents outdoor news reports on Alaska's environment, fishing, and wildlife in the section 'Guided by Instinct!'. 'Doug's Dugout' includes published Blogs and insightful snippets. Archives and Anchorage weather are also included. Each seasonal edition is a continuing presentation with additions and modifications. Adventure
Alaska
Partner Community Forum _ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guided by Instinct! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alaska Calendar Item AC1: Alaska Outdoor Hotline Item AC2: Iditarod 2012 - Youngest Champion in Sled Dog Race History, Dallas Seavey Claims VictoryAlaska
Fishing
Item AF1: Fishing Forecast / Reports: Alaska Outdoor Journal (AF&G), Alaska/Anchorage Fishing, and Anchorage Daily News Item AF2: Losing Bigger Fish: 03/23/12, Harvest of Ocean's Smallest Fish Takes Toll on Food Chain Alaska
Wildlife Item AW1: 04/16/2012, Arrival of Trumpeter Swans in Alaska Alaska Environment
Designated 'Wild and Scenic' River Borders Proposed Pebble Mine Project (Photos by Doug) Item AE1: Pristine Alaska Under Siege! - Pro-active consideration: Alaska's Bristol Bay is being threatened with a plan for a huge pit mine. The Pebble Mine project is a controversial proposal by Northern Dynasty Minerals to build one of the largest gold and copper mines in the world in Southwest Alaska near Lake Iliamna. The proposed 2,000 feet deep - 2 mile long Pebble Mine would include the largest earth dam in the world to hold back created toxic waste centered in a known earthquake zone. The open pit mine would place at risk Alaska's prolific Bristol Bay Region ecosystem and its inhabitants. Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed is on of America's last and most important wild places. The proposed location is at the headwaters of the Mulchatna / Nushagak and the Newhalen / Kvichak River drainages, both of which are renown wild salmon and trout fisheries that flow into Bristol Bay (Archives - Article: Fool's Gold below). It is within the designated trophy region for Alaska's wild trout management program, and provides the largest annual runs of migrating salmon in the world. Tens of millions of salmon support an abundance of bears, whales, seals, and eagles, as well as Native communities that have thrived in the area for thousands of years. For additional information . . . Development: 10/18/2011 - Anti-Pebble initiative approved. Anchorage Daily News Latest: 02/08/2012 - Bristol Bay's Wild Salmon Ecosystems and the Pebble Mine. Wild Salmon Center Item AE2: Arctic Meltdown - The surface area of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean shrank this winter to one of its lowest levels in decades. Polar bears depend on the ice for survival. Read more . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Doug's Dugout ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Soulful Snippets Thoughtful Horderve - Tomorrow is only an illusion because when it arrives it is not tomorrow but instead today extended. This may give new meaning to "Live for Today!" (dcm) The Art of Living - A Simple Matter - What matters more is not what we believe but how we live. Only while alive can we paint a future legacy landscape left for others to admire or admonish. Beyond bequests today's brush strokes will hang in tomorrow's canvas gallery of memories, but not our own. A harsh composition painted with colors of criticism, control, selfish ambition, and failed promises may leave a dismal landscape. On the other hand, a generous mixture of affectionately warm colors blended with tools of honor and good faith will remain inspirational to the soulful eye. Framed by love's faithfulness, glowing memories of a radiant landscape will live forever. When our time for creating has ended and the paint has dried, we are called to surrender our talent or travesty to the view of others left behind. From the sketch pad how we are to live appears a simple matter. Unfortunately, the "simple" is too often a gift for children alone. It is fundamental for the unrestrained and fearless young child to feel fully. However, for most adults repeated restraints have replaced the trust in innocence with a cautiousness that accompanies suspicion. The demanding and complex adult living experience built on aspirations of success can diminish joyful experiences extended from the past. In other words, frustration may occur when living becomes an attempt at mixing and blending unrelated paints rather than applying separately one or two basic colors. Additionally, colors used can become subdued by other influences. For example, colors of dread and fear come in many unpleasant (dark) shades that often permeate all other colors. Because of these suppressive influences what was once cheerful becomes dismal. In contrast, magic is discovered by the sensitive artist who blends pleasurable feeling with colors, shapes, sounds, or words. For the heartfelt lover, it is the pursuit of feeling blended with ambition. For the affectionate adult, companionship combines simple pleasures of the child with the dedication of the concerned parent. To experience the "simple" is to feel fully, or unrestrained, which is to be fully alive. Realizing who we are by what we feel (e.g., happy, loving, or sad, depressed) rather than by what we do (e.g., accomplishments or failures) may encourage a simpler and more satisfying connection. It seems so simple to imagine! (dcm) Unity in Diversity - Like melodious orchestral music Nature's composition reveals the necessity of dissimilarities in creating purposeful harmony. For much of Alaska extended daylight hours during prolific summer seasons are in contrast to shorter daylight displays of frozen landscapes during winter. Arctic villagers experience an even greater disparity. For Native villages of the far north perpetual daylight during summer exhibits a sun that never sleeps, or sets, while solar hibernation during winter is a time of continual darkness. Together these instruments of the Alaska calendar offer for many a celebration of contrasts. Picturesque Alaska exemplifies Nature's requisite of living with inconsistencies, sometimes extreme. For the majority of Alaskans Nature's harmonious accompaniment is an exhilarating oratorio experience. Such performances render background sounds exemplified by winter sled dogs racing on a frozen tundra trail or summer's splashing furry of predators seeking migrating salmon along pristine river banks. The wilderness aficionado knows that the harmonious crescendo offered by Nature's performing artists highlights contrasting instruments of pleasure. Harmonious artistry is the guardian of the soul, and its magic is what we seek in discovery. Professional landscape, wildlife, and portrait artists and photographers know the importance of contrast lighting and color. Renown Alaska artist Fred Machetanz wrote the following in a critique letter of my earlier work, dated February 14, 1989: . . . as an artist in my years of training I always tried to make the composition a pleasing abstract pattern in black and white. The result was always a pleasing design. The Alaska sport fisherman is also a study of contrasts. He or she understands the difference between a successful catch and no catch. For the fortunate angler the outdoor experience transcends the fishing outcome while maintaining no contradiction. For the unfortunate, however, success is the only reward while risking failure and emptiness. For these who prize only the destination, a joyful journey rests beyond the length of the fisherman's cast. All sporting events share equally in the culmination of both ecstasy and agony, i.e., for every winner there must be a loser. Experienced Alaskans are grounded in the knowledge that whatever exists its opposite is equally true, and therefore also exists. To understand the nature of opposites is to know Nature's genius. Alaska's spawning salmon are guided by Nature's necessity, requiring death in order to provide life for the species. Although differences my appear subtle or extreme embracing all in a harmonious blend provides a more gratifying life experience. (dcm) Saplings to Sourdoughs - In addition to Alaska's Native Eskimo/Indian population are inhabitants who have migrated from the 'outside' for a variety of reasons. Many from the "lower 48" moved north to fulfill a military assignment. Some were attracted by the prospect of quick financial gain offered by corporate giants of the oil industry through oil/gas-line development, commercial harvesting of Alaska's bountiful seafood resource, or the visitor/travel industry. Others may have viewed the 'Last Frontier' as an opportunity for emotional and social independence not discovered elsewhere, or to distance a painful past. For these new residents the search is not for financial favors alone but for spirited discoveries in the heart of Alaska's pristine recreational reserve. Financial ambition without inspiration in Alaska is when the 'untamed' becomes the focus and not its pursuit. Extreme work conditions, inclement winter months, and/or separation from family and friends living a great distance on the "outside" can erode the footing necessary for growth. Dark winter months and the feeling of isolation may discourage firmness in favor of ambivalence. Nature's requirements for all landscape inhabitants are universally inflexible. Negotiating with Nature is pointless. Ask the early season moose calf or late season spawning salmon. Fairness has never been a consideration, only survival. For Alaskans the challenge is to surrender to limits while seeking the limitless. Only when residents have been seasoned by years of challenging extremes can they fully appreciate the Alaskan sourdough's claim to riches. Serenity and solitude are incentive treasures awaiting the enduring, while soulful characterizes their emotional journey. Among the heartfelt is the Alaskan sport fisherman. For these anglers of fortune childhood dreams of fishing success are resurrected. Neither cold, wind, mud flats, or swift current can deter the river angler. Only an occasional meandering bear guided by the smell of success will temporarily interrupt the casting rhythm of a dedicated fisherman. The visceral utterance 'Fish On' is especially stimulating along Alaska river shorelines. For the patient angler ecstasy is discovered when braced against an ar ched fishing rod directed by the zigzag cutting movement of a tight line. Repeated surface splashing enhances an angling ensemble that includes the zinging sound of a drag tested reel. Colorful trout of golden, brown, and rainbow caught in mountain streams elsewhere may become a faded memory when battling Alaska's king size migrating salmon of red, pink, or silver. (dcm) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Archives ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Item: Fool's Gold (Copper) - The Pebble Mine project is a controversial proposal by Northern Dynasty Minerals to build one of the largest gold and copper mines in the world in Southwest Alaska near Lake Iliamna. The proposed Pebble Mine would include the largest earth dam in the world to hold back created toxic waste. The open pit gold & copper mine would place at risk Alaska's prolific Bristol Bay Region ecosystem. The proposed location is at the headwaters of the Mulchatna / Nushagak and the Newhalen / Kvichak River drainages, both of which are renown wild salmon and trout fisheries that flow into Bristol Bay. For additional information . . . Item: Surviving the Surreal (Moose Twin's Torment) - Metropolitan Anchorage is a distinguished community that embraces corporate and hospitality development while preserving its wilderness roots. Through effective management Anchorage has maintained its virgin heritage. The result is a lifestyle that provides wildlife encounters seldom experienced even in undeveloped areas, especially outside of Alaska. From corporate headquarter buildings and elevated hotel suites businessmen, visitors, and local fishermen hoping to land a salmon in 'The Last Frontier' can be seen on the banks of a popular urban stream during summer months. Beyond the stream is a view of the Port of Anchorage. Other spawning streams that flow through the city and its parks from Chugach Hillside communities to Cook Inlet provide an enhanced fishery resource, albeit less significant. Wildlife is commonly seen in residential communities and shopping districts, and crossing local streets and highways. Most notable are moose. These large urban wild creatures give birth and rear young in wooded areas close to hospitals, shopping malls, city parks, and residential back yards. Undeveloped corridors along urban streams also provide access for black and brown bear. Homes among the Anchorage community of Hillside are accustomed to marauding visits by bears. People exercising by biking, running, or walking their dog on developed and maintained trails within the Anchorage Bowl do so cautiously. While jogging on one of the developed trails near my home in Anchorage during June I stopped to view a mother (cow) moose with here recently born twin calves browsing near the trail. It was an inspiring sight. The twin babies kept a secure closeness to the mother, following her every move and direction. The trail parallels the edge of a lake on one side and a forested corridor including a salmon stream on the other. Viewing wildlife while running the trail is a common occurrence, sometimes filled with memorable moments. The lake is home to a family of beaver. It is also a nesting and rearing location for some water fowl, and a rest stop for others. I have witnessed several moose in this Nature preserve area including large bulls, cows, and cows with calves, but never with calves so young. It was a heartwarming experience that featured the curiosity and innocence of new life in the wild. Two days later while jogging the same section of trail I was alarmed when observing the twin calves browsing at the edge of the lake without the mother. I immediately stopped, uncertain of my position in relation to the mother. Because the trail divides a short distance between the edge of the lake and the forested area I was concerned that I might be between the mother and her babies. An otherwise composed mother can become aggressively protective when a person enters the moose security zone that connects a mother with her babies. After looking around I realized the mother moose was no longer a part of the family gathering I witnessed two evenings earlier. I soon learned the moose calves mother had been 'put down' because of a broken leg suffered in an accident the previous day. Alone the orphaned moose babies were preoccupied with eating. Likely confused, neither seemed timid or fearful. The little calves ate voraciously, when they seemed less perplexed. Otherwise, they would stand and stare in a position of bewilderment. Both appeared comforted when close together, a tender image. Occasionally they would cautiously approach me while I was taking photos, suggesting a need for re-establishing the lost connection of a mother's offering. When I began to leave the twins followed before hesitating to access my role as surrogate mother. My own ambivalent feelings where those of inspiration, caring, sadness, and helplessness. While touched by the twin calves condition I felt unable to provide a solution to their vulnerability. During spring and early summer moose calves in the wild often serve as needed protein for foraging bear that is not yet available from the plundering of spawning salmon. Consequently, moose calves are the target of peril. Through Nature's genius the common birth of twins by moose provide the food requirement for bear while securing favorable odds for moose preservation. In most cases one of the calves will escape an attack by a menacing bear. It is a fortunate occurrence when both twin calves reach adolescence or adulthood. Although urban moose are generally safe from pillaging bear, they are not protected from moving automobiles. An indiscriminate vehicle is a perilous danger to the most innocent and mature. Assuming the twin moose calves survive a brief remaining summer season, the lack of mother's instruction and warmth during frigid winter condition will be a formidable challenge. The little orphans worked hard while depending on their instincts alone to gain a future without mother's nourishment, guidance, and protection. It was their bad fortune to loose mother, while it is their good fortune to have each other. (dcm) UPDATE Regarding 'Surviving the Surreal': While jogging the same lakeside trail I was pleased to observe the moose twin calves browsing. They appeared friendly, well nourished, and in a healthy condition. For a photo account of this update and when the calves were babies go to my Facebook page ADVENTURE ALASKA. - Look for upcoming discussions and events - Doug Myers, Editor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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