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Welcome to the Situk River Fly Shop news and information web site.
Current Headlines:
January 10th, 2011 - Not much else to
report on other than weather, but Cordova seems to have it worse this
winter. Yakutat traditionally holds the Alaska record for most snowfall of
any "city" (and I use that term loosely). This season, we
have been just a degree or two warmer than Cordova, the next
"city" to our northwest up the coast. We had 7 1/2 feet of snow
fall in November, but December warmed just enough to change Yakutat's
precipitation to rain and washed most of that snow away. We are back to
heavy snowfall here, with a winter storm warning through tomorrow
AM. An additional 16 inches is expected to fall here at sea level.
Here is a news report sent to me today about
Cordova's and Nome's winter plight:
Towns Seek Help Weathering Harsh
Winter (Even by Alaska's Standards)
Published January 10, 2012 -Associated
Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Residents
of two Alaska communities are seeking outside help after an exceptionally harsh
winter left one buried in snow and the other iced in and facing a fuel shortage.
Dozens of U.S. National Guard members are helping the
fishing town of Cordova dig out from mountains of snow that collapsed roofs,
triggered avalanches and trapped some people in homes.
By one count, more than 10 feet of snow has fallen in
the town of 2,000 in the last few weeks.
With high winds, more snow and possibly rain in the
forecast, responders and local volunteers Monday were trying to shovel out
buildings considered most at risk...
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/10/towns-seek-help-weathering-harsh-winter-even-by-alaskas-standards/#ixzz1j5b01eEl
More exciting news from the National Weather
Service:
November 27th, 2011 at 2:47PM AK
Standard Time
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN
EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM AKST MONDAY...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM AKST
MONDAY.
* SNOW...8 TO 13 INCHES FOR YAKUTAT.
* SNOW...5 TO 10 INCHES FOR ELFIN COVE AND PELICAN.
* SNOW...6 TO 8 INCHES NEAR HAINES AND 8 TO 10 INCHES NEAR THE BORDER.
* WIND...S TO SE WIND GUSTING TO 40 MPH LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY ALONG THE
OUTER COAST.
...CHANGING WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE
ALASKAN PANHANDLE MID WEEK...
A STRONG AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BUILD OVER THE NORTHEAST
PACIFIC. THIS WILL SEND A WARM AND VERY WET WEATHER SYSTEM INTO THE EASTERN GULF
WEDNESDAY AND ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALASKA BY THURSDAY. THIS WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL
FOR HEAVY RAIN TO AREA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
THE HEAVY RAIN WILL FALL ON AN UNUSUALLY HIGH NOVEMBER SNOW PACK WHICH WILL
INITIALLY RESULT IN INCREASED SNOW LOADS ON BUILDINGS, ESPECIALLY FOR THE
YAKUTAT AND HAINES AREAS. IT WILL ALSO INCREASE THE AVALANCHE DANGER.
AS TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO WARM AND THE SNOW MELTS, THERE WILL BE THE
POTENTIAL FOR URBAN TYPE FLOODING WHERE DITCHES AND STORM DRAINS ARE BLOCKED BY
SNOW.
PERSONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST ALASKA CAN PREPARE FOR THIS EVENT BY REMOVING SNOW
FROM STRUCTURES AND OBJECTS THAT CAN BE DAMAGED BY THE EXCESSIVE WEIGHT OF THE
WET SNOW. STORM DRAINS SHOULD BE CLEARED OF SNOW.
CAPE FAIRWEATHER TO CAPE SUCKLING COASTAL AREA- INCLUDING THE CITY
OF...YAKUTAT
456 AM AKST TUE NOV 22 2011
WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM AKST
WEDNESDAY
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 AM AKST WEDNESDAY.
* SNOW...5 INCHES OF SNOW HAS FALLEN OVERNIGHT WITH ADDITIONAL 1 TO 3 INCHES
EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. SNOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH
ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO A FOOT BY LATE TONIGHT. STORM TOTALS WILL
RANGE FROM 15 TO 20 INCHES BY LATE TUESDAY NIGHT.
* VISIBILITY...VISIBILITY WILL DECREASE TO LESS THAN ONE MILE AT TIMES IN
HEAVIER SNOW.
* IMPACTS...TRAVEL WILL BE HAZARDOUS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A
WARNING MEANS THAT A WINTER STORM IS ALREADY OCCURRING OR IMMINENT. THIS STORM
COULD POSE A THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY.
 First
Major Snow Fall
-Bob Miller Posted November 4th,
2011
Yakutat received its first major snow fall last
night, with residents waking to about a foot of white fluff. The
forecast was calling for one to three inches overnight, however at least
10 inches fell in the morning hours. Snow continues to come down,
but temperatures are warming and it is expected to turn to rain this afternoon.
 This
is our first snow event of the season. With the new road surfaces,
the asphalt along Max Italio Drive is much more slick than the gravel of the
past. Expect problems to develop over the winter months, as
responsibility for snow removal passes from the State Department of
Transportation to the City of Yakutat. Ownership of Max Italio Drive (the
old gravel road that curves along the waterfront from the Yakutat Seafoods fish
plant to near the Blue Heron Inn) changes now that the road surface has been
paved. With guardrails along the more hazardous sections of the
road, it will be more difficult to remove large amounts of snow. In
the past, State DOT simply plowed the snow off the cliff with no guardrail
in the way.
 Access
to the Situk River for the winter steelhead run remains open for vehicles with
4-wheel drive and sufficient clearance.
From the National Weather Service:
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM AKDT THIS AFTERNOON...
REST OF TODAY...SNOW...THEN
RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. NEW SNOW ACCUMULATION 3 TO 5 INCHES. HIGHS AROUND 36.
EAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. WEST OF ICY BAY...EAST WIND 35 MPH DECREASING TO 15 TO
20 MPH.
TONIGHT...RAIN IN THE
EVENING...THEN SNOW LIKELY LATE. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH. LOWS AROUND 34.
EAST WIND 10 MPH.
SATURDAY...RAIN LIKELY.
HIGHS AROUND 40. EAST WIND 10 MPH IN THE MORNING BECOMING LIGHT AND
VARIABLE.
SATURDAY NIGHT...RAIN
LIKELY. LOWS AROUND 32. WEST WIND 10 MPH.
SUNDAY...RAIN. HIGHS
AROUND 39. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.
Sorry, I missed this article in the
Juneau Empire from back in September when I was on the river... Worth
going to the Juneau Empire page if only to read the comments... (What
an awful headline... Does this mean they will destroy him?)
Man sentenced for destruction within Glacier Bay National Park
Posted: September 19, 2011 -
5:58pm
Juneau Empire Staff Report
Arizona resident Andrew R. Varni, 52, of Phoenix was sentenced by U.S.
Magistrate Judge Leslie Longenbaugh on Sept. 15 in Juneau for destruction of
natural resources.
Varni was sentenced to pay a fine of $1,685 for his conviction on one
count of destruction of natural resources on National Park Service land.
According to information presented to the court by Assistant U.S.
Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, Varni is permitted by the National Park Service to
operate a seasonal fish camp in Dry Bay within the Glacier Bay National Park
and Preserve.
On Aug. 24, 2010, a National Park Service Ranger observed that Varni had
cut down 21 large trees and an additional 100 smaller trees on park land
near his fish camp. Varni did not have a permit and was not authorized to
cut these trees on park lands.
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-09-19/man-sentenced-destruction-within-glacier-bay-national-park
National Weather Service - Coastal Flood
Warning
Storm-driven tidal water will
"inundate" Situk River fish camps at Strawberry Point and other areas
along the Gulf Coast near Yakutat, Alaska
Tuesday
October 25th, 2011
CAPE FAIRWEATHER TO CAPE SUCKLING COASTAL AREA-
112 PM AKDT TUE OCT 25 2011
...COASTAL FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 3 PM AKDT WEDNESDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JUNEAU HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 3 PM AKDT WEDNESDAY.
* LOCATION...ALONG THE NE GULF COAST NEAR YAKUTAT
* COASTAL FLOODING...EXPECT WATER LEVELS 1.5 TO 2 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL TIDE LEVELS.
* TIMING...DURING TIME OF HIGH TIDE EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
* IMPACTS...WATER WILL INUNDATE SITUK FISHING CAMP.
A WARNING MEANS AREAS ALONG THE COAST ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME...OR HAVE
BECOME...INUNDATED BY SEA WATER ABOVE THE TYPICAL TIDE ACTION.
Small earthquake strikes near Yakutat
National Weather Service: Quake not expected to
generate a tsunami
Posted: September 14, 2011 -
7:11pm | Updated: September
15, 2011 - 12:06am
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 struck 70 miles southeast
of Yakutat on Wednesday evening, according to a release from the National
Weather Service.
The temblor was felt in Juneau, approximately 225 miles southeast of Yakutat.
The quake in Yakutat, which struck at 6:07 p.m., is not expected to generate
a tsunami, according to the NWS. Calls to the City and Borough of Yakutat office
and the Yakutat Police Department were not answered.
*****READ
MORE*****
http://juneauempire.com/state/2011-09-14/small-earthquake-strikes-near-yakutat
Men sentenced on wildlife charges
Posted: August 25, 2011 - 10:01pm
Juneau Empire Staff Report
David M. Demers, 56, and Reginald D. Krkovich, 67, both of Yakutat, and
Daniel Lee Hertzog, 52, a resident of Pleasant Hill, Mo., were sentenced
Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess in Anchorage for illegal
brown bear guiding and witness tampering, according to a press release from
United States Attorney Karen Loeffler
Demers was sentenced to pay a fine of $5,000, forfeit his hunting rifle and
was placed on three years probation with a no hunting condition as well as six
months home confinement, for conspiring to violate the Lacey Act and witness
tampering.
Krkovich was sentenced to a term of three years probation, no hunting for the
three-year term and ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 for a felony violation of
the Lacey Act and a felony violation of witness tampering.
Hertzog was sentenced to two years probation, a fine of $10,000, no hunting
for two years and forfeiture of the illegally killed bear and his hunting rifle
for committing a violation of the Lacey Act...
*****READ
MORE***** from the Juneau Empire
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-08-25/men-sentenced-wildlife-charges
And... same case from the Anchorage
Daily News:
Prosecutors: Men sentenced in illegal guide scheme
The Associated Press via Anchorage Daily News
Published: August 26th, 2011 05:12 AM
Last Modified: August 26th, 2011 05:13 AM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The U.S. attorney's office
say two Yakutat men have been sentenced on charges related to illegal brown bear
guiding.
David M. Demers' sentence includes a fine, three
years' probation with no hunting and six months' home confinement for conspiring
to violate the Lacey Act and witness tampering. Reginald Krkovich was sentenced
to three years' probation with no hunting and a fine for a Lacey Act violation
and witness tampering.
Another man, Daniel Lee Hertzog of Pleasant Hill, Mo.,
was fined, got two years' probation with no hunting and forfeited an illegally
killed bear and his rifle for a Lacey Act violation.
Prosecutors say the Yakutat men weren't guides. They
say Hertzog took his bear using Krkovich's tag, and Demers and Krkovich tried to
get him to not cooperate with authorities...
*****READ
MORE*****
http://www.adn.com/2011/08/26/2032631/prosecutors-men-sentenced-in-illegal.html#ixzz1XK4GOvQ3
An interesting article about the Yakutat Glacier
on Harlequin Lake:
Researcher studies the death of Yakutat Glacier
NED ROZELL
ALASKA SCIENCE
Anchorage Daily News
Published: August 13th, 2011 04:44 PM
Last Modified: August 13th, 2011 06:35 PM
Yakutat Glacier, near the Alaska town of the
same name and flowing from the mountains near the Canada border, calves into a
lake as deep as an ocean bay.
The ice field that feeds Yakutat is large enough to
cover the five boroughs of New York City. Despite its bulk, the glacier is
doomed unless we experience a drastic change in climate.
Barbara Truessel has been on deathwatch for this
interesting glacier for the past few years. The graduate student at the
University of Alaska Fairbanks' Geophysical Institute has witnessed Yakutat's
fade in the short time it takes to earn a college degree.
"It's dramatically falling apart," Truessel
said.
Truessel and her adviser, Martin Truffer, along with
glaciologists Chris Larsen and Roman Motyka, recently witnessed the fragmenting
of the glacier's massive tongue, which coats part of Harlequin Lake.
"The breakup of the floating tongue started last
year," Truessel said. "Huge tabular icebergs were floating away from
the glacier. We were just lucky to be there to see that."
The glaciologists say the glacier is melting so fast
that a few of its lobes will separate from the main ice mass, maybe within a
year. Truffer said Yakutat, one of the fastest changing bodies of ice in Alaska,
would soon become at least three glaciers...
*****READ
MORE*****
http://www.adn.com/2011/08/13/2013592/researcher-studies-the-death-of.html#ixzz1XK5YCSjM
Aircraft Crashes into Icy Bay Near
Yakutat, AK
-August 27th, 2011
State Troopers recovered the battered wreckage of
a Super Cub from the ocean near Icy Bay, 70 miles west of Yakutat,
Alaska. Unconfirmed reports are that the plane originated from the Tsiu
River, where the passenger was staying at a lodge for a fishing
trip. They may have intended to land in an effort to pick up some glacier
ice from the shoreline of Icy Bay.
One body was recovered, the
passenger. Efforts to locate the remains of the pilot have not yet been
successful.
Further details are unknown at this time.
Road Repaving Nearly Complete
-August 14th, 2011
 The
State of Alaska DOT repaving project here in Yakutat is nearing completion -
nearly two months ahead of schedule. Secon Construction removed all old
asphalt road surfaces and repaved from the airport to the boat harbor
dock. Max Italio Drive (formerly Bayview Drive) has also been paved from
the cannery dock, past Mallott's General Store, all the way beyond
Blue Heron Inn. This week, the painting sub-contractor is finishing
the lines, with new guard railing work to be completed by the end of
August.
 This
project was expected to take until October to be completed, however our
exceptionally dry summer enabled the contractor to work much faster than
anticipated to complete the project early and well under budget. Yakutat
should have a relatively maintenance-free road system for the next 20
years. Most city-owned roads were not included in this project, such
as Ridge Road, or the ASHA developments. Also, Forest Highway
10 remains unpaved beyond the dump.
Bob Miller
Secon Construction Available for Additonal
Work
-July 1st, 2011
Secon Construction, the contractor
resurfacing most of Yakutat's main roads this summer, is available to pick
up additional asphalt paving work in August. Anyone interested in getting
some paving work done should contact Bryce Iverson at (907)784-3590, or
stop by the Secon offices at The Hangar on the second floor.
Costs can be estimated using the following
guidelines:
-Square footage of your lot divided 80 square feet per ton at 2" depth = #
of tons of asphalt
-Multiply that number by $200 per ton
-Additional grading and base work will cost around $.25 per square foot
If you need assistance to calculate your square
footage, contact Bryce and he can assist. You must request the work
prior to July 5th to ensure extra oil is shipped from Seattle on the next AML
barge.
Bob Miller
Losses Continue in Yakutat, Alaska
-July 1st, 2011
In the past week, there have been two
additional deaths of Yakutat residents. One male and one female,
these two deaths are unrelated. No details are confirmed yet, so I
will withhold names for now. The female was found unresponsive in her
Anchorage apartment yesterday. I do not know where the male was
living, or any circumstances surrounding his passing.
Bob Miller
Interesting Tsiu River Data Relating to the
City's Acquisition:
-June 30th, 2011
TSIU RIVER: FISHERIES AND
LAND MANAGEMENT REPORT
Prepared for the City and Borough of Yakutat in March, 2009 by
Sheinberb Associates
In the early 2000s the City and Borough of Yakutat (CBY)
acquired approximately 21,500 acres of land west of
Icy Bay area from the State of Alaska as part of its municipal entitlement. This
included the mouth and first mile or so of several salmon
bearing streams and rivers including the Tsiu River
with its productive coho salmon run. Subsistence, commercial and sport fishers
all utilize Tsiu River coho.
State leases (lodges, airstrips, cabins) on this new CBY land
were transferred from the State to the borough in
about 2005. Recent activity in the area includes five‐six sport fishing
and hunting lodges (one lodge did not operate in
2008) that together have about a 100‐bed capacity and
hosted approximately 875 anglers (2007), up to six air carriers bringing in day‐fishers,
a commercially used airstrip and fish buying station
supporting 10‐12 set gillnetters fishing commercially
and staying in personal cabins.
Most of the activity occurs during the 6‐8 week coho
fishing season in August to early October. The
fishable portion of the Tsiu River is quite small. It is, depending on weather
and sea conditions, about 3‐3.5 miles long, 20
to 60 feet wide (though it can be as wide as 150 feet depending
on conditions) and 2 to 3 feet deep. Above the fishable part of the river is a
“lake system” that is a braided swampy area
approximately 5 to 7 miles wide with no clear channel to funnel
fish in a concentrated way (so not good for fishing). Both commercial and sport
fishers target the deeper (3‐4 feet) holes in
the Tsiu River where fish congregate. *****READ
MORE*****
http://www.shehttp://www.sheinbergassociates.com/resource/TsiuRiver/Executive Summary Tsiu River March 2009.pdfinbergassociates.com/resource/TsiuRiver/Executive%20Summary%20Tsiu%20River%20March%202009.pdf
Yakutat fishermen died of exposure and drowning
Attempted to swim to shore with lifejackets
Posted: June 21, 2011 - 11:25pm
JUNEAU EMPIRE
According to an uncle of one of the two fishermen who died in Monday’s
commercial fishing accident near Yakutat, both of the victims were wearing
life jackets and died due to the extreme temperature of the water.
Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said the boat appeared to
have been swamped, and the deaths were likely a combination of hypothermia and
drowning.
Yakutat residents Rex Newlun, 16, and Wayne Grey, 29, died as they tried to
swim to shore after the 20-foot set net skiff they were in flipped over. A
third Yakutat man, Jonathan Pavlik, 30, was found clinging to the overturned
skiff and rescued.
Jack Endicot said his nephew, Newlun, was washed overboard by a rogue wave
that flipped the boat over as the trio of commercial sockeye salmon set-net
fishermen were exiting Dangerous River southeast of Yakutat.
The Dangerous River flows from Harlequin Lake, near ice fields at the base
of the Brabazon Mountain Range in the Yakutat Ranger District in the Tongass
National Forest, down to the Gulf of Alaska. The river mouth creates an
estuary with the ocean waters and is known for treacherous currents and
undertows that can suck a person underwater even if wearing a life jacket. The
river is deceptively shallow in areas as well.
The skiff overturned roughly three quarters of a mile off the river mouth.
“They tried to swim to shore,” Endicot said. “They had life jackets
on. The water is extremely cold.”
Pavlik is an experienced Alaska commercial fisherman from a well-known
fishing family and Grey and Newlun were experienced in the waters around
Yakutat.
Newlun would have been 17 in a few days and was captain of the Yakutat High
School track team. Newlun placed second at the state championships in the shot
put according to Yakutat track coach Alex Souza.
“I just spoke with him five days ago,” Souza said. “I reminded him he
still had the school track uniform.”
Souza coached Newlun for two years.
“I have never coached and known such a strong, bright, outgoing, and
polite kid,” Souza said. “Rex was one of a kind. He was one of those kids
that you knew was going to make it in the real world and make a name for
himself. He told me his plan was to be a state trooper, break the school
record in shot and discus, and so much more. The world lost a kid that made
everyone around him better. He was a person you wanted to be around. A student
everyone looked up to and wanted to be. I looked forward to practice because
of him. I am in shock with the outcome. As a teacher, coach, and friend. I
will always remember Rex until the day I die. My condolences go out to the
Newlun family.”
Souza also said that he grew up next door to Grey as kids.
“We went to weddings together and enjoyed many experiences as we grew
up,” Souza said. “He was a hunter, a devoted brother and son, and he was a
part of everyone’s life in a positive way. We loved him very much. I will
miss Wayne and hold on to my friends even tighter after this tragic event.”
The Coast Guard Juneau Command Center was contacted at 5:09 p.m. Monday by
pilot Les Hartley of Alsek Air Service in Yakutat who spotted an overturned
skiff with a person clinging to the top of it. A seafood company in Yakutat
was also notified and launched a boat to rescue the survivor. Hartley later
spotted the two bodies of the dead fishermen on a nearby beach.
• Contact reporter Klas Stolpe at 523-2263 or at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
A Tough Week in Yakutat -
Bob Miller
June 23rd, 2011
Over the past week, six Yakutat residents
have died. Cecilia Mapes (86) on June 14th and Barbara Mapes (56) on June
16th both passed away from natural causes. Rex Newlun (17) and Wayne Gray
(29) passed following the boating accident on the Dangerous River on June
20th. We just learned that two other male former Yakutat Residents have
died as well, one in Anchorage and another in Fairbanks. The
Fairbanks death is considered a suicide and since I do not have full details on
the situation of either of these, I will not release the names here at
this time.
The Yakutat Clinic will be having grief
counseling throughout this week in the evenings. Please contact the clinic
if you have any questions, or would like to make an appointment.
Services for Ces and Barbie will be held this Saturday June 25th. I do not
know when the other memorial services will be held.
Young Fishermen Die on Dangerous River
(Revised) - Bob Miller
June 21st, 2011
 Updated @4pm June 21st: Names have
officially been released. Wayne Gray (29 yo) and Rex Newlun (17 yo).
Jonathan Pavlik survived the ordeal.
Three local fishermen ran into trouble Monday
morning at the Dangerous River. Two drowned, a third was flown out
to the hospital in Sitka last night. While commercial fishing, the
three were heading back to Yakutat when a wave swamped the skiff they were in at
around 11am Monday. A second wave capsized the boat. The two men
lost had flotation devices and were on the hull of the upturned boat. At some
point, two of the men decided to try to swim to shore. At around
4pm, Les Hartley of Alsek Air Service spotted the man on the boat and help
was able to get out and rescue him from the Situk River. The other two men
never reached the shore.
 Ocean temperature is 55.6 degrees F,
however the water in the glacially fed Dangerous River is generally in the low
to mid 30's. Survival at these temperatures is measured in under 10
minutes. Outgoing tidal flow can be extremely strong, with
unpredictable wave development. Low tide yesterday occurred at
11:01am, creating shallow water across the outer bar of the river mouth
and maximum wave development at the time of the accident.
At last report, the police were still
officially withholding the names of the deceased, so I will here as
well. The men
involved are some of Yakutat's most responsible, experienced and respected
young men and this tragedy is hitting our community very hard. Consider
sending your respects through Lakeside Chapel Assembly of God, or the LDS
church here in Yakutat.
Note: Secon knocked the phones out this
morning, therefore additional information was not verifiable at this
point.
Anchorage Daily News report:
http://www.adn.com/2011/06/21/1928014/2-dead-1-rescued-after-fishing.html
More
links, not all the info is accurate:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43481465/ns/local_news-anchorage_ak/
http://kfsk.org/modules/local_news/index.php?op=sideBlock&syndicated=true&ID=1862
http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-two-die-when-yakutat-boat-capsizes-062111,0,939548.story
Secon Construction Begins Yakutat Road
Resurfacing Project
- Bob Miller
June 20th, 2011
A major $5 million road improvement project began
in earnest in Yakutat today. Secon Construction began work removing old
asphalt between Ophir Creek Bridge and the Yakutat Airport. The entire
paved road surface from the airport to the harbor dock will be removed,
recycled and repaved throughout the summer, followed by paving of Max
Italio Drive (formerly Bayview Drive) and several side streets. Expect
delays and difficulties getting around town from now till October as the project
progresses.
Simms Out-Of-The-Dark Promotion Winners
Announced
-Bob Miller
June 20th, 2011
The winners of the Simms Out-Of-The-Dark
promotion for 2011 were announced today:
Grand Prize
G4 River Package (G4 Pro Waders, G4 Guide Boots & G4 Pro Jacket) ($1229.85
value)
Three Rivers Fly & Tackle, Clyde
Broumley
Second Prize
Layering Package (Simms Guide Fleece Top, Guide Fleece Pant, Guide
Fleece Bib, Simms Exstream Socks) ($344.80 value)
Mt. View Sports. Eric Goosman
Third Prize
Around Town Package (Simms Rogue Fleece Hoody, Simms Cascadia Ball Cap)
($109.90 value)
Situk River Fly Shop, Jim Shew
4th-10th Place Finishers
Simms Hat & Accessory Package ($19.95-$29.95)
4th Mossy’s Fly Shop, Brad Beiser
5th Mt. View Sports, Keith Wagoner
6th Juneau Fly Fishing Goods, Robert Josh Keaton
7th Juneau Fly Fishing Goods, Dave Lustyitz
8th World Wide Angler, Scott Lyke
9th Mossy’s Fly Shop, Shawn Woodmansee
10th World Wide Angler, James Christmas
If you are one of the lucky drawing
winners, contact your shop.
Yakutat Dungeness Crab Fishery Announcement
Season to Remain Closed:
ADF&G Office - Douglas, AK
June 14th, 2011
Juneau... The Alaska Department of Fish and
Game reminds fishermen that the commercial fishery for Dungeness crab in
Registration Area D (Yakutat) will remain closed for both summer and fall
portions of the 2011/12 fishing season. The fishery has been closed for
the past eleven seasons since being designated as collapsed and recovering by
the Board of Fisheries at their January 2000 meeting. A survey of Yakutat
Dungeness stock conducted in May 2004 showed no signs of stock recovery.
Following this survey the Yakutat sport and personal use Dungeness fisheries
were also closed in the fall of 2004. The department is currently planning
to resurvey the Yakutat Dungeness stock in June of 2012.
High fashion or bait? Fly ties now hair extensions -
Associated Press
By JESSIE L. BONNER
, 06.03.11, 06:35 AM EDT
 
BOISE, Idaho -- Fly shop manager Jim Bernstein was warned that hair stylists
would come banging on his door, but he didn't listen.
Sure enough, less than 24 hours later, a woman walked
into the Eldredge Bros. Fly Shop in Maine and made a beeline toward a display
of hackles - the long, skinny rooster feathers fishermen use to make lure.
"She brought a bunch up to the counter and asked if
I could get them in pink," he said. "That's when I knew."
Fly fishing shops nationwide, he learned, are at the
center of the latest hair trend: Feather extensions. Supplies at stores from
the coasts of Maine to landlocked Idaho are running out and some feathers sold
online are fetching hundreds of dollars more than the usual prices.
"I'm looking around the shop thinking hmmm, what
else can they put in their hair?" Bernstein said.
Fly fishermen are not happy, bemoaning the trend in
online message boards and sneering at so-called "feather ladies."
Some also blame "American Idol" judge and rocker Steven Tyler, who
began wearing the feathers in his long hair. *****READ
MORE*****
Anchorage Daily
News
Sealaska land
deal hearing in Congress this week
CONGRESS:
Tongass selection plan battle has gone on for years.
By ERIKA
BOLSTAD
ebolstad@adn.com
Published:
May 22nd, 2011 10:39 PM
Last Modified: May 22nd, 2011 10:46 PM
WASHINGTON -- For
decades, conservationists, the U.S. Forest Service, tribes, Native corporations
and the people who live in the Tongass National Forest have warred over how to
manage the vast temperate rain forest covering most of Southeast Alaska.
The fight
resurfaces in Washington this week, as the Sealaska Native Corp. makes a case to
a Senate committee that it should be able to pick as much as 85,000 acres
outside of its original land grants in the forest.
The
company's picks are controversial, in part because they include valuable old
growth timber that many would like to see off-limits to logging. Some local
groups, including the Craig Tribal Association, also have concerns about how
Sealaska plans to address important cultural locations in the acres the company
wants, including places that are part of their ancestral history.
But Sealaska
argues it has sought for decades to assume ownership of all the acreage it was
granted under 1971's Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the landmark
legislation that settled aboriginal land claims by the state's Native people.
The company
has turned its attention to Congress, which must approve the Native
corporation's proposal to choose land outside of the original and amended
"boxes" they picked in the early 1970s. ****READ
MORE****
May 22nd, 2011
No major Yakutat news at the
monent, so here is an "entertaining" read. I'm tired of
having the snarky article about Yakutat's silly politics on top, so I'm posting
this from www.reason.com...
This has nothing to do with fishing, but a lot to do with Yakutat and the
rest of America... As a conservative, not many news and information
sites write with my common sense perspective - including supposed right-wing
sources like "The Weekly Standard" - a joke in and of itself. I'm
warming to "Reason Magazine" though (according to Tanis,
you put magazine titles in quotes, but underline book titles). Here is a sample:
Why should the American people keep extending credit to Capitol Hill?
A.
Barton Hinkle | May 20, 2011
The Honorable _________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable _________
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Mr. or Ms. _______,
Thank you for your interest in the American Public Trust's Gold Card credit
program. Rest assured your application has been given thorough and careful
consideration by the American people.
After reviewing the information provided in your application as well as your
credit report, we regret to say that we are unable to extend you further credit
at this time. The reasons for our decision are as follows:
(1) Inadequate income.Our records indicate that your annual income
for the 2011 taxable year was $2,170,000,000,000. You have requested a credit
limit of $17,000,000,000,000. These figures exceed the American Public's
debt-to-income guidelines for credit issuance.
(2) Excessive spending. The receipts you provided indicate your
annual expenditures for the 2011 fiscal year total $3,820,000,000,000, or
$1,650,000,000,000 more than your total income for the year. The American Public
prefers that its members of Congress maintain a positive or neutral rather than
a negative cash flow.
(3) High debt utilization. Your credit report indicates that you
have a credit limit of $14,300,000,000,000, and of that amount you have utilized
$14,300,000,000,000, for a debt utilization ratio of 100 percent. Consumer
banking industry guidelines recommend a debt utilization ratio of no greater
than 30 percent for standard creditworthiness, and 10 percent for exemplary
creditworthiness. A debt utilization rate of 100 percent meets our
classification of "You're *&^%$#@! kidding, right?"
(4) High credit activity. Our records indicate you have credit
accounts open with the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States, the Social
Security Administration, the People's Bank of China, the Bank of Japan, the
European Central Bank, the Bank of the Republic of Burundi, Bank Frick & Co.
AG Liechtensteiner Privatbank, Quik-Cash Loans, Three Gold Balls Pawn Shop (Ann
Arbor, Mich.), MyFast Loan.com (Antigua), paydayloans-r-us.com (Cayman Islands),
Frank the bartender (Old Towne Tavern), and several members of the extended
family of Salvatore "Sammy Meatballs" Montigliano of Montclair, N.J.
While account activity threshholds vary by lender, your activity exceeds
American Public guidelines for further credit issuance.
(5) Multiple recent credit inquiries. Records indicate your credit
report has been accessed more than 6,437 times in the past 60 days. Inquiries
may be triggered by applications for credit, employment or both and represent
one factor in determining an applicant's loan risk to a credit issuer. The Fair
Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), as amended, requires businesses to have legitimate
grounds for requesting your credit history. If you feel your credit information
is inaccurate or has been accessed for unacceptable reasons, you may wish to
contact the Federal Trade Commission... ****READ
MORE****
"Yakutat postal clerks stop delivery of anonymous letters containing
allegations of improprieties by city officials
Envelopes contained allegations of improprieties by
city officials"
*****Bob's Comment about this article*****
This has to be the most poorly written "professional" news article I
have ever read. The headline is redundant enough, the body of the
article isn't any better...
Yakutat postal clerks stop delivery of anonymous letters containing
allegations of improprieties by city officials
Envelopes contained allegations of improprieties by
city officials
JUNEAU EMPIRE
Standing at the Yakutat Post Office counter last week, resident Rube Evans
was hoping to read some mail other than his wife’s Chinese newspapers and was
pleasantly surprised to find an envelope with his name on it.
“I would never make it through one of those newspapers,” Evans said.
“They have some nice photos but, unless my wife reads them to me, they are
gibberish.”
Unfortunately for Evans he would never make it through the letter, either, as
postal clerk Jenn Bell asked to have it back.
It was part of a stack of envelopes which the postal clerk said were not
properly addressed, and were supposed to be sent to a mail recovery center in
Georgia.
Inside the envelopes were various court documents pertaining to a Superior
Court case in Juneau May 11 between the City and Borough of Yakutat and Alaskan
Adventure Tours, Inc., and a letter claiming to be from a concerned citizen of
Yakutat who stated he or she was following the case... *****READ
MORE*****
http://juneauempire.com/local/2011-05-09/yakutat-postal-clerks-stop-delivery-anonymous-letters-containing-allegations
Hunting and Fishing News
| Legislation
Introduced To Protect Lead Based Ammo And Fishing Tackle |
|
| Friday, April 22, 2011 |
|
|
On April 14th, U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and John
Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Representatives Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), Mike Ross
(D-Ark.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), introduced
legislation to protect traditional lead ammunition and fishing tackle from
a potential ban by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
S. 838
and H.R.
1558 would protect the rights of sportsmen to use traditional
ammunition by clarifying that the components used in manufacturing shells,
cartridges, and fishing tackle are exempt from EPA regulation under the
Toxic Substance Control Act. *****READ
MORE*****
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The map to the shop:
Or in white:
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