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It was bound to happen. But nobody expected it to happen so soon in the season.
A new law allows visitors to Denali National Park to carry personal weapons during their visits.
On Friday night, a visitor hiking up Tattler Creek felt threatened by a bear, took out his .44 or .45 caliber handgun and shot nine times at the bear. The incident supposedly happened about a mile or mile and a half up Tattler Creek.
The bear ran away.
Park officials are searching for the bear. No one knows if it was hit by the bullets or if it is dead. Readers tell me four backcountry units are now closed as searchers continue trying to find the bruin.
Denali prides itself on its record of safe human-bear interactions.
This particular interaction is a first.
Additional details should be forthcoming soon.
Healy residents Mark and Karen Martin nearly lost their 16-foot raft to thieves this weekend after floating a popular stretch of the Nenana River, near Slime Creek.
The couple rowed their raft on the short and flat section for an afternoon outing, launching at the Cantwell Bridge and taking out at the second pullout, south of the Grassy Knoll. This is the long pullout separated from the Parks Highway by a strip of foliage.
They left the raft at river's edge and drove back to the put-in to retrieve their second vehicle. Karen Martin was the first one back, less than 10 minutes later. The first thing she saw as she approached was two men carrying her white cooler to their full-size dark-colored truck.
She stepped on the gas and on her horn, as she approached.
Startled, two of the three men dropped the cooler and ran to their truck. She noticed her oars were sticking out of the bed of that truck. The truck peeled away from her, stopped at the end of the pullout, threw her oars onto the pavement, and drove away.
Her husband arrived moments later.
The frame had been dismantled, the raft had been deflated, it was very close to being stolen.
I mentioned this to some experienced river runners later, who both had the same reaction: floating a river with stolen gear is just asking for some very bad river karma. I have to agree on that.
Sadly, we all have to be more alert this summer for this kind of dishonesty. At least we know early in the summer. Leave someone with your gear during the shuttle, if you can. It is no longer safe at river's edge - for even a short time.
Kids In Motion supporters traveled to Fairbanks last Friday to participate in the Fairbanks Charity Walk, a 4K eat and graze walk, sponsored by the Visitor Industry. This is the second year the Denali non-profit has participated in this fun family event.
Top fundraisers for Kids In Motion were three elementary students: Laird Dixon, Victoria Pennington and Cooper Dixon. Cooper, a kindergartener, also won for best decorated apron with his artistry of salmon fishing.
Some teens from Healy walked to raise money for hockey. Ilah Reynar and her family walked for the Denali PreSchool and Learning Center.
Once again, thanks to pre-registering, the Dixon Family won door prizes!
Thanks for everyone for their support of Kids In Motion.
In lieu of flowers for Phil Brease, the family prefers donations to either the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, the Fairbanks Animal Shelter or the Brease Family College Fund - in an account pending at First National Bank of Alaska.
THe memorial service is set for Friday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. at the Denali National Park Visitor Center Auditorium.
A memorial service is being planned for longtime Denali National Park geologist Phil Brease.
Friends, family and colleagues are invited to gather at the Denali National Park Visitor Center Auditorium on Friday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m.
A reception will follow.
Brease collapsed and died Wednesday during a field trip with students from Tri-Valley School. He was a regular park contact for students, leading them on geology hikes throughout the park, for many years.
Watch here for additional details as they become available.
Learn how the Eva Creek Wind Project will affect Healy residents.
Attend this public meeting, hosted by Golden Valley Electric Association, on Wednesday, May 19, 6 p.m. at the Tri-Valley Community Center, in Healy.
Golden Valley representatives will explain the summer activities associated with the Eva Creek Wind Project, as well as preview tentative development plans.
Elementary Healy students boasted this week that they got to “work on a farm” after their field trip last week to Calypso Farm and Ecology Center in Fairbanks.
The visit was funded by a grant through Target, thanks to school aide and community volunteer Hannah Ragland.
“It tied in beautifully with our study of living things,” said elementary teacher Kaymbra Mortenson. “There were plenty of hands-on activities and the tour guides were professional yet friendly and inviting.”
The students learned about local economics and agriculture firsthand.
They also learned about CSAs, community supported agriculture projects.
Two CSAs currently serve our area – Denali Organic Growers, run by Jimmie and Laura Hendricks north of Healy and Rosie Creek Farm, run by Mike Emers and Joan Hornig in Ester.
Calypso Farms is a CSA that serves communities to the north. Their programs include the Schoolyard Gardening Initiative which establishes school gardens throughout the Fairbanks North Star Borough; and outreach and education programs. Their programs serve as a model throughout the state.
Many students expected to find cows and horses, but instead encountered goats, sheep and chickens. They got to try milking a dairy goat, met some brand new baby goats just a few weeks old, planted pea seeds to take home, and got to help with some “good old-fashioned” farm work, said Hannah Ragland, school aide and community volunteer.
Thanks to Tom Zimmer and the rest of the Calypso hosts for making the trip a great experience for Healy kids.
The McKinley Village Community Club holds its annual meeting Friday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the McKinley Village Community Center.
Stop by for this meeting, which should last less than an hour.
Find out what is happening in the neighborhood and how you can help. This is also an opportunity to express concerns or address issues regarding use of the community center.
One of the events at the all-night, post-prom high school party last weekend was a volleyball tournament.
One volleyball player - who is really a hockey player - announced proudly that he had made seven goals during one of the volleyball matches.
"In volleyball, they are points," corrected a classmate.
The hockey player replied: "I don't make points. I make goals."
Thirteen students, including one adult, successfully completed a two-day hunter safety certification course in Healy this weekend.
Thanks to volunteer instructors Wayne Valcq and Brett Baysinger, of Clear Sky Sportsman Club, the class was offered locally and quickly filled during the sign-up period.
The class was limited to 16 people. Three students dropped out. Of the remaining students, seven scored a 100 percent on the test, impressing the instructors and the Alaska State Fish and Game mentor who attended Saturday's session.
The class was so popular, a second session will be offered soon, according to Valcq.
The class offered a combination of classwork and field work.