Published Jun 21, 2023 by Nathaniel Herz

Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has removed the university researcher who was helping lead his energy task force.

Gwen Holdmann, a senior researcher at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power and an associate vice chancellor at University of Alaska Fairbanks, was notified earlier this month that she’d been removed from Dunleavy’s Energy Security Task Force, she said in a phone interview.

Her removal came after just two meetings.

Holdmann was one of two subject matter experts serving as a vice chair of the task force, along with Curtis Thayer, the head of the Alaska Energy Authority. Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom chairs the group.

Holdmann said Dunleavy’s office told her they were looking for somebody higher up in the university system to participate in the task force.

Published Jun 21, 2023 by Sofia Stuart-Rasi

The United States military left many contaminated areas around Unalaska when they pulled out after World War II, like oil tanks and chemicals that polluted streams and soils. Now, the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska is teaming up with scientists from universities in Arizona, Nevada and Alaska to address the contamination.

The research is part of a four-year grant project through the National Science Foundation. One of the first steps is collecting fish from lakes and streams that could be environmentally polluted. The fish in them could cause health problems for people who eat them regularly.

Published Jun 20, 2023 by BCSF Staff

Bethel Community Services Foundation (BCSF) would like to inform incoming and returning college and university students that the application period is still open for two scholarship opportunities. The deadline for both scholarships is June 12, 2023. 

Published Jun 20, 2023 by Sage Alexander

Southern sea otters once lived across California, including Humboldt Bay. Now, only about 3,000 live along the coast of the state.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted a feasibility assessment in 2022 about reintroducing the animal along the coast and found an effort to bring the species further north to be legal, with a positive socioeconomic and biological impact. The USFWS will host a meeting Sunday in Arcata to collect public input on the issue.

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One impact of sea otters, which successfully repopulated Washington and Alaska, has been competition with fishermen. Brenda Konar, professor of Marine Biology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks said in an email that otters in Alaska have forced farmers to change from lantern nets to cages to protect their catch.

Published Jun 20, 2023 by KSRM News Desk

The FY24 State of Alaska budget released by Governor Dunleavy maintains financial stability for the University of Alaska (UA) System and sets the stage for continued enrollment growth to benefit Alaska. The enacted budget includes modest growth to support negotiated compensation for employees and targeted investment in educational programs.

“We appreciate the Governor’s support of the university system and our continued work to empower Alaska,” UA President Pat Pitney said. “The budget signed today provides continued financial stability and critical investments in UA’s educational programs, people, and infrastructure.”

The enacted state appropriation for UA is just over $308 million; combined with federal receipts and other revenues, UA’s total FY24 operating budget stands at just under $884.8 million.

Published Jun 20, 2023 by Robert Woolsey, KCAW - Sitka

While no eruption is imminent, scientists from the Alaska Geophysical Institute in Fairbanks recently spent a few days on the flanks of Mt. Edgecumbe — and on surrounding beaches — collecting information on surface temperatures and gasses they hope will shed light on what’s brewing beneath the surface.

Carbon dioxide can’t be seen or smelled, but a team of scientists from the Alaska Geophysical Institute knows how to detect it. Six of them spent a few days helicoptering between Sitka and Mt. Edgecumbe in early June, testing the soil of Kruzof Island for CO2.

The project is funded by NASA as part of a program for early career scientists. The team is tackling the problem on two fronts: in the air and on land.