Published Mar 23, 2023 by Courtesy of UAMN

The Museum of the North partnered with Alaska 529 to host the annual open house this Saturday for the first time since 2019.

Residents can tour laboratories and galleries for free at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North on Saturday afternoon.

Aelin Allegood, development officer for the UAMN, said the museum staff is very excited.

“This is a chance to connect all of Interior Alaska with the amazing research going on at the museum,” Allegood said. “It’s fun to connect everybody of all ages to our research.”

Allegood said, “this is the only time that the public can access the research labs and see what goes on behind the scenes.” The public will be able to see where research, study, and discovery happens at the museum, she said.

Residents can participate in activities in the creativity lab, talk with researchers and curators about their work, view the museum galleries for free, peek into the wet collections area, and learn about ornithology, botany, mammals, genomics, and more.

Published Mar 23, 2023

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy revised the Alaska Energy Security Task Force and announced its members.

The Governor issued Administrative Order 344 on February 23, 2023, establishing the task force.

The task force has been revised to include the Lieutenant Governor as the Chair and add an additional public seat, increasing the number of voting members from 13 to 15.

The Energy Security Task Force, as revised in Administrative Order 345, focuses on Alaska’s efforts to reduce the cost of energy for Alaskans.

The Alaska Energy Security Task Force will consist of 15 voting members and three ex officio members appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the Governor.

The voting members are as follows:

•   Lieutenant Governor Dahlstrom (Chair of the Task Force)

•   Commissioner Jason Brune (Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation)

•   Commissioner John Boyle (Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources)

•   Curtis Thayer (Vice Chair of the Task Force) (The Executive Director of the Alaska Energy Authority)

•   Gwen Holdman (Vice Chair of the Task Force) (Member from the University of Alaska with a background in energy)

•   Clay Koplin, Cordova Electric Cooperative (Member from a utility that represents rural Alaska or a community receiving power cost equalization)

•   Nils Andreassen, Alaska Municipal League (Member who represents a city, borough, or municipality)

•   Tony Izzo, Matanuska Electric Association (Member with a Railbelt utility background)

•   John Simms, Enstar (Member from the oil and gas industry)

•   Karl Hanneman, International Tower Hill Mines (Member from the mining industry)

•   Robert Venables, Southeast Conference (Member with a background in economic development)

•   Andrew Guy, Calista Corporation (Member from the business community)

•   Jenn Miller, Renewable Independent Power Producers (Member from any segment of the Alaskan energy industry)

•   Duff Mitchell, Juneau Hydropower (Member of the general public)

•   Isaac Vandenburg, Launch Alaska (Member of the general public)