Only in Alaska!

[Ron Thorne]

It would be an understatement to say that Ted Stevens is not one of my most admired men. It would also be an understatement to say that without Ted Stevens in Washington for the past few decades, Alaska would have been standing in the back of the line for federal dollars in view of our meager population. Is Ted Stevens a "porker"? Do bears shit in the woods?

By the way, I went to high school with Stevens' current wife (the former Catherine Bittner), who's a couple of decades younger than he.

There's no mention (in the article posted) of Stevens' son, Ben, now an Alaska state senator, who's also benefitting from dad's cleverness and clout.

Having said all of that, the last sentence in the NY Times article pretty well sums up my view, while offering yet additional insight into Ted Stevens' experience and cunning.

[BFrank]

Thanks, Ron. I knew you could give us some perspective.

"Pork" is a difficult concept to criticize completely. After all, isn't a congressional representative supposed to help his or her constituants?

[Ron Thorne]

Since I couldn't locate a birdwatching thread, I thought I'd share this link here for the time being. Tanager, you could spend many days observing at Potter Marsh on the edge of Anchorage. It's a phenomenal spot for birds, beavers, salmon, and otters.

Watching Arctic Terns maneuver has always fascinated me, and this is a particularly cool slide show, thanks to the Anchorage Daily News and photographer Bob Hallinen.

[Ron Thorne]

It's been colder than usual in Anchorage for the past week or so, but we get some incredible visual payoffs, too.



A chilly ski along Westchester Lagoon: A pair of cross-country skiers glide
down the trail next to the Westchester Lagoon as the sun glints off of the
frosty trees on a recent cold clear day. Increasing clouds are expected for
the weekend, but temperatures around town are likely to remain in the single
digits and teens. (Photo by Bob Hallinen / Anchorage Daily News)

[Ron Thorne]

Our cold snap continues, with the added "feature" of wind! It's currently 12°F at our house, with the temperature expected to drop to 5° overnight, and winds gusting to 75mph for a wind chill factor from minus 40-50°.

Wonderful sights continue, however. The photo below was taken about two blocks away from us. We live two blocks from utter wilderness or a smorgasbord of ethnic restaurants ... ten minutes from downtown, fabulous shopping and cultural bliss.



Orville Lake Classic: Egil Ellis and his dog team are silhouetted
by the setting sun as they sprint to victory in the Orville Lake
Memorial Race on Sunday at Tozier Track in Anchorage.
(Photo by Bill Roth / Anchorage Daily News)

[BFrank]

Ron - That pic of the X-country skiers - what time of day would that be for you guys up there?
Just curious ...

[Ron Thorne]

Needless to say, you'd both be more than welcome here, especially if I could have the pleasure to shake your hands, spend some time talking with you and share some of the beauty of my state.

BFrank, that XC skiing photo was probably taken about 3:30pm in mid-December.

Here's another shot for you, David and BFrank. I took this photo on the morning of December 26th while enjoying coffee and a spectacular view from the breakfast nook at Patti's parent's log home in Hope, Alaska.

[BFrank]

Hey, Dave!

All together now...........Road Trip!!!

[Ron Thorne]

Turning to my left ever so slightly ...

[BFrank]

When's the next flight out of SFO???

[Ron Thorne]

Originally posted by BFrank
When's the next flight out of SFO???

Whenever you decide to visit, if I'm in town, I'm at the airport to meet you.

Now, here's a final image for tonight, also taken on December 26th on the Hope Road, while headed back to Anchorage. We live here and are constantly blown away!

[Ron Thorne]

Patti and I see moose every winter on our property, but yesterday was a first for us in the 33 years we've lived in this home. When Patti stepped out the front door, headed to our car to go to work, she said "there's a moose in our front yard"! When I turned to look, there was a moose bedded down in the snow under one of our birch trees. After taking Patti to work, I tried to get a couple of photos, none of which proved satisfactory due to the darkness and distance for my flash to reach. I didn't want to disturb it by getting any closer, not to mention be stupid enough to make it angry. Anyway, here's evidence that urban moose like the Thorne's front yard. The small yellow dot in the center is his/her right eye reflecting the flash. You can discern the ears silhoutted against the birch tree. It was facing away from me, with its head turned to the right.

More photos from later in the day follow.

[BFrank]

Ron - that temp doesn't screw up your shutter speeds?

[Ron Thorne]

Originally posted by BFrank
Ron - that temp doesn't screw up your shutter speeds?

It might if I were outside for an extended period with one of my 35mm SLR cameras, but these were taken with my Olympus digital, and it was kept warm except for the brief time I walked around to get the images.

In the past, when taking winter shots in subzero temps I routinely carry my camera inside my down coat, against my body, except when actually "shooting".

[Ron Thorne]

For some reason, when I attempted to attach a better quality image of one of my eagle photos, both eagle photos disappeared from my posts, so they will now be out-of-sequence with BFrank's question and my response above.

Here's the way I originally posted the first eagle photo.

I have one drum student who lives in Eagle River, a small community about 13 miles north of us. Yesterday, after teaching my lesson, I saw a bald eagle flying overhead, then stumbled upon the following. There were at least a dozen eagles roosting in cottonwood trees in this one small area. I got a shot of this trio, an adult and two juveniles, likely mother and offspring. These are the times when I wish I had a longer-reach zoom lens.

[Ron Thorne]

Finally, I was able to get a pretty clean shot of this beauty, who was watching my every move. All in all, it was a pretty scenic day in The Greatland. The temperature when I took these photos was about -5° F.

Note: This is now out-of-sequence as explained above. I hope it was worth the effort for you to be able to see this majestic bird a little better.

[SinginSumo]

Ron - Incredible photos! Just glad that you did not disturb Bullwinkle during his crash at Chez Thorne.

[Ron Thorne]

Thanks, my friend. Actually, these photos would have been much better if I'd had a "longer" lens (more powerful telephoto).

On my way home this afternoon, I saw "Bullwinkle" browsing in our neighborhood, and as suspected, he/she is almost a yearling, so relatively small.

Earlier today, on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, I saw a humongous bull moose with a huge rack. Of course I didn't have my camera with me, dammit. This was an impressive dude, trust me ... likely in the 1200-1300 pound range, perhaps larger.

[Ron Thorne]

Here are two more recent images I want to share with you.



Snowshoe shuffle in Russian Jack: A snowshoer passes through drifting steam created by
single-digit temperatures at Russian Jack Springs Park on Sunday. Today's forecast calls
for sunny skies with a high of 12 and a low of 3 below.
(Photo by Jim Lavrakas / Anchorage Daily News)


A string of green: The northern lights streamed over Anchorage on Saturday night. This
image, taken from the Glen Alps viewing deck, is six photos pieced together digitally to
form a panorama looking north across the Chugach Range. (Photo by Scott McGee)

[Ron Thorne]

The Fairweather, a 235-foot low-wake catamaran that can carry 35 cars and 250 passengers at speeds up to 48 mph, sits at a dock in Seattle Tuesday after arriving earlier in the day. The ship is the first car-passenger ferry built in the United States to the international high-speed code and is the first of two the Derecktor shipyard in Bridgeport, Conn., is building under a $68 million contract. It left March 3 and has traveled through the Panama Canal. It's due to arrive this weekend in Juneau where it will serve runs to Sitka, Haines and Skagway. (Photo by ELAINE THOMPSON / The Associated Press)



Our Marine Highway system is critically important for much of our state, especially those areas for which there are very limited roadways, such as in Southeast Alaska. This new state-of-the-art ferry will serve as public transportation for thousands living in "the panhandle".

[Ron Thorne]

For those of you who may have been curious as to where I live in relation to our huge state, perhaps these maps will help. Here's a smallish scale full map of Alaska, first, followed by one of Southcentral Alaska, where I live. Anchorage is bordered by Cook Inlet (Pacific Ocean) on the west and the Chugach Mountain Range on the east. Both of those features can be seen on this map. All of the gold-colored areas are mountains.





Just below the Anchorage, and across the arm of water (Turnagain Arm), lies the tiny gold mining town of Hope, where Patti's parents live. It's right on the water, ringed by the Kenai Mountain Range. We must drive along Turnagain Arm and through a mountain pass to get there. It's only about 5 miles in a straight line, but 87 miles by road.

[Ron Thorne]

Create your own captions!

A young bear at Brooks Camp, Naknek Lake, crawling onto the float of a DeHavilland Beaver, beached there for a bear-viewing excursion.

[Ron Thorne]

It's an annual Rite of Spring, The Slush Cup at the Alyeska Resort Spring Carnival near Anchorage. Ya gotta love these images, kids! Click on photos to enlarge.

Cool ride
Contestants celebrate spring with unique flair


By KEVIN KLOTT
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: April 19, 2004)

Concentrating to stay on top, Rachel Klein skis across a pool of icy water during the Slush Cup held in Girdwood on Sunday. Costumed skiers and snowboarders took a downhill run to the pool where they were judged on their air time, distance and outfits. Klein won the event and received a free ski pass for next season. (Photo by MATT HAGE / The Associated Press) Rob Schroeder makes his jump during the 27th Annual Alyeska Spring Carnival and Slush Cup held in Girdwood. Most skiers and snowboarders said the water wasn't exactly comfortable, but the wacked-out wardrobes made up for the shivers. "The Slush Cup grows in popularity every year," said Alyeska Ski Resort's Chris von Imhof. "Everyone looks forward to this event." (Photo by MATT HAGE / The Associated Press) Luke Thomas plunged into icy water Sunday during the 27th annual Alyeska Spring Carnival and Slush Cup in Girdwood. Fifty costumed skiers and snowboarders took a downhill run to a pool, where they were judged on their air time, distance and outfits. A boisterous crowd of about 1,500 turned out at the ski resort to see who would win a free ski pass for next season. (Photo by MATT HAGE / The Associated Press) Click on photo to enlarge

Casting spells on five Slush Cup judges was simple for a 31-year-old genie on skis. Rachel Klein, dressed in "I Dream of Jeannie" fashion, used her retro costume to sway votes and win the 27th Annual Slush Cup in front of nearly 1,500 boisterous spectators at Alyeska Ski Resort on Sunday.

Klein and 50 other contestants flashed savvy skiing skills and shed bulky winter clothing for the marquee event of Alyeska's Spring Carnival.

Her prize for winning is a free ski pass for next season. The only trick was maneuvering her pair of skis across a 90-foot pool of ice water. Most skiers and snowboarders said the water wasn't exactly comfortable, but the wacked-out wardrobes made up for the shivers.

"The Slush Cup grows in popularity every year," said Alyeska Ski Resort's Chris von Imhof. "Everyone looks forward to this event."

Especially for Klein, who floated across the pool like Barbara Eden on a magic carpet.

"I'm just glad I didn't get wet," Klein said. "When you're competing against a bunch of guys, you have to use your assets."

Other than being one of a handful of contestants to make the lengthy stride, Klein said showing some skin surely impressed the judges.

"That's what made it a dead ringer," Klein's friend and outfit designer Holly Hobson said. "The WD-40 helped too."

But compared to other Slush Cup junkies, Klein's revealing costume was somewhat innocent.

David Mead, 21, couldn't think of a reason why not to travel down Mount Alyeska in just a Speedo.

"When you hit the water it wasn't so bad," he said. "Then you say 'ahhhh' and the cold starts kicking in."

Following Mead's plunge into the arctic waters of Alyeska was a masked snowboarder, Jay Rider. He stole the show early with his McDonald's Hamburgler disguise.

Rider, 25, was one of the first riders to manage the feat of staying dry. He accomplished it despite clutching onto a phony Big Mac.

"You've just got to haul," Rider said.

Rider's partner in crime, Casey Jacobs, pieced the fast food theme together with his Ronald McDonald duds.

"We wanted to go at the same time," he said. "But they told us it wasn't safe."

Anchorage's David Rayfield also made the traverse without getting soaked. Though he wore banana-yellow commercial fisherman attire, he knew a front flip at the pool's lip would be a crowd-pleaser.

"I wanted to go for ultimate style points," he said. "People just go across, but that's not the key. You've got to go out with a bang."

Getting soaked wasn't a problem for Reg Kalkins, who flew in from Hawaii this week just for the Slush Cup. In fact, Kalkins loves Spring Carnival so much that once the wet-suit diver assisted him out of the pool, he immediately jumped back into the 32-degree pond.

"I hate Hawaii," Kalkins said. "It's too hot. I come here to cool off."

Some participants came to Alyeska despite other obligations.

Skier Cody Barnhill wore a military helmet and a pair of shorts during his ride. He dazzled the crowd after spinning midway through the hill's final slope and plunging backward into the pool.

Unfortunately for Barnhill, he didn't have time to celebrate his inverted yet beloved move.

"I've got to go get my clothes," he said frantically. "I'm going to be late for work."



Daily News reporter Kevin Klott can be reached at kklott@adn.com.

[Ron Thorne]

Big bull
Woody hits 2,000 pounds, then keeps on gaining


By DOUG O'HARRA
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: April 29, 2004)

Alaska SeaLife Center mammalogist Jennifer Dailer works with Woody on Wednesday. Dailer directed the one-ton Steller sea lion to stand, a behavior that allows for close examination of his ventral area and pectoral flippers. The horizontal bar near Woody's nose is 9 feet off the ground. (Photo by Elizabeth Moundalexis / Alaska SeaLife Center) (Photo by Dennis Christen / Alaska SeaLife Center) Click on photo to enlarge

He's bigger than a couple of Chugach brown bears. Far heavier than a bull moose. Bulkier, and more cantankerous, than your average beluga whale.

He's Woody -- the captive male Steller sea lion at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward. And, on Tuesday morning, the 11-year-old bull galumphed through the one-ton barrier for the first time in his career as a research subject and aquarium attraction. The scale tipped at 2,006 pounds, a nine-pound gain since Monday, said marine mammal curator Dennis Christen.By Wednesday morning, he was bigger still: 2,017 pounds.

Since mid-December, Woody has gained about 800 pounds, sometimes adding a half pound of additional fat and muscle every hour as he scarfs down 77 pounds of fish and octopus each day, Christen said.

"He's the incredible expanding sea lion," said center spokesman Jason Wettstein. "He looks like Jabba the Hut."

As astounding as it seems, Woody's weight gain is driven by normal physiological changes that hit male sea lions during winter and spring when the animals bulk up in preparation for rut and mating season. But no one knows how far Woody will go.

Keeping daily track of a bull sea lion as he pumps up for mating season is relatively new ground for science, said center biologist Don Calkins, one of the leading sea lion researchers in the world.

"That's what we expect a healthy bull to do, but we've never had a chance to monitor this before where we can make regular weights and measurements," he said. "The largest one I ever weighed -- and I've weighed about 300 sea lions -- was just over 2,000 pounds. So he's probably at the top of their range, and he may get larger. It's hard to say."

Last spring, Woody's testosterone levels tripled, too, signaling that he had reached "functional puberty," Christen said.

Of course, Woody's reign on the rocks won't be coming soon, if at all. He lives alone in the 16-foot-deep, 162,000-gallon tank during winter and spring because the center's federal permit doesn't allow Woody to breed. Still, wild sea lions can live up to 17 or 18 years, so there's time.

"I think there's some interest within our research department to make that happen, but it's something that you'd have to get authorized (by the National Marine Fisheries Service)," Christen said. "We've been told to make every effort to make sure there's not any accidental breeding."

Closely watching Woody's diet is a small part of the captive sea lion program in Seward. Ever since they moved from the Vancouver Aquarium six years ago, Woody and two female sea lions, named Kiska and Sugar, have grown from adolescence to adulthood. The three animals spend some of the time on display while participating in a catalog of scientific studies into sea lion physiology and behavior.

Christen and his staff train the sea lions so they're ready to cooperate with scientists and veterinarians. To make sure they have plenty of stimulation, the human caretakers interact with the animals, give them toys, even hide food as a sort of game. Depending on the day, they might get fed two to six times per day.

Sea lion populations between the Gulf of Alaska and the tip of the Aleutian Chain crashed by more than 80 percent through the early 1990s, triggering an endangered listing and a $100 million scientific investigation by researchers at a dozen institutions. For their part, Woody and the two females spent years testing the so-called "junk food hypothesis" -- that a diet dominated by pollock and flatfish wasn't as healthy for sea lions as a diet of forage fish.

As Woody got older and more aggressive, Christen and his staff found they had to manage him from behind barriers and by using voice and hand signals. Last spring, Woody peaked at 1,842 pounds on May 27, then gradually dropped to about 1,200 pounds over the next six months.

This winter, he gained it back, and then some.

"He is healthy, but the simple fact is these animals don't work as hard as the wild animals, so they have an opportunity to put on more weight," Calkins said.

Over the next month, Woody is expected to load up another 200 pounds or so. Christen and the marine mammal staff continue to try to work with Woody every day by practicing commands and hiding food treats for him to find. It's not easy.

"During the rut-breeding season, we have to take him with a grain of salt, keep things basic, and understand that he has other things on his mind," he said. "For example: If he's asked for something slightly physical, he might just stare at you for a moment and then settle, as if to imply, 'I don't think so.' "

In that instance, Christen said he has to just be patient and come back later. "There's nothing you can do about it," he said.

Woody is expected to live out his life at the Seward facility. Still, it's worth asking, how would he do in the wild? Could he dominate other bulls and claim his share of cows?

Woody is big, sure. But is he bad?

Size isn't everything, Calkins cautioned.

"I've seen much smaller males hold territories and defend them from much larger animals," he said.

"I think if given the chance to defend a harem, he is getting large enough to give it a try," Christen added. "However, he has always been the largest sea lion he has ever known, and I am not sure how he would do if faced with another large male competing for the same piece of rock."



Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra can be reached at do'harra@adn.com.

---

Woody food facts



• Woody ate 88,313.21 pounds of fish and octopus between March 31, 1998, and March 31, 2003, tripling his weight from 496 pounds to 1,501 pounds. • From April 1, 2003, until March 31, 2004, Woody ate another 22,512 pounds, averaging about 78 pounds per day. Since December, his diet has been 35 percent pollock, 35 percent herring and 30 percent divided equally among salmon, octopus and sole.




Alaska SeaLife Center www.alaskasealife.org

Steller Sea Lions stellersealions.noaa.gov

[Ron Thorne]

It's that time of year again ...

Urban bear attack
Sow killed after charging Rabbit Creek man; young cubs remain at large


By DOUG O'HARRA
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: May 25, 2004)

Frank Bettine and his dog Bearsheba were taking an evening walk on the trails near his Hillside home Saturday when he was charged by a brown bear. Bettine was able to shoot once at the bear and turn it away. Bettine returned later with police, who shot and killed the bear after it charged them. (Photo by Fran Durner / Anchorage Daily News) Click on photo to enlarge

Frank Bettine was walking his dog in the thick forest near his Rabbit Creek-area home about 9 p.m. Saturday when he heard a sound that raised the hair on the back of the neck.

The distinct snap of a branch in seemingly empty woods. "I thought it was a moose," he said later. "Then I heard a woof."

Bettine's eyes locked with those of a brown bear standing alert about 30 yards uphill through newly leafed alder. In the second or two it took the bear to explode downhill, Bettine had time to slip a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol from his belt and take aim.

When the bear pivoted around a log about 20 feet away and showed no sign of stopping, Bettine fired one shot. The bear whirled and bolted back uphill.

Bettine called his dog, an English setter named Bearsheba, and retreated a few hundred yards to his home, northeast of Goldenview Drive and Rabbit Creek Road.

But the story, a glimpse of life and death among Anchorage's urban wildlife in spring, doesn't end there.

Unsure whether he had wounded the bear, Bettine called 911. Two Anchorage police officers returned with him to investigate, using a thermal imaging device that detects heat from living things. They ended up facing a furious charge by the same bear about 10:30 p.m. Officers Chris Mueller and Bradley Clark killed it with multiple shots from a Remington 870 shotgun and a .45-caliber pistol.

The three men worked until midnight hauling the carcass to a road with Bettine's four-wheeler. Then came another twist: volunteers salvaging the carcass for charity confirmed it was a sow that had been actively nursing.

So on Sunday, Bettine and his wife and neighbors searched the woods south of the Rabbit Creek. They wanted to find any cubs before it was too late.

An attorney and electrical engineer who has lived in the same Hillside home since 1984, Bettine has walked the same trails almost every day for years and loves living near wildlife. Bears had always run from him in the past. He didn't want any of them to die.

"Well, heck, I didn't want the cubs to starve to death," he said. "I was depressed enough to have to shoot the bear. If we can save the cubs, I want to do it."

On Sunday evening, Bettine found the cubs, up near the top of a tall spruce. Beneath the tree was another remarkable find: Duff and grass were torn up and rumpled, showing where the sow had scratched up a bed for herself and her offspring. It was only a few hundred yards from a suburban back yard with a swing set and children's toys.

The shredded carcass of a tiny moose calf lay in a hole, almost totally consumed. Blackened scat was piled nearby.

The incident began to make more sense. The sow had tucked her cubs into this dim refuge beneath alders and new devil's club, took down a meal, and defended the scene to her death.

"This was a double dose. Not only was it a brown bear, she had food and cubs," Bettine said. "It's the worst combination you could have."

This first confirmed bear kill of the season in Anchorage offered another warning that bears are now abroad in search of easy food and newborn moose calves.

"This is not a good time of year to be crashing through the brush," said state biologist Rick Sinnott, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

People need to make noise and avoid dense forest, added Chugach State Park Chief Ranger Mike Goodwin. "This is the worst time, really. The moose calves are being dropped right now, and they're such a target for these bears."

On Monday morning, Chugach rangers investigated a report that a bear was eating a calf near the Glen Alps parking area. They have been monitoring a black bear harassing two sets of moose twins and their mothers in the McHugh Creek picnic area.

"That black bear has been on the campground hosts' car, scratching the dickens out of the roof," Goodwin said. "We've been down there three mornings trying to pop it (with bean bags) and get it out of there, but we keep missing it."

Other bears have been reported around town; a black bear fed along Campbell airstrip one evening last week. But a young brown bear that had been raiding garbage in neighborhoods near Eagle River has not been seen for more than a week. Sinnott worried someone had killed that bear.

On Sunday night Sinnott and assistant state biologist Jessy Coltrane checked on the cubs Bettine found. The cubs hugged the spruce trunk, about 60 to 70 feet above the ground, swaying in gusting winds. There was no way to get them down, Sinnott said.

Given the location, these cubs and their mother were almost certainly the same three animals that people had been reporting over the past two weeks, meandering out of Far North Bicentennial Park and across the Anchorage Hillside, Sinnott said. The sow was last reported near Huffman and Elmore roads on Friday night and probably moved to this location within a day of charging Bettine.

Under the circumstances, Sinnott said Bettine had little choice but to fire.

"It was totally justified," he said. "I probably would have done the same thing."

If the cubs can be found, they will be taken to the Alaska Zoo and held for adoption to a facility in the Lower 48, Sinnott said.

"He's welcome to bring them here," said zoo director Tex Edwards. "There's a good chance that either there's already a place for them or we'll find a place."

On Monday morning, Sinnott and Coltrane found that the cubs had disappeared. On Monday afternoon, the biologists returned with bear expert Sean Farley; still no sign.

If people see the cubs, they should call state Fish and Game. Don't try to pick them up, Sinnott said.

"That would be like grabbing onto the business end of a chain saw," he said. "They might look cute, but they won't be happy if someone grabs them."

On Monday afternoon, Bettine visited the site of the bear bed and walked the trail. He watched carefully when Bearsheba strained at the leash, as though something was off in the woods.

As a gentle rain began to fall on the lush green woods, Bettine studied the forest through binoculars and scanned the spruce trunk to its crown.

"They've got to be out there somewhere," he said.



Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra can be reached at do'harra@adn.com.

[Ron Thorne]

An update to the previous story:

Orphaned cub netted, sent to zoo
SIBLING STILL FREE: Biologist's foray up a tree didn't do the trick.


By DOUG O'HARRA
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: May 27, 2004)

An orphaned brown bear cub checks out a stranger visiting its holding pen Wednesday at the Alaska Zoo. The cub, on display daily until it finds a new home, was one of a pair orphaned when their mother was shot and killed Saturday in Rabbit Creek. The second has not been found. (Photo by Jim Lavrakas / Anchorage Daily News) Click on photo to enlarge

State biologists managed to capture one of two newly orphaned brown bear cubs hiding in the forest off Rabbit Creek Road on Tuesday night in a mad-dash ambush using a couple of salmon dipnets. The two-and-a-half-hour ordeal to rescue the baby animals, whose mother was shot and killed Saturday, began with the aid of an English setter dog. It soon involved a squad of diligent neighbors, an extension ladder, a harrowing, skin-ripping climb up a dead spruce and one portable, camouflaged hunting blind.

It ended with one cub screeching inside a kennel like it was being roasted alive, while its sibling scrambled free into the underbrush.

"He was a very unhappy bear," state biologist Rick Sinnott said. "They make a noise like a Tasmanian devil, the worst possible noise. He was just like holy terror."

But by Wednesday morning, that fuzzy cub was nestled on straw at the Alaska Zoo, its belly full of special formula mixed with puppy chow, rice and bananas. It will go on public display today, zoo officials said.

"It looks like he's doing pretty good, other than being very hungry," zoo curator Pat Lampi said. "They're resilient little critters."

The second bear remained at large Wednesday. Biologists and local residents hope to find it before it gets munched by an adult bear or starves. One strategy would entail laying the sow's hide on the ground near the cub to attract it, state biologists said.

Both cubs, sex still unknown, would have been born earlier this year in a den on or near the Anchorage Hillside and cannot live alone for more than a few more days.

"We go out about every couple hours to try to find the cub," said Frank Bettine, who fired a single shot at the cubs' mother when the animal charged him at close quarters Saturday night. "I'm thrilled that we were able to capture one, and we'll keep looking until we can capture the other."

The sow grizzly was killed Saturday night after it charged two Anchorage police officers who returned to the scene with Bettine. The sow had been feeding on a moose calf in a bed scratched out beneath thick alders a few hundred yards from housing in a wild area northeast of Rabbit Creek Road and Goldenview Drive.

If the other cub can be found, it will be reunited with its sibling at the zoo and go on display until they get adopted by a Lower 48 facility, said Lampi and zoo director Tex Edwards.

"We do not have room for more bears, brown or black," Edwards said.

The sow and cubs were almost certainly the same three bears reported meandering across the lower Hillside during the past two weeks, said Sinnott, Anchorage-area management biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Sinnott and assistant biologist Jessy Coltrane couldn't get the cubs down from a tree on Sunday night, then couldn't find them during trips to the area Monday. On Tuesday evening, Bettine's wife, Genivee, saw the cubs and treed them with the help of the couple's English setter, Bear- sheba, Frank Bettine said.

Sinnott, Coltrane, a volunteer and a half-dozen neighbors gathered beneath a tall spruce a bit before 8 p.m. Using an extension ladder borrowed from a resident, Sinnott began climbing the tree, cutting out a path through the snarl with a saw, moving closer to the cubs branch by branch.

Scratched up and holding the trunk with one hand, Sinnott said, he tried to reach the lowest bear with a rope snare on the end of a pole.

"I was going to try to pull it down the tree bit by bit, but I worried it might land on my face," he said later.

The cubs edged higher. Then higher still.

Coltrane, holding on about 15 feet below, said bits of bark and sap were raining in her face. "Rick's insane," she said later. "He climbed pretty high; I wasn't going to go that high."

The biologists retreated to stiffen the rope loop with duct tape. By then, the cubs had made it to the crown.

"They were up in the very tip of the tree, where it was about two inches in diameter," Sinnott said. "I thought they were going to fall out."

Bettine offered to bring them a portable blind. The neighbors retreated from the scene. The two biologists placed two dipnets along one trail and one on another, then crouched behind the blind with volunteer Kevin Ewing.

With everything quiet, the three people waited. Within 15 or 20 minutes, the two bears began to scramble down the trunk.

When the animals reached the ground, Sinnott and Coltrane burst from cover, snatched up the dipnets as they sprinted -- and swooped down, one net over each bear.

"We had both of them, but it's really hard to use a dipnet in brush because it gets caught on everything," Coltrane said. Her net was partly hung up on a log, leaving the bear a few inches to squeeze out and make a break for the alders.

Sinnott then grabbed the other bear by the scruff of the neck and tried to put it in a kennel. It splayed its legs, he said, and wouldn't go in. He tried again.

"When you first catch them, they're a ball of teeth and claws and you don't really want to handle them," he said. "He was a very healthy bear."

The plan was to wait for the other cub to return to its sibling. But when the three people again hid behind the blind, the cub seemed to go berserk -- screeching and thumping around.

"It was like we had caught some type of gremlin," Coltrane said. "The kennel was bowing in and out, and it was shaking. We were afraid he was attracting every predatory bear within miles."

Finally the biologists took the little bear away from the scene. It spent the night at Fish and Game headquarters, then went to the zoo about 9 a.m.

Lampi, who has cared for dozens of orphaned bear cubs over the years, said it growled at him and thumped its cage at first. But a dish of blended formula and chow soon mellowed it.

"He walked right up and scarfed the food without hesitating," he said. "It's acting very healthy -- it was climbing up the side of the cage. They learn fast."



Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra can be reached at do'harra@adn.com.

[Ron Thorne]

One of the dangers during this season when bear sows are hunting for food for their cubs. This moose calf was born in the same area where the grizzly was shot last weekend.

12 hours old and one of hundreds roaming city

Wobbling on unsure legs, a 12-hour-old moose calf was almost knocked over while being groomed by its mother in the yard of a residence off Elmore Road on the Hillside. The moose calving season typically peaks between May 15 and the end of the month, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Rick Sinnott, who says several hundred calves are born in Anchorage each spring. Sinnott says moose and bears become a real concern this time of year because of the new offspring. "They can do some damage to you if you get crosswise with the mom." (Photo by Jim Lavrakas / Anchorage Daily News)

Published: May 28, 2004

[Ron Thorne]

Sometimes there is good news to report. This is such a time.

Together again
Honey and rice was the recipe for capturing errant cub


By DOUG O'HARRA
Anchorage Daily News

(Published: June 8, 2004)

Two weeks after their mother was shot, the second of the two cubs, left, was reunited with his sibling Monday at the Alaska Zoo. (Photo by Jim Lavrakas / Anchorage Daily News) Click on photo to enlarge

A skinny brown bear cub that hid out for 15 days after its mother was killed on the Anchorage Hillside was captured early Monday in a homemade trap and reunited with its sibling at the Alaska Zoo.

The two 6-month-old males, huffing or growling at zookeepers and camera-toting journalists, took right to each other when reintroduced inside a cage near the zoo entrance. Within minutes, they had sniffed, nuzzled and huddled close.

At one point, both little bears stood on hind legs, one with its paw resting on the other's shoulder, and faced down a crowd of gawking humans: orphaned brothers standing against the world.

"It's pretty obvious they recognize each other," said zoo curator Pat Lampi, clearly relieved that there was no snarling fight. "I think it's great they're sticking by each other."

Rabbit Creek area resident Frank Bettine -- whose trap caught the cub and whose shot at a charging sow launched the bruin family drama two weeks ago -- was also relieved.

A smile played across his face as he and his wife, Genivee, watched the cubs explore their new home.

"Well, they're happy to see each other, anyway," he said. "We're just thrilled. We've been checking that trap two to three times per day."

The missing cub had been reported intermittently since its brother was captured two weeks ago in dense woods northeast of Goldenview Drive and Rabbit Creek Road. Biologists had said the second cub would starve or be eaten by another bear if it wasn't caught soon.

But Bettine said he kept seeing signs that the cub was returning to nibble at a bowl of honey and Minute Rice left in a thicket of alders, the same dim warren where its mother had killed a moose calf and scratched out a bed two weeks earlier.

The Bettines and several neighbors patrolled the area in a vigil that zoo and state officials said was remarkable. Bettine rigged a drop-door trap and even salted the area with licorice-like spice anise, said to attract bears.

"I felt bad enough for having to shoot the mom," the Anchorage attorney and electrical engineer told a Channel 2 newsman at the zoo. "I didn't want to see these cubs suffer because of the bad decision of the mother."

"Every morning, we got up and asked, 'Where's Little Bear?' " added Genivee Bettine, watching the cubs balance on a pile of logs and drink from their water tub. "I'm just glad that they're happy to see each other."

Several Lower 48 zoos and wildlife parks have asked about adopting the cubs but it's not clear whether they will be able to stay together, said Tim Peltier, a state biologist who oversees permits to handle or display Alaska wildlife. Kim Titus, deputy director of the state Division of Wildlife Conservation, will select the bears' destination.

"No decisions have been made yet," Peltier said Monday.

On May 22 Bettine shot a grizzly sow that charged from the underbrush and came within 10 feet while he was on an evening walk near his home north of Rabbit Creek Road. The bear was killed an hour later after it charged two Anchorage police officers who had returned with Bettine to the scene to investigate.

After volunteers salvaging the carcass for charity confirmed that the sow had been actively nursing, Betting returned to the area the next day and found two cubs clinging near the top of a spruce in a wind storm. Two days later, Genivee Bettine treed the cubs again with the help of the couple's English setter, Bearsheba.

With assistance from a squad of neighbors and an extension ladder, state biologists Rick Sinnott and Jessy Coltrane, with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, climbed the tree and tried to snare one. But the bears crept to the crown, out of reach. Finally the biologists hid behind a portable hunting blind and waited for the cubs to climb down. They caught one with a dipnet, but the other escaped.

That was May 25. After publicity about the capture, two to three people per day called Sinnott with reports of small brown creatures dashing through the woods. "All of the calls were either people seeing the bear cub or hallucinating the bear cub," he said.

The cub was treed once more but leaped free before Sinnott could net him. Bettine built the trap and baited it with goodies. The effort paid off about 7:15 a.m. Monday.

"I could hear the little guy woofing from 100 yards away, so I knew," Bettine said Monday. "I said, 'I finally got you!' "

The Bettines mounted handles on the trap and screwed down the lid and covered it with a towel. Sinnott and Coltrane brought it to the zoo about 8:30 a.m.

"We were just the taxi service," Sinnott said.

A few hours later, the cub was lapping down a bowl of formula, kibble, rice and fruit inside a cage in behind-the-scenes work area. It eyed people standing nearby and growled.

The bear, confirmed to be male, weighed 27 pounds, 10 pounds less than its brother.

The captured cub had been eating well but seemed shy, said zoo caretaker Beth Foglesong.

"He hasn't really warmed to us yet," she said. "I think he'll probably enjoy seeing his sibling. I think he's a little lonely. He needs some attention on his own level."

Then Lampi got the go-ahead from the zoo vet to put the cubs together. He caught the cub with a throw net and placed it inside a kennel, then wheeled it across the zoo, every step taped by three TV cameramen.

Inside the display cage, the first cub climbed the black mesh and began huffing and drooling in distress. The cub in the kennel began hoarse wailing. Lampi hoped the two would smell each other but after a few moments of futile noise, he decided to unlatch the kennel.

The cub nosed open the door, ducked back, then bolted across the cage toward its sibling.

Within seconds, brother bears crouched side by side.



Daily News reporter Doug O'Harra can be reached at do'harra@adn.com.

[Ron Thorne]

As I've stated several times, many items posted on this thread are not exclusive to Alaska, but most are, in some way. The following definitely is not only an Alaskan exclusive, but one exclusive to my city, Anchorage. I'm so happy that this project, Wild Salmon on Parade, took off like crazy last summer and is now an annual event.

Here are a couple of examples and a link where you can view all 30 entries and cast your vote for your favorite. The sculptures will remain on display all summer long, then be auctioned this fall, with the proceeds helping to fund four local charities.



Sake Salmon

Artist: Chris Floyd
Map Number: 8
Location: Alaska Public Lands, 4th Avenue & F Street

Bio: A salute to salmon in the raw, Sake Salmon sports salmon sashimi (sake), sushi rolls and salmon roe on a wasabi-green background. Illustrator, landscape artist and woodcarver Chris Floyd works as an environmental chemist and usually finds inspiration for his artwork in the remote places he visits. In the case of Sake Salmon, the inspiration was close to home; Chris and his wife, Sonya, developed their taste for sushi at Anchorage restaurants.



Carousel King

Artist: Cathy and Tamas Deak
Map Number: 4
Location: ConocoPhillips, 8th Avenue & G Street

Bio: No reigns can hold this fish back! Carousel King adds Alaska flavor to the exquisite and exotic carousel art that engages the imaginations of children and adults worldwide. This king is the fastest fish in the carousel stream and is ready to ride complete with saddle and fishing wire reigns. Artists Cathy and Tamas Deak have lived in Anchorage since 1994. Cathy, the driving art force behind the project, focuses on expression through experimentation with color.

[Ron Thorne]

Sorry, I couldn't resist, especially after finding this cool flag site. This is a very unique and lovely song.




State Song

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue -
Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The Bear - the Dipper - and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
O'er land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag - to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.

To listen to our State Song beautifully performed by the Alaska Children's Choir, click here. You won't regret it, but you must be patient for it to download fully.