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P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, November 16-17, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 41
In the news Wildlife officials consider killing nuisance Kodiak bears KODIAK (AP) — Alaska wildlife officials are considering killing nuisance bears in Kodiak if they don’t go into hibernation soon. City manager Mike Tvenge told the council last week that state Department of Fish and Game officials working with Kodiak police will likely kill these bears, noting that nonlethal measures have become less effective against the animals, the Kodiak Daily Mirror reported. “Kodiak Police Department is working closely with Alaska Department of Fish and Game to deter the bears from getting into the (trash) roll carts, but those efforts have had short-lasting effects,” Tvenge told the city officials. “The bears are now becoming used to the non-lethal bullets and pepper shots.” Police and wildlife officials have responded to several calls in recent weeks about bears getting into trash around town. In one incident last month, a bear broke into a garage. Kodiak police will provide backup to the wildlife officials, who have already accompanied officers on some patrols, police Lt. Francis de la Fuente said. Killing a bear in a residential area is not an easy task, he said. The wildlife department does not usually decide to kill a bear without first conferring with appropriate local, state or federal agencies, said Nate Svoboda, a department wildlife biologist. “Making the decision to dispatch a bear is not something ADF&G often endorses, as this does little to curb the fundamental problem of bears getting into easily accessible and unprotected trash,” Svoboda said. Before killing a bear, the department will first try to address core problems, like what’s attracting the bear to the area, Svoboda said. Relocating bears is not a viable option, he said. “This can be very difficult, time-consuming, resource intense and expensive, and typically does little to solve the core problem,” Svoboda said. “In addition, relocating bears to other regions can disrupt the natural system in the area the bear gets relocated.”
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Multiuse trails, singletrack Kenai works transform Slikok Creek area to attract
By JEFF HELMINIAK Peninsula Clarion
In preparation for the arrival of the Arctic Winter Games to the Kenai Peninsula in 2006, Dale Bagley, then the borough mayor, and Tsalteshi Trails gurus Alan Boraas, Bill Holt and Allan Miller walked the land across the Sterling Highway from the Central Peninsula Landfill prospecting for a good place to host biathlon. Ultimately, the four decided that if the peninsula was looking to show its best face to northern regions from around the world, biathlon should take place a little farther from the dump and the highway. But the land made an impression. “We got really excited and started laying out trails that same year,” said Holt, the maintenance and development manager at Tsalteshi Trails. “I’ve thought about this land a lot in the past five years with a lot of different people.” Two features combine to make the area perfect for trails. Rocks and other deposits left by retreating glaciers have created rolling hills, potholes and eskers, or long, fingerlike ridges.
The land also gradually slopes down to Slikok Creek, giving a trail designer even more options. “It’s nice, rolling terrain,” Holt said. “That’s what makes it terrific. It’s always rollercoasty. Then that long, gradual downhill to Slikok Creek. That makes it even better.” The land between Skyview Middle School and Kalifornsky Beach Road hosting Tsalteshi Trails isn’t too shabby, either, and for that reason potential trails in the Slikok area went unrealized for more than 10 years after the quartet first walked it. Meanwhile, Tsalteshi was refined into a ski-trail system that Holt said approaches World Cup quality. Last spring, Boraas checked with his son, who runs a trail-building company in Juneau, and got back an estimate that the design and construction of Tsalteshi would cost about $5 million if done today. The problem with ski trails is that they don’t play nicely with other winter pursuits. Biking, hiking, dogs and snowshoeing all degrade the meticulous quality that Holt and This map, provided by Bill Holt of Tsalteshi Trails, shows the See TRAIL, page A14 new Slikok Trails. (Map provided by Bill Holt)
new business By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Kenai is open for business. Several entrepreneurs have chosen to set up shop in Kenai, like the new Brothers’ Cafe, Puffin Chiropractor, and Magical Gardens. However, a former Pizza Hut restaurant, Carl’s Jr. drive-thru, Lowe’s Home Improvement store, and a bowling alley still sit empty along with other vacant buildings, storefronts and facilities. For Kenai, these properties mean potential. The city administration is working on several projects to match entrepreneurs with parcels that will work for them and their business. One of the biggest projects the city is undertaking is compiling data on all city-owned land and what it could be best used for, Christine Cunningham, assistant to the city manager of Kenai, said. “The city is a major landSee BIZ, page A14
Soldotna troopers welcome new canine officer By JOEY KLECKA Peninsula Clarion
Alaska State Troopers in Soldotna have a new partner ready to sniff out crime. Since the middle of July, the Alaska State Trooper post on Kalifornsky Beach Road has become the new employer of 3-year-old Donna, who has joined the force as part of the canine unit. Trooper Jason Woodruf said the station has worked with three dogs during his tenure in Soldotna, but Donna is the first he has personally worked with. Troopers that take command of a dog spend every hour of the day with them, including off-duty hours at home. “Being a canine handler is such an advantage, because basically I have a partner right there,” Woodruff said. “It’s one of the greatest things, having such a great partner.”
Donna is a Belgian Malinois, a large and strong breed that holds similarities to the popular German shepherd and came to the Soldotna troopers post from Europe via a California kennel. Woodruff says it is unknown where in Europe Donna came from, but she was selected from a group of about a dozen dogs. Dogs who work as police companions assist in drug and patrol units in myriad ways, so it is important they choose the right one for the job. “Sometimes we work in remote areas and may have two others we’re working with, but not always,” Woodruff said. “So somebody can’t always be there with you all the time. Woodruff said the qualities of the Belgian Malinois Alaska State Trooper Jason Woodruff poses with his new canine co-worker, Donna, on Oct. 17 that make them attractive to in downtown Kenai. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion) Donna’s breed mixed in for an ideal candidate for the put on a police force is their susceptibility to health issues high drive and motivation that can arise with breeds like with her behavior training job. See DONNA, page A14 from an early age have made levels, as well as their lack of German shepherds.
Rehabilitated seal released Study finds robust
polar bear population in Chukchi Sea
By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Index Opinion .................. A4 Religion.................. A5 Sports .....................A6 Classifieds ............. A9 Comics................. A13
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The Alaska SeaLife Center released a male harbor seal named Hubbard back into the wild from Bishop’s Beach in Homer last Thursday. The seal was brought to the SeaLife Center after it was spotted on the beach by bystanders in Clam Gulch this July. Homer resident and SeaLife Center Volunteer Marc Webber observed the seal from a distance, after consulting the SeaLife Center Wildlife Response Team. The seal was very thin and not moving his right flipper. Webber recovered the seal and transported him to Soldotna, where he was met by the Wildlife Response Team. While under the SeaLife
By DAN JOLING Associated Press
A group of Alaska SeaLife Center volunteers and members of the Wildlife Rescue Team release a male harbor seal into the wild on Bishop’s Beach in Homer on Nov. 8. (Photo courtesy Alaska SeaLife Center)
Center’s care, the seal was seals, according to a press retreated for a bone infection at lease from the SeaLife Center. the end of his right flipper. Be“The staff remained caucause of his injury, his recov- tiously optimistic that he would See SEAL, page A3 ery time took longer than most
ANCHORAGE — The first formal count of polar bears in waters between the United States and Russia indicates they’re doing better than some of their cousins elsewhere. Polar bears are listed as a threatened species because of diminished sea ice due to climate change. But university and federal researchers estimate a robust and abundant population of nearly 3,000 animals in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest coast, according to a study published Wednesday in Scientific Reports. “It the near-term, it’s abso-
lutely good news,” said lead author Eric Regehr, who began the project more than a decade ago as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist and last year joined the University of Washington’s Polar Science Center. In the longer term, it doesn’t mean the Chukchi Sea bear population will not be affected. “Polar bears need ice to hunt seals, and the ice is projected to decline until the underlying problem of climate change is addressed,” Regehr said. The study shows there is variation around the world in the effects of sea ice loss on polar bears, he said Thursday. “Some subpopulations are See POLAR, page A2