C
M
Y
K
A-2 Peninsula Clarion, Sunday, October 5, 2014
. . . Wild Continued from page A-1
Ostrowski said seeing the children’s range of responses contributed to her own impression of what wilderness is. “The kids interpreted the wilderness as anything from ‘my backyard’, to ‘a place that is wild,’” Ostrowski said. “When I think of wilderness I think something wild and free. That I am somewhere that no one has ever been before or actually feels as if no one has been there before.” Visitor Services Park Ranger Leah Eskelin, Refuge Coordinator Candace Ward, Refuge Manager Andy Loranger and Ostrowski organized refuge activities aimed at helping visitors gain more access into the Kenai Peninsula’s designated wilderness areas for the anniversary, Ostrowski said. Refuge staffs were tasked with educating the public on the anniversary and getting them into the Mystery Hills, Dave Spencer and Andrew Simons wilderness areas, Ostrowski said. Each has their own unique character, she said. “The Mystery Hills unit includes the Skyline and Fuller Lakes trails and is easily accessible to hikers, fishers, and berry pickers,” Ostrowski said. “The Dave Spencer Unit includes the Swanson River and Swan Lake National Recreation Canoe Trails.”
tions around the nation for the 50th anniversary, according to the Wilderness50 website. Some states such as Alaska, created their own logos, Ostrowski said. Walks for the wilderness, contests, workshops, outings, presentations, musical events, exhibits and film festivals were other celebratory events put on across the country, according to the Wilderness50’s website. The goal of the coalition was to “engage the public, bring the wilderness community together and connect with today’s youth and with non-wilderness using groups to find the thread that ties their lives to wild places,” according to the website From Preschool to Adulthood- interpretations of wilderness On the wall of the visitors and cultural center hangs a white iPad with a musical piece by composer Stephen Lias. The world-renowned musician spent a week living in Denali National Park as part of the Denali Arts and Humanities Alliance and manifested his experience into a musical composition. “This is the sixth in a series of compositions that celebrate the beauty, adventure, wildlife, and cultural heritage of our nation’s national parks,” Lias said on his website of the piece. “This rare opportunity to commune with nature, watch wildlife, hike the tundra, and be reminded of my own smallness was a deeply inspirational experience.” Photographs printed on canvas by Mary Frische and Tom Collopy, who work with Wild North Photography out of Homer, and paintings of the Misty Fjorcs and St. Lazaria’s wildernesses make up the portion of the Voices of the Wilderness Art Show that made it to Kenai. A photograph of the Kenai Refuge wilderness taken by Berkley Bedell was the locally representative piece that traveled around the state in the show since March, Ostrowski said. The staff at the refuge came up with ways to bring visitors into the local wild lands, from berry identification walks, to a daylong boat trip and hike on the Cottonwood Creek Trail, Ostrowski said. However, with year-round guided hikes, snowshoe excursions, local exhibits in the visitors center and events dedicated to getting the youth involved in the refuge, such as the PEEPS Preschool programs, visitors can make it into the wilderness any time.
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
In this Jan. 22, 2014 file photo Jim Butler, commercial setnetter and representative of the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association looks out over a crowd of more than 130 people during a fisheries panel at the Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center in Kenai.
. . . Butler Continued from page A-1
His family has operated a setnet site north of the Kenai River since 2005. Coleman, who also setnets in the Cook Inlet, said the award was given to Butler because of the Kenai man’s dedication to the fishing industry. “It’s not so much the prowess of the fisherman so much as it’s what he’s done for the fishery,” Coleman said. Jim’s a genuinely good guy and his heart is in the setnet fishery. He’s got a fire in his belly and that’s great to have on your side.” UFA is a commercial fishing advocacy organization that represents 35 Alaska commercial fishing organizations and thousands of fishermen. The organization does not give the fisherman of the year award every year, but when it does — member organizations vote on nominees. Roland Maw, executive director of the United Cook Inlet Drift Association, said he supported Butler for the award . “He’s one of those unique
individuals that has been able to bridge both of these major industries of oil and gas and fishing,” Maw said. Butler shares the 2013 award with Bruce Schactler, a fisherman from Kodiak. Schactler is the USDA food aid program coordinator for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and has been a longtime advocate for Alaska seafood in the global marketplace. UFA President Jerry McCune said Schactler had been promoting the use of Alaska’s seafood as aid for food insecure countries. “When I first worked with Bruce, we got a grant to get pink salmon to Third World countries,” McCune said. “I didn’t realize how important this project was until I realized that kids in the Third World may get one meal a day and that’s a can of pink salmon. (Schactler) broke into that and it takes a lot of federal red tape.” The 2014 award was given to Jim and Rhonda Hubbard, of Seward, who market longlined halibut, sablefish & rockfish. The Hubbards, owners of Kruzof Fisheries LLC, were prosecuted by the state
and subsequently exonerated of any wrongdoing early in 2014 after the two pioneered ways to market seafood that spotlighted the complicated set of regulations governing state and federal agencies. UFA awarded the two Fisherman of the Year as they have advocated for the development of “fair and reasonable regulations” for the fishing industry,” according to a profile of the couple sent to UFA members during the voting process to determine award winners. McCune, who nominated Butler for the award, said there are no set criteria — just the requirement that the fisherman be worthy of recognition. The award was launched in 2004 when a then 13-year-old Clam Gulch boy, Jess Russell, saved his father’s life on a commercial drift boat in the Cook Inlet. McCune said he nominated Butler for the award in 2013 after the two worked together on the newly-launched Resources for All Alaskans, an organization formed to oppose an ongoing ballot initiative proposal to ban setnetting in certain parts of the state. “Jim volunteers a lot of time and his expertise,” McCune said. “He really stepped up to help fishermen statewide with this initiative. That’s something
that you very rarely find in people —someone who will step up and volunteer that much of their time and money.” Butler said he considers his work with Resources For All Alaskans to be an effort to help Alaskans understand how important the fishing industry has been to the state. “I think education is an important component and I think people understand advocacy a little bit better if they have a better understanding of what it is you’re trying to talk to them about,” he said. “It’s not just, sort of educating them about your particular position or you view of something, but sort of a larger picture of the history of the state, how things got to where they are now and how important they are in ways the people might not understand. Then, try to have conversations as opposed to debates.” Butler said he was honored to join the ranks of fishermen who had been given the award. “It’s a recognition among peers who are from around the state and see a lot of different things in their communities and the fisheries they participate in,” Butler said. “It’s the recognition of not just harvesters but support industry and processors. It’s not just flattering, it’s kind of humbling.” Going forward, Butler said he would continue to explore ways to bring fishermen together. “I’m just going to try to continue to work and look for opportunities to help people understand how we have to address some of the complexities we have in front of us now, without having unintended consequences that we regret,” he said.
Kenai Wilderness “Conservation on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is guided by its purposes articulated in the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act,” Loranger said. The Kenai Wildlife refuge houses 1.35 million acres of owned and operated Endeavor the 1.92 million acre Kenai were the first to respond to the National Wildlife Refuge desfire, along with other CISPRI ignated as federal wilderness, Continued from page A-1 resources — they have since according to the U.S. Fish and ceased finished firefighting opWildlife Service. The Nikiski Fire Depart- erations. The passage of the Alaska “It’s done,” Randopoulos ment, ADEC, Coast Guard, National Interest Lands ConCISPRI and Offshore Marine said. “Now Hilcorp’s doing an servation Act in 1980 desigServices have joined Hilcorp investigation.” nated the peninsula’s wilderin fighting the fire, observing ness lands. The Kenai National Reach Rashah McChesney its affects and investigating the Wildlife Refuge includes a netat rashah.mcchesney@penincauses. work of landmasses and waterAssociated Metson Offshore, Inc. Chief sulaclarion.com. ways that are a part of the NaOperating Officer Thanasi press material was used in this tional Wildlife Refuge System. Randopoulos said the Metson- article. Loranger said Alaska has AP Photo/Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation more than 57 million acres This photo released by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation shows a fireboat spraying water on a flareup of at of designated wilderness, inan offshore natural gas platform in Alaska’s Cook Inlet Friday. It was quickly tamped down by responders, the Coast Guard said. cluding the Kenai Wilderness within the Kenai National wildlife refuge. He said the Kenai Conservation Society formed and shooting what he believed animal using radios and aircraft Angstman said. “Really, this is a in 1965 was a large part of why to be the same moose on Aug. versus not salvaging an animal dispute that needs to be resolved Reach Kelly Sullivan at kelthe peninsula’s wilderness ex24. Angstman called the inci- also has to be taken in the con- by the court.” ly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion. Continued from page A-1 ists today. dent “an unusual circumstance.” text of wanton waste of a game As a minor offense, if the case Local residents including com shooting a moose on Aug. 23 He said state law allows huntanimal, he said. goes to trial it would be tried in Jean Fair, Helen and Jim Fischers to use any reasonable means “This is a not a case of ‘he front of a judge and not a jury. er, George Pollard Bill and Jean to track down and salvage a said, she said.’ This is a case No court date for Herreman’s Schrier and Marge Mullen and P E N I N S U L A wounded animal. Salvaging an of an interpretation of the law,” arraignment has been set. their advocacy for conservation and preservation culminated in the 1.34 million-acre Kenai Wilderness created under the (USPS 438-410) Alaska National Interest Lands Published daily Sunday through Friday, except Christmas and New Year’s, by: Southeastern Newspapers Corporation Conservation act, Loranger P.O. Box 3009, Kenai, AK 99611 said.
. . . Fire
. . . Hunt
CLARION
National Wilderness The Wilderness Act was signed into law in 1964. The national wilderness preservation system originally designated 54 wilderness areas for a total of 9.1 million acres on national forests in 13 states. That acreage has since expanded dramatically. “Today there are 758 wilderness areas in 44 states, totaling nearly 110 million acres,” Loranger said. The act was created to establish the process for designating federal wilderness areas, Loranger said. It also outlined the requirements for the national park service and the U.S. Fish for evaluating possible future wilderness areas, he said. Loranger said he agrees with how the Act’s architect Howard Zahniser describes wilderness as “untrammeled ... free of manipulation by man.” “If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology,” former President Lyndon Johnson said of the act’s purpose. “We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.” A nation-wide birthday party The Anniversary National Wilderness Planning Team coalition called Wilderness50 was formed to identify and coordinate the various local, regional, and national events and projects, events hosted by organiza-
Street address: 150 Trading Bay Road, Suite 1, Kenai, AK Phone: (907) 283-7551 Postmaster: Send address changes to the Peninsula Clarion, P.O. Box 3009, Kenai, AK 99611 Periodicals postage paid at Kenai, AK Represented for national advertising by The Papert Companies, Chicago, IL Copyright 2014 Peninsula Clarion A Morris Communications Corp. newspaper
Who to call at the Peninsula Clarion News tip? Question? Main number.............................................................................................. 283-7551 Fax............................................................................................................. 283-3299 News email...................................................................news@peninsulaclarion.com General news Will Morrow, editor ............................................ will.morrow@peninsulaclarion.com Rashah McChesney, city editor.............. rashah.mcchesney@peninsulaclarion.com Jeff Helminiak, sports editor........................... jeff.helminiak@peninsulaclarion.com Fisheries, photographer.............................................................................................. ............................ Rashah McChesney, rashah.mcchesney@peninsulaclarion.com Kenai, courts...............................Dan Balmer, daniel.balmer@peninsulaclarion.com Borough, education ......... Kaylee Osowski, kaylee.osowski@peninsulaclarion.com Soldotna .................................. Kelly Sullivan, kelly.sullivan@peninsulaclarion.com Arts and Entertainment................................................ news@peninsulaclarion.com Community, Around the Peninsula............................... news@peninsulaclarion.com Sports............................................ Joey Klecka, joey.klecka@peninsulaclarion.com Page design........ Florence Struempler, florence.struempler@peninsulaclarion.com
Circulation problem? Call 283-3584 If you don’t receive your newspaper by 7 a.m. and you live in the Kenai-Soldotna area, call 283-3584 before 10 a.m. for redelivery of your paper. If you call after 10 a.m., you will be credited for the missed issue. Regular office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday. General circulation questions can be sent via email to circulation@peninsulaclarion.com. The circulation manager is Randi Keaton.
For home delivery Order a six-day-a-week, three-month subscription for $39, a six-month subscription for $73, or a 12-month subscription for $130. Use our easy-pay plan and save on these rates. Call 283-3584 for details. Mail subscription rates are available upon request.
Want to place an ad? Classified: Call 283-7551 and ask for the classified ad department between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or email classifieds@peninsulaclarion.com. Display: Call 283-7551 and ask for the display advertising department between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Leslie Talent is the Clarion’s advertising director. She can be reached via email at leslie.talent@peninsulaclarion.com. Contacts for other departments: Business office.................................................................................. Teresa Mullican Production................................................................................................ Geoff Long Online........................................................................................ Vincent Nusunginya
C
M
C
M
Y
K