This week in history
Share
Tweet
CHILKAT FOOD CHAIN – A bald eagle takes a bite out of a salmon along the Chilkat River recently. The 15th annual Alaska Bald Eagle Festival continues through Sunday, with live bird presentations, wildlife talks and other events held at the Bald Eagle Foundation.
Nov. 17, 1969
The Alaska Travel Show – at the Chilkat Center for the Arts on Thanksgiving Weekend – is a presentation of prose, poetry, song and color slides by Larry Beck, the "Bard of Alaska", who is its producer, director, and star.
Beck is described by Lowell Thomas as the "new and exciting voice of the Great Land," who transforms the atmosphere from sordid tragedy to wry humor, to tender love with a flick of verse and a change of shirt!
He spent years of preparation and research in developing authentic costumes, history and the full flavor of the Gold Rush era as well as the story of Alaska today.
Oregon-born but Alaska-reared, Beck attained success first in the business world, but a lifetime of admiration for Robert Service and Alaska lore bubbled to the surface in 1964 with the cutting of his first LP album, "Larry Beck Recites Robert Service."
Nov. 17, 1994
A fly-over survey of the Chilkat Valley's moose population early this week turned up encouraging numbers, according to the biologist making the count.
"I'm pretty pleased with what we found," Alaska Department of Fish and Game area management biologist Matt Robus said Tuesday. "The indicators of the health of the herd are good."
Robust took advantage of Monday's clear weather and early snow cover to fly over the flatland portions of the Chilkat Valley, including Murphy Flats, the Tahkin River, Chilkat Lake, Porcupine and the area of the upper Chilkat between Wells Bridge and Turtle Rock.
Robus spotted 149 moose during the survey, including 41 bulls, 77 cows and 27 calves. "The proportion of young animals to adults is excellent," Robus said, adding, "They're the best I've seen since I've been in the Southeast."
Numbers are down from last year, when 176 moose were counted, but likely don't indicate a significant population decline, said Robus. He speculated that this week's early winter survey likely missed moose hidden on the valley's forested hillsides. Later surveys, such as last year's Jan. 20 count, occur when animals are more exposed and visible.
In general, biologists estimate an aerial survey locates half the animals in the herd.
Nov. 12, 2009
After a year off from running, Haines High School graduate Christine Hansen has successfully walked on to the track team at Marquette University.
The First Haines runner to compete at a Division I university in decades, Hansen qualified for the team to race in middle distance events: 400 and 800 meters and hurdles.
A 2008 Haines graduate, Hansen was second in the state in the 300-meter hurdles and third in the 100-meter hurdles her senior year. She was part of a squad that was runner-up at state. But she said her prep experience pales compared to runners from Outside.
"I tell them I had four meets a season, and most of them had 16 to 18."
Hansen competed on the Marquette club rowing team her freshman year, but decided not to try out for the track team due to class schedule conflicts.
