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Energy-efficient fish science
Juneau Empire
11/18/2009
Work at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries lab in Juneau has expanded beyond fish research to include energy conservation. The lab is using roof-top wind turbines and other modifications to cut energy use.
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Chefs serve salmon with a message
Anchorage Daily News
11/15/2009
Chefs at more than a dozen Seattle restaurants are serving salmon dishes with a message on the side - a warning that the creature's future could be threatened by a giant gold and copper mine proposed for Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska, home to the world's largest sockeye salmon runs.
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Polar bears vs. oil in Alaska
Anchorage Daily News
11/16/2009
Like his predecessor, Sarah Palin, Alaksa's new governor is suing the federal government to overturn the listing of the polar bear - the iconic symbol of the Arctic - as a threatened species, which he believes could threaten Alaska's lifeblood: petroleum development.
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Native elder to drilling proponents: 'Chill, baby, chill'
Juneau Empire
11/12/2009
Call her "the other Sarah" from Alaska. Like former Gov. Sarah Palin, Sarah James, of tiny Arctic Village, is outspoken about oil and gas development in Alaska. But while Palin calls drilling an answer to the nation's energy needs, James calls it an affront.
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Coal dust an ugly problem in scenic AK
Anchorage Daily News
11/10/2009
When the north wind blows in Seward, dust flies off a large pile of coal and covers the town's scenic boat harbor in black grit. Now three conservation groups are alleging that Alaska Railroad Corp. and Aurora Energy Services are discharging coal without a permit into Resurrection Bay - a popular destination with summer tourists.
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First microbreweries, now micro-canneries flourish
Oregon Public Broadcasting
11/10/2009
You've heard of micro-breweries. How about "micro-canneries?" They specialize in locally-caught, hand-packed albacore and salmon. A growing number of commercial fishing families are choosing to can their catch themselves.
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Habitat protections sought for Inlet belugas
Anchorage Daily News
10/29/2009
An environmental group that has pressed the federal government to provide protection for Cook Inlet belugas says it will sue over the government's failure to secure habitat for the declining whale population.
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Views: Once more, subsistence
Anchorage Daily News
10/27/2009
Ten years ago the state Legislature was the pivotal player in determining the future of subsistence hunting and fishing management in Alaska. Now, as the Department of the Interior begins a swift, thorough review of subsistence law on Alaska's federal lands, the state can only comment and say that it looks forward participating.
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Alaska seeking millions in alternative energy grants
Alaska Public Radio Network
10/26/2009
The state is seeking applications for $50 million in alternative energy project grants. The request for proposals is the third round of a grant program started by the state legislature in 2008 when oil prices spiked.
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Polar bear habitat protected
Anchorage Daily News
10/22/2009
The Obama administration said Thursday it is designating more than 200,000 square miles in Alaska and off its coast as "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas.
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Warming continues to affect far north
Seattle Times
10/22/2009
Warming temperatures continue in the polar north, changing wind patterns, melting sea ice and glaciers, and affecting ocean and land life, according to a new report from NOAA.
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Alaska seeks delisting of polar bears
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
10/21/2009
The state of Alaska is trying to bolster its efforts to overturn the listing of the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
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Mighty caribou herds dwindle, warming blamed
Christian Science Monitor
10/21/2009
Here on the endlessly rolling and tussocky terrain of northwest Canada, where man has hunted caribou since the Stone Age, the vast antlered herds are fast growing thin.
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Public gets access to developing Alaska's energy plan
Alaska Public Radio Network
10/19/2009
The leaders of the state Senate Resources Committee on Monday opened a way for the public to participate in developing a statewide energy plan.
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Say goodbye to the Arctic ice cap
The Christian Science Monitor
10/15/2009
After reviewing data from a recently ended Arctic expedition, scientists concluded that the ice cap is on track to vanish during Arctic summers sometime within a generation.
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Spotted seals off Alaska coast denied federal protection
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
10/15/2009
A federal agency says it will not list two populations of spotted seals off Alaska's coast as threatened or endangered.
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Alaska sea otters get habitat protection
Anchorage Daily News
10/07/2009
The US Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday designated more than 5,800 square miles as critical habitat for sea otters in the Aleutian Islands, Bering Sea, and Alaska Peninsula.
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Mighty caribou herds dwindle, warming blamed
Juneau Empire
10/06/2009
From wildlife spectacle to wildlife mystery, the decline of the caribou - called reindeer in the Eurasian Arctic - has biologists searching for clues, and finding them. They believe the insidious impact of climate change, its tipping of natural balances and disruption of feeding habits, is decimating a species that has long numbered in the millions and supported human life in Earth's most inhuman climate.
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Weak salmon runs hurt Alaskan fishing towns
New York Times
10/04/2009
This year, a total ban on commercial fishing for king salmon on the river in Alaska has strained poor communities and stripped the prized Yukon fish off menus in the lower 48 states. The cause of the weak runs remains unclear. But managers of the small king salmon fishery suspect changes in ocean conditions are mostly to blame.
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Trampling blamed for Alaska walrus deaths
Anchorage Daily News
10/01/2009
Trampling likely killed 131 mostly young walruses on the northwest shore of Alaska two weeks ago, according to an examination by an investigative team that included federal scientists.
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Murkowski wants hold on gas emission rules
Anchorage Daily News
09/22/2009
Some say they're disappointed in a proposal by Sen. Lisa Murkowski to force the Environmental Protection Agency to hold off for a year on regulating so-called "stationary" emitters of greenhouse gases, such as power plants.
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Carcasses of dead walruses spotted on AK coast
Anchorage Daily News
09/17/2009
Up to 200 dead walruses have been spotted on the shore of Chukchi Sea on Alaska's northwest coast.
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US cruise ships graded on pollution
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
09/16/2009
An environmental group released its report card Wednesday on how well cruise ship companies operating in American waters are doing to reduce pollution, and not one received an overall grade of "A."
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Hey, it's a whale-meat shish kabob
Crosscut
09/16/2009
Seattle, green city extraordinaire, loves its cruise ship tourists, downtown depends on them, but is the industry really clean and green? Are those tourists jamming our walkable streets good for the environment that attracts them?
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Alaska to have one of eight new climate centers
Anchorage Daily News
09/15/2009
The Interior Department is creating eight regional response centers, including one based in Alaska, to address the impact of climate change on the people and land overseen by the agency.
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