I received the latest Denny Wells mailer midweek. This one was a big, glossy, 8.5 x 11” color mailer on card stock. The front was adorned with photos of outdoors Alaska while the back was divided in half with all the wonderful things Denny Wells will do for us and all the awful things he says Mia Costello will do if elected to represent House District 15 in the Legislature.
Most infuriatingly, the front exhorts the reader to “… vote for leaders who will protect them.”
What do these clowns think we are? Two-year-olds?
These days, I mostly want leaders who will leave me alone and get out of the way of what should be a resource-development, free-market economy up here. From the looks of it, Denny Wells isn’t one of those leaders.
The mailer was done by an outfit calling itself the American Leadership Committee – Alaska, based out of Washington DC. Its top contributor is the Democrat Legislative Campaign Committee.
This is dark Outside money being spent by an outside political PAC mucking around in a local election. I thought ranked-choice voting was supposed to stop all that. Apparently not.
And what does list as his top priority as he “will always protect our families?” Once again, protecting us, unasked and uninvited. Wells claims “protecting access to reproductive care, including abortion, birth control and IVF.” While his opponent Mia Costello is lambasted for “banning abortion and restricting our bodily autonomy.”
Here is the problem with one size fits all campaigns funded out of Washington DC by democrat PACs. They are completely clueless about the state of play for abortion here in Alaska.
Due to the actions of the Alaska Supremes, elevating the right of privacy above all other rights in the Alaska constitution, the Legislature has no play in abortion at all. The judicial victory for the pro-abort side is so complete that Democrats don’t even bother to propose constitutional amendments to ensconce it in the state constitution. It’s a done deal already.
What are these Outside Democrats and their carefully selected lap dog Denny Wells talking about? Nothing useful, as they completely misread the legal landscape here in Alaska.
Other issues of interest to Wells per the flyer are “lowering costs for families and creating new, good-paying jobs.” He then goes on to blast away at Costello for “opposing job-creating initiatives and threatening our livelihoods.”
Once again, a lot of political Strum und Drang without any supporting information. How so?
Follow the money with Wells. As I pointed out in an earlier column, his single largest contributor is anti-oil mouthpiece Robin Brena. When you take money from the anti-oilies, you will quickly become a reliable anti-oil vote, and in turn, an anti-resource development advocate.
It’s tough to create jobs in a resource development state without developing resources, such as mining, drilling, fracking, cutting trees, farming fish, etc.
No resources = no jobs and the economic death of the state. This is of little interest to either Wells or his dark money backers. It should be of great interest to the rest of us.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.
It is safe to say I am passionate about real estate and helping Alaskans achieve their dreams to own a home.
After 42 years in real estate, I am more convinced than ever that the leadership in Washington truly matters not just when it comes to the housing market, it matters when it comes to the everyday lives of so many Alaskans.
There is no question Alaskans have been hit hard by inflation, energy prices, and an unaffordable housing market.
Life in Alaska certainly has its challenges and one of the most pressing is housing affordability. The dream of once owning a home seems beyond reach for many first time home buyers.
The economic policies prioritized by the Biden/Harris Administration have hindered growth through excessive regulation and high taxes. Housing costs have escalated because fewer people have the financial means to support the housing market.
Unfortunately for Alaskans, this has led to a cycle where housing affordability has become a significant barrier to economic prosperity in our state.
The stark reality is that there are far too many Alaskans who are struggling with high housing costs which has caused a wave of outmigration. Leaving the state should not be the solution for Alaskans who dream of owning a home.
The federal governments plays a significant role in shaping economic policies that can either alleviate or exacerbate housing affordability issues.
The policies coming out of Washington aren’t cutting it when it comes to tackling inflation and getting Americans back to work.
Our leadership in Washington has failed the American people by prioritizing a proxy war in Europe instead of getting a handle on our nation’s debt. This has led to housing costs skyrocketing and fewer Americans being able to afford basic necessities. This includes a place to call home.
The need for a change in leadership can not be overstated enough.
Rep. Mary Peltola has been a rubber stamp for the Biden Administration’s socialist agenda. The policies she has supported are failing Alaskan residents.
Her support for increased federal regulations and taxes has impacted real estate development and housing affordability in Alaska.
Her failure to support Alaska’s Right to Produce Act and vote against increased pay for military families was a nail in the coffin of her political career.
Alaska needs true conservative leadership in Washington – someone who will advocate for fiscal responsibility, deregulation, and economic growth. All these factors lay the groundwork for a thriving economy and affordable housing.
Nick Begich is the only candidate in this race who has signed a paycheck for hard working Alaskans and knows how to run a business. He will take that same pro-business mindset to Washington.
His support for responsible fiscal policies will keep inflation in check which help to stabilize housing prices.
As a candidate who puts Alaskans first, Nick Begich supports resource development, lowering taxes, and streamlining federal regulations. For Alaskans, this will lead to job creation and enhance Alaskans ability to afford homes.
When Alaska businesses thrive and job opportunities expand, the demand for housing increases, leading to a more dynamic and competitive housing market.
More importantly, sustainable resource development and a strong economy is vitally important to increase incomes and create a ripple effect across numerous industries here in Alaska.
It is critically important to have someone in Washington who fights for the future of our state and is pro- growth, pro-business, and can make housing affordable again by getting out nation’s debt under control. Nick Begich has proven he is up for that fight.
PeggyAnn McConnochie is a Juneau resident since 1980 and a member of Capital City Republican Women.
Steve Menard, who has a long history of questionable activities that include trashing a hotel room, is a candidate for House District 28 in Wasilla. But the property he lists as his physical address is a vacant piece of land that is technically agricultural property. There is no tent, nor is there a travel trailer parked on it. It’s undeveloped land that he owns.
There is no building, not even a barn, on the tax rolls for his registered address.
It’s hard to say where Menard actually lives. During a candidate forum last week, someone asked him if he lives with his wife. He appeared to say that he does. Then the person pointed out that his wife lives in District 29, and he appeared to say he doesn’t live with his wife. It was confusing to the audience, to say the least.
Must Read Alaska dug into it and found that Menard appears to live in Palmer, which is out of the district he is running in. He does get his mail in District 28 at 3060 N. Lazy Eight Ct. #2-777, at the Bogard Mail Depot, where mailboxes are for rent. No one lives in a rental mail box.
The land where he claims to lay his head is Parcel B in Menard Homestead. Tax on that 38-acre property was $5,455 this year, while the property next to it, which he does not own, has a building on it and was taxed at $13,000.
Menard is running for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jesse Sumner.
Also running for the seat is Elexie Moore and Jessica Wright. Moore, Wright, and Menard are all Republicans.
Menard was recalled from the Wasilla City Council in 2011 after he went to Sitka on Alaska Municipal League business. The city was charged a $350 cleaning tab for Menard’s hotel room, which was left in shambles. “The damage included a chair and two mattresses that were irretrievably ruined by urine, a burned mattress and vomit on the carpet,” according to Ballotpedia. “Additionally, a window screen had been removed from its proper location.”
He apologized to the city for his misdeeds and reimbursed the funds but was recalled by voters anyway.
Editor’s note: This story is being updated every few hours over the course of this event.
The data is not clear yet, but anecdotally it appears the water-and-ice basin that fills alongside the Mendenhall Glacier started releasing again late Friday night or early Saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for parts of the Mendenhall Valley.
Juneau residents report that Fritz Cove near Gastineau Channel looked like chocolate milk, an indication that Suicide Basin had another outburst of water, known as a “Jökulhlaups,” the Icelandic word for glacial flood.
On Aug. 6, a major outburst of the basin led to record flooding in the Mendenhall Valley, where nearly 300 homes were impacted by flood waters, some severely.
The National Weather Service said that as of Saturday at 9:30 a.m., Mendenhall Lake was at 4.47 feet and continuing to rise. On Friday afternoon, the Weather Service said, Suicide Basin had lost 2.6 feet of measurable depth. That water flows in to Mendenhall River and makes its way to Fritz Cove and Gastineau Channel/Lynn Canal.
The camera and laser pool elevation gauge has been unhelpful due to snowy weather impacting the reporting of data. The last image available of Suicide Basin, shown above, is from Oct. 4, and shows the level of the ice-and-water level rising to nearly what it was when it caused catastrophic damage in August.
3:30 p.m. Saturday update: “As of Saturday afternoon at 3:30 pm, Mendenhall Lake was at 4.93 feet and is continuing to rise with its rate of rise increasing over time. Data from the laser pool elevation gauge continues to show a dropping level in the basin with a change of 28 feet since Thursday night. There is greater uncertainty in crest timing due to cold temperatures and this being an unusually late season event.”
5:30 p.m. Saturday update: “As of Saturday evening at 5:30 pm, Mendenhall Lake was at 5.10 feet and is continuing to rise with its rate of rise increasing over time. Data from the laser pool elevation gauge continues to show a dropping level in the basin with a change of 30 feet since Thursday night.”
5 a.m. Sunday update: “Mendenhall Lake was at 6.8 feet and is continuing to rise with its rate of rise increasing over time. Data from the laser pool elevation gauge continues to show a dropping level in the basin with a change of 74 feet since Thursday night.”
11:30 a.m. Sunday update: “As of Sunday morning at 11:30 am, Mendenhall Lake was at 8.1 feet, crossing into Action-stage/Bankfull, and continuing to rise. Data from the laser pool elevation gauge continues to show a dropping level in the basin with a change of 100+ feet since Thursday night.”
1:15 p.m. Sunday update: “Mendenhall Lake is at 8.56 feet, about 0.5ft from Minor Flood Stage. Data from the laser pool elevation gauge continues to show a dropping level in the basin with a change of 110+ feet since Thursday night.”
4:10 p.m. Sunday update: “Mendenhall Lake is at 9.2 feet, and has reached Minor Flood Stage. Data from the laser pool elevation gauge continues to show a dropping level in the basin with a change of 110+ feet since Thursday night.”
The August drop was 450 feet, to compare with current 110-foot drop since Thursday.
From the City and Borough of Juneau: “All members of the public should avoid the Mendenhall River until further notice for the safety of yourself and others. Banks are unstable and slippery with recent snow. ”
The Weather Service now says that the Mendenhall River could crest as high as 11.5 feet between 1-7 a.m. Monday. The last flood was nearly 16 feet.
At 9 feet flood stage, Skater’s Cabin will be under water. At 11 feet, View Drive will be flooded and impassible, and there will be some significant flooding of homes in the area. The Back Loop Bridge may see bank erosion along Meander Way, where homeowners may see flooding in their backyards. Portions of the Dredge Lake Trail will also be impassible, the Weather Service said.
On Monday, the Juneau Assembly will meet to discuss options. One option being considered is to authorize the purchase of oversized sand containers known as Hesco Flood Barriers, which would be placed along the river banks.That is a temporary solution and may only redirect flooding elsewhere if not done properly.
The Assembly meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., has this new item on the agenda:
“Emergency Resolution 3076 An Emergency Appropriation Resolution Appropriating up to $2,000,000 for Flood Levee Barriers; Funding Provided by Restricted Budget Reserves. This emergency resolution would appropriate $2,000,000 from the Restricted Budget Reserve for the installation of flood levee barriers. In response to glacial lake outburst flooding caused by the sudden release of water from Suicide Basin, the Assembly adopted Ordinance 2024-34 on October 3, 2024, entering the CBJ into a cooperative agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers for advanced flood mitigation efforts. This funding would contribute toward the first phase of installation of HESCO barriers along approximately four miles of the Mendenhall River to aid in the mitigation of future glacial outburst floods. Funding for this request is needed as soon as possible to authorize CBJ to incur expenses associated with this work in order to give the community the best chance at having this work complete before the next glacial lake outburst flood. For this reason, this is an emergency resolution. The City Manager recommends the Assembly adopt this emergency resolution.”
It appears the action by the Assembly may come too late for some homes, however, if water is already rising.
Others in the community have suggested longer-term solutions need to be considered, such as building an earth-filled levy around Mendenhall Lake itself, to better control and slow the release of water into the river.
That’s a solution that would require cooperation between the Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the City and Borough of Juneau. But as of now, the various agencies appear paralyzed as flood after flood begin to destroy the homes of people living in the Mendenhall Valley.
Unfortunately, there are few other places to build homes in Juneau, since the choices are mainly the landslide-prone mountainsides or the valley carved out by the Mendenhall Glacier. The U.S. Forest Service owns much of the land that could be used for housing, but is simply held onto by the federal government.
Some estimates say that the taxable property in the Valley makes up 20% or more of the City and Borough of Juneau’s taxable base. Hundreds of homes, however, may lose value quickly in part due to government inaction. There are more than $1 billion in assessed properties in that area of the community.
Release of water from Suicide Basin has gone on for years, but has recently become more dangerous and damaging. A major release in 2023 sent a couple of riverfront homes into the river, and then in August of 2024, the damage was extensive and, for some people, permanent.
As for the current situation in Suicide Basin, the Weather Service says, “There is greater uncertainty in crest timing due to cold temperatures and this being an unusually late season event.” On top of that, the camera isn’t working that shows the level of the basin, the days are getting shorter, and the weather has featured low clouds for days, further obstructing visual observation.
When the FBI originally released the “final” crime data for 2022 in September 2023, it reported that the nation’s violent crime rate fell by 2.1%. This quickly became, and remains, a Democratic Party talking point to counter Donald Trump’s claims of soaring crime.
But the FBI has quietly revised those numbers, releasing new data that shows violent crime increased in 2022 by 4.5%. The new data includes thousands more murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults.
The Bureau – which has been at the center of partisan storms – made no mention of these revisions in its September 2024 press release.
RCI discovered the change through a cryptic reference on the FBI website that states: “The 2022 violent crime rate has been updated for inclusion in CIUS, 2023.” But there is no mention that the numbers increased. One only sees the change by downloading the FBI’s new crime data and comparing it to the file released last year.
After the FBI released its new crime data in September, a USA Today headline read: “Violent crime dropped for third straight year in 2023, including murder and rape.”
It’s been over three weeks since the FBI released the revised data. The Bureau’s lack of acknowledgment or explanation about the significant change concerns researchers.
“I have checked the data on total violent crime from 2004 to 2022,” Carl Moody, a professor at the College of William & Mary who specializes in studying crime, told RealClearInvestigations. “There were no revisions from 2004 to 2015, and from 2016 to 2020, there were small changes of less than one percentage point. The huge changes in 2021 and 2022, especially without an explanation, make it difficult to trust the FBI data.”
“It is up to the FBI to explain what they have done, and they haven’t explained these large changes,” Dr. Thomas Marvell, the president of Justec Research, a criminal justice statistical research organization, told RCI.
The FBI did not respond to RCI’s repeated requests for comment.
Extensive Revisions in Violent Crime Stats
The actual changes in crimes are extensive. The updated data for 2022 report that there were 80,029 more violent crimes than in 2021. There were an additional 1,699 murders, 7,780 rapes, 33,459 robberies, and 37,091 aggravated assaults. The question naturally arises: should the FBI’s 2023 numbers be believed?
Without the increase, the drop in violent crime in 2023 would have been less than half as large – only 1.6% instead of the reported drop of 3.5%.
The FBI isn’t the only government agency that has been revising its data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics massively overestimated the number of jobs created during the year that ended in March by 818,000 people.
The FBI’s crime stats revisions reveal how much guesswork is involved in even the “final” numbers often seized on by politicians. The FBI doesn’t simply count reported crimes. Instead, it offers estimates by extrapolating data from police departments that report only partial-year data. The Bureau also makes estimates for cities that report no data. The FBI’s method of generating these estimates changes over time, and it affects the figures they report.
“The [FBI’s] processes, such as how it tries to ‘estimate’ unreported figures, has long been a black box, even to the Bureau of Justice Statistics – the Department of Justice’s actual statistical agency,” saysJeffrey Anderson, who headed the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2017 to 2021.
Anderson said when he headed the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “We definitely would have highlighted in a press release or a report the 6.6% change recorded for 2022, which moved the numbers from a drop to a rise in violent crime.”
Many Crimes Are Unreported
Another problem with FBI crime data is its reliance on reported crimes. Most crimes go unreported, with only about 45% of violent crimes and 30% of property crimes brought to the police’s attention, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Since the FBI only tracks reported incidents and this gap is so large, researchers argue that when the media discusses crime rates based on FBI data, they should clarify that it reflects “reported” crime, not give the impression that total crime is changing.
Nonreporting of crime doesn’t affect all crimes equally. Nonreporting of murder and motor vehicle theft is relatively rare. In murder cases, victims can’t be overlooked, and for auto theft, insurance claims require police reports. However, it’s difficult to fully trust even these numbers because the FBI underreported 1,699 murders and 54,216 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, casting doubt on the reliability of the data.
Although recent attention has focused on the decline in murder rates, even with the revised numbers, the 16.2% drop from 2020 to 2023 still leaves murder rates 9.6% higher than pre-COVID levels.
A half-century ago, the DOJ provided a total crime measure, including both reported and unreported crime. The results of the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics 2023 National Crime Victimization Survey, released in mid-September, tell a very different story from the FBI data.
The NCVS interviews 240,000 people each year about their personal experiences.
Instead of the FBI’s 3.5% drop in the reported violent crime rate in 2023, the NCVS found a 4.1% increase in the reported violent crime rate. Even with the revised FBI numbers, in 2022, the FBI’s 4.5% increase pales in comparison to the NCVS’s 29.1% increase.
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Over the past few years, the number of police officers has declined because of cuts in budgets and many retirements. One result is that police departments nationwide – from Charlottesvilleand Henrico County, Va., to Chicago, Ill. and Olympia, Wash. – are no longer responding to calls unless the perpetrator is still there actively committing the crime. Instead of police coming out to investigate and take a report, residents in those jurisdictions can still go to the police station and wait in line to get a police report filled out. In addition, despite the widespread belief that calling 911 is enough to report a crime, the FBI officially doesn’t tally 911 calls. It only counts crimes when police make out an official report.
Other Data Show Sharper Rises in Crime
While the FBI claims that serious violent crime has fallen by 5.8% since Biden took office, the NCVS numbers show that total violent crime has risen by 55.4%. Rapes are up by 42%, robbery by 63%, and aggravated assault by 55% during Biden’s term. Since the NCVS started, the largest previous increase over three years was 27% in 2006, so the increase under Biden was slightly more than twice as large.
The increases shown by the NCVS during the Biden-Harris administration are by far the largest percentage increases over any three years, slightly more than doubling the previous record.
Comparing 2023 rateswith 2019 pre-COVID violent crime rates, the FBI’s new 2023 data show virtually no improvement – just a 0.2% drop – while the NCVS shows a 19% increase over that period. But the news media didn’t cover the crime survey when it was released last month.
“With the media using the 2022 FBI data to tell us for a year that crime was falling, it is disappointing that there are no news articles correcting that misimpression,” Moody told RCI. “We will have to see whether the FBI later also revises the 2023 numbers.”
At the beginning of this year, the media was running headlines like National Public Radio’s: “Violent crime is dropping fast in the U.S. – even if Americans don’t believe it.” “At some point in 2022 … there was just a tipping point where violence started to fall and it just continued to fall,” NPR claimed. But now the FBI has itself admitted its violent crime numbers were way off.
Even as polls show that Americans are concerned about crime, the FBI and the media are making it difficult to see how crime rates have changed over the last few years. A Gallup survey late last year found that 92% of Republicans and 58% of Democrats thought crime was increasing. A February Rasmussen Reports survey found that, by a 4.7-to-1 margin, likely voters say violent crime in the U.S. is getting worse (61%), not better (13%). A Gallup poll found in March that “crime and violence” was Americans’ second biggest concern, after inflation. But the media and politicians used the inaccurate FBI data to try to convince people that they were wrong.
“ThisFBI report is stunning because it now doesn’t state that violent crime in 2022 was much higher than it had previously reported, nor does it explain why the new rate is so much higher, and it issued no press release about this large revision,” said David Mustard, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia who researches extensively on crime. “This lack of transparency harms the FBI’s credibility.”
John R. Lott Jr. is president of the Crime Prevention Research Centerand he lives in Missoula. He served as senior adviser for research and statistics in the Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Legal Policy at the Justice Department. This report first appeared in RealClearInvestigations.com and is reprinted with permission of RealClearWire.com.
The Alaska Motor Inn, once a symbol of disrepair and mischief in downtown Fairbanks, has finally been torn down after a successful, community-driven effort to clean up the area. The old motel, which had become low-income housing, was a frequent target of vandalism, graffiti, arson, and general chaos caused by vagrants and the homeless. As its condition deteriorated, the property became a notorious eyesore, frustrating local businesses and residents alike.
But this month, that changed, thanks to the leadership of Republican Mayor David Pruhs, who made it a priority to clean up Fairbanks. Determined to take swift action, Mayor Pruhs pushed through all the bureaucratic red tape to ensure that the property was sold and the derelict building removed. His efforts resulted in a revitalization project that will transform the existing structure into a beautiful, multi-use facility.
The mayor worked closely with the property owner and local businesses to make the clean-up a reality. In a show of local collaboration, Fairbanks-based contractor Jewel Isaac, LLC was brought on to manage the demolition and oversee the remodeling project. The company, alongside its subcontractors Worry Free, Paragon Plumbing, and Bright Electric, completed the demolition of the old building in just one week.
“This is a big win for Fairbanks,” Mayor Pruhs said. “We’ve taken a nuisance property that was attracting crime and turned it into an opportunity for growth. I’m proud of the work we’ve done together.”
The Alaska Motor Inn project is not only a testament to Mayor Pruhs’ commitment to cleaning up Fairbanks but also a success story of teamwork between property owners, local businesses, and contractors. The new three-story structure is slated to become a modern, multi-use space, bringing new energy to downtown Fairbanks.
With this successful project in the books, residents are hopeful for the future of Fairbanks as a safer, cleaner, and more vibrant community.
Seth Church is the owner of Jewel Isaac, LLC in Fairbanks.
Alaska’s abundance of seafood allows us to anchor our cuisine around salmon, halibut, crab, and shellfish caught in our pristine waters. Yet, we frequently miss opportunities to include the savory umami flavor that seaweed offers to satiate and nourish the body.
The Gulf of Alaska is home to thousands of species of seaweed, many of which are edible. Some of the most common edible seaweeds along our coastline include red ribbon seaweed/dulce (Palmaria mollis), black seaweed/nori (Porphyra), and popweed/rockweed (Fucus). Large brown seaweeds are known as kelp with numerous species that are abundant in our region, including bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), giant kelp (Macrocystis), sugar kelp (Saccharina latissimi), split kelp (Saccharina groenlandica), winged kelp (Alaria marginata), and five-ribbed kelp (Costaria costata).
Photos and more information on common species of seaweed are available by clicking on this link:Seaweeds of Alaska
A guidebook with information on our region’s seaweeds has made foraging easier. Dolly Garza, who was with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Sea Grant College Program, authored “Common Edible Seaweeds in the Gulf of Alaska,” which is now in its second edition. With extensive instructions on how to identify, gather, process, and prepare seaweed, as well as recipes, it has become the de facto standard for seaweed foraging in Alaska.
The guidebook is available on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website in the NOAA Institutional Repository and on the Oceans Alaska website at this link:Common Edible Seaweeds in the Gulf of Alaska.
Subsistence seaweed collection usually occurs in the spring and summer along the coastline during low tides. However, you can gather some species, like bull kelp and sugar kelp, throughout the summer and into the autumn.
The edible kelp species are among the most commonly gathered seaweeds. You can easily process kelp for long-term storage by hanging it on a line or laying it out on a sheet to dry. As the kelp dries, the salts and/or sugars may turn into a powdery white coating on the blades. This may look disconcerting, but it is a normal part of the edible product. Storage of dried seaweed in an airtight container or zippered plastic bags allows for use up to a year later.
Dried kelp with powdery residue of sea salt.
Edible seaweed lends itself nicely to a wide range of culinary applications. Similar to kale chips, you can transform fresh kelp into crispy snacks by heating the strips in a frying pan with avocado oil. Or if you prefer an oil-free chip, you can dry fresh seaweed in a low oven from 150 to 200 degrees until the kelp is crisp. There are numerous other ways to enjoy kelp, such as incorporating it into a salad, pairing it with seafood, using it as a vegetable substitute in various dishes, or adding it for umami essence to enhance pasta, stir-fry, and chowders.
Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is one of the largest brown kelp species in the North Pacific and a popular foraging species in Southeast Alaska. People commonly use skiffs for collection because they thrive in deeper water. For optimal results, harvest it in late spring or early summer, but you can gather it until the fall.
Pickles, chutneys, salsas, and relish are made from the thicker, hollow stipe (stem) portions of bull kelp while they are still fresh. The stipe is sliced and processed into pickles in a manner similar to pickling cucumbers. Chutney, salsa, and relish are made by chopping the stipe and then blending it with additional ingredients and seasoning. Then, it is canned for long-term storage.
Mark Stopha forages for bull kelp off of Prince of Wales Island. While many other seaweeds are available in the region, bull kelp is his preferred species to harvest. He has stated that he targets bull kelp because he can sustainably harvest a 5-gallon bucket of bull kelp stipes in a few minutes, which provides enough product to meet his subsistence needs for the year. He processes it into kelp salsa and kelp relish, then preserves it in a canner for extended storage.
The recipe for Mark’s Bull Kelp Relish is at the end of this post.
Chopped bull kelp stipes. Mark Stopha photo.
The State of Alaska’s website provides information on harvesting seaweed in Alaska. On the state’s site it is stated that, “Along most of Alaska’s coastline it’s okay to harvest kelp for personal, noncommercial use… However, always check with your regional office to make sure there are not any emergency closures in your area.”
Foragers are not the only ones who can enjoy the umami taste sensations of our coast. Alaska-sourced commercial products are a wonderful option for those who lack the enthusiasm or ability to gather seaweed.
Alaska’s commercial seaweed industry is still in its infancy, but efforts are underway to expand commercially available kelp products.
Alaska is spearheading the expansion of mariculture, including seaweed, by providing financial support to private businesses through a program designed to encourage investment in the industry. The State of Alaska, through the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, allocated $5 million to the Alaska Mariculture Alliance in 2022 to administer a Mariculture Incentive Grant Program. Shellfish, seaweed, hatchery, and mariculture processing enterprises can receive up to $150,000 per award cycle from this program.
The Alaska Mariculture Alliance’s executive director, Jason Lessard, believes that the incentive grants will significantly expand the state’s mariculture sector. “AMA is proud to partner with the State for this unique program, which will ultimately translate into about $9 million of investment in Alaska Mariculture,” Lessard stated. He added that they are “only part way through the Round One grant period and already starting to see tangible improvements in operations across the state. This grant will have transformational impacts on Alaska Mariculture for years to come.”
On October 15th, the Alaska Mariculture Alliance announced that they will accept applications for Round 2 of the Mariculture Incentive Grant Program until Dec. 15. To learn more about the grants available to mariculture firms, click on this link: AMA Grant Round Two
There are already a small number of kelp farms producing for the commercial market.
Seagrove Kelp cultivates ribbon kelp, commonly referred to as winged kelp (Alaria marginata), at its Doyle Bay plant on Prince of Wales Island. Consumers in Alaska and Washington State can purchase their products in retail outlets in 1-pound frozen packets. They also supply kelp to commercial processors who produce finished seaweed products.
Alaska Shellfish Farms, Halibut Cove, Alaska
Alaska Shellfish Farms is a family-run mariculture enterprise located in Halibut Cove on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, owned and operated by Weatherly and Greg Bates. They cultivate oysters, mussels, and kelp for the consumer market. Kachemak Bay’s glacier-fed water nurtures the oysters for three to four years. According to Weatherly, the chilly waters and shellfish suspension lines create ideal conditions for the growth of five ribbed/costaria kelp (Costaria costata) and red ribbon/dulse (Palmaria mollis) species. They harvest the kelp as a sustainable byproduct of their shellfish farm.
The kelp is packaged for sale in quart-sized mylar bags that hold one ounce of dried product. The Costaria Kelp andDulse easily rehydrates, making it suitable for a wide range of culinary applications. Weatherly describes kelp as a nutrient-dense superfood that her family enjoys with their meals on a regular basis. Her favorite way to eat the costaria kelp is in a marinated seaweed salad with rice vinegar, sesame oil, and seasonings. The recipe she uses elevates the kelp’s umami flavor to perfection, leaving you wanting more after just one taste. This recipe is undoubtedly a must-try, even if you are new to adding seaweed to your meals.
Below is the recipe Weatherly uses for her Kelp Salad.
Another option for including seaweed with your meals is to purchase finished products made for the consumer retail market. A few companies are making seaweed-based finished goods available in gift shops and supermarkets. Two companies that use seaweed in their products include Barnacle Foods of Juneau and Foraged & Found of Ketchikan. Both enterprises incorporate Alaska-sourced kelp into their finished products, including kelp pickles, salsa, and more.
Seaweed is more than just a wrap for sushi. It is a nutrient-rich and adaptable food that brings forth the flavors and textures from the coast to tantalize the palate with its umami essence. It is a natural complement to Alaska’s seafood, satiating on its own as pickles, chips, or salad and a healthy vegetable alternative in a variety of dishes.
Alaskans can obtain seaweed by foraging, purchasing frozen or dried kelp, or buying finished products. Regardless of how it finds its way to your table, you can enjoy our region’s unique offerings and savor the local flavor.
Costaria kelp salad
Kelp Salad
Recipe provided by Weatherly Bates
1 ounce dried kelp
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin sweet cooking rice wine
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon ginger powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
Optional topping with additional sesame seeds
Rehydrate kelp in fresh water for 10 minutes, drain, cut into thin strips
Combine ingredients to make a sauce, toss with seaweed, and marinate for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 days)
Enjoy
Makes 4 servings.
Bull kelp relish. Mark Stopha photo.
Bull Kelp Relish
Recipe provided by Mark Stopha
18 cups ground bull kelp stipe*
1 medium large green cabbage
1 medium red cabbage
6 white onions
18 carrots (2 bags)
2 green peppers
3 cups sugar
8 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoon tumeric
4 tablespoon mustard seed powder
Rinse bull kelp in fresh water.
Chop or grind kelp, cabbages, onions, carrots, and peppers.
Mix all ingredients in a large stockpot and simmer for 2 hours.
Fill prepared jars for canning.
Heat in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, or as directed by your canning instruction book ensuring that all safe canning guidelines are followed.
Makes approximately 60 half pint jars.
*Mark’s Tip: “Instead of using a food processor, you can use a food grinder for the kelp and all the vegetables. It comes out great as all the items are the same size coming out of the grinder.”
Brenda Josephson is a Haines resident. She is an accounting and tax professional, real estate agent, professionally trained chef, and advocate for good governance. She spends her time fishing, foraging, and savoring Alaska’s abundance of natural and wild foods with her family.
Vaccine Injury Awareness Month brings an increased focus on the fact that all vaccines come with possible side effects — some of which are deadly.
The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, signed into law Nov. 14, 1986 by President Ronald Reagan, was designed to provide information concerning the sometimes ill effects of vaccines, so that a change of course can occur if the side effects are too many, too serious, or more unsafe than beneficial.
The database the act created — Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System — could provide real time information that would help in making decisions for yourself or your children. Sadly, only about 10% of all side effects get entered into the database, as it is a voluntary system. And compensations from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program are rare and take enormous effort, and usually require the help of a lawyer experienced in the field. If you have serious side effects, at least ask your doctor to submit a report to the database. If he or she refuses, you may file one yourself at this VAERS link.
What great timing for our Alaska Covid Alliance conference scheduled for Oct. 26, 2024, at the Egan Center in Anchorage from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
We have a powerful lineup of speakers, some of whom will provide you information not always readily available to the general population about certain vaccine side effects, information the mainstream media is reluctant to tell.
Three of our 10 speakers include:
Lt. Col. Dr. Theresa Long, U.S. Army, a Department of Defense whistleblower and Army flight surgeon, who will be addressing the effect of the Covid shot on perfectly healthy troops.
Dr. Brian Hooker, the chief scientist from the Children’s Health Defense, who will speak on vaccine injuries particularly with our children.
Dr. Joel Wallskog, who will discuss people who have suffered vaccine injuries from the Covid jab. Wallskog speaks from experience, having suffered from the Covid jab, after which he founded the React19 organization to provide science-based support for those suffering from long-term Covid vaccine effects.
It is also perfect timing to have October as Vaccine Injury Awareness Month at the same time the push for Covid and flu shots is being ramped up. You can’t miss the public service announcements heard on television and even in your local grocery store or pharmacy..
What is not explained in these public health commercials and advisories is details about effectiveness or possible side-effects. Instead, they continue to tug on your heartstrings and tell you about killing grandma if you don’t comply and get your shots.
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which recommends vaccines, is still pushing annual Covid jabs for almost all Americans, even while acknowledging the vaccines offer only a small boost in immunity that lasts for just a couple of months, given that most people have acquired immunity from infection or multiple vaccine doses.
According to Johns Hopkins University, “Studies suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are most effective during the first three months after vaccination.” The key word here is “suggest.”
It may hardly seem worthwhile to take it when you consider all the side-effects that can occur and the efficacy of the Covid shot.
As for the flu shot, the CDC said it doesn’t expect this year’s to be as effective as it has been in the past, citing information from South America, where the flu happens earlier than here. The CDC says the shot offers “34% efficacy against hospitalization, compared to 50% last year.”
If it is effective 34% of the time in preventing hospitalization,that means it’s about 20 to 25% effective at protecting you from the flu, according to Dr. Meryl Nass. The bottom line would be that based on the risk of side-effects from the shot versus the benefits, you may want to forego it.
Is there any good news on the vaccine front? I was pleased to see the FDA put a hold on the application for the Novavax combo flu/covid shot due to one person suffering nerve damage from the shot. Immediately upon stating its research was put on hold, Novavax stock dropped nearly 20%.
Wow! One person injured. That’s the good news. They should regroup and rethink when a very serious side-effect occurs. They might have saved a lot of people from serious side effects from the Covid shot, had they considered all the ill effects people experienced, and some experience even today. But wait: That would have affected the shareholders. How could Big Pharma survive?
Just follow the money. It’s never really been about your health.
And remember, this month is Vaccine Injury Month. Think about what shots you want to take or not take. After all, it is all about personal freedom. You decide for yourself what’s best for you.
Do you want to learn more and protect yourself and your children?
The lineup of speakers at the Oct. 26 conference in Anchorage include:
Dr Meryl Nass, speaking on the World Health Organization and its threat to our national sovereignty. She will also delve into details on the newest “plandemic” in the making and discuss how the global elites plan to disrupt your food supply.
Lt. Col. Dr. Theresa Long, a whistleblower who testified before Congress, will address military vaccine issues and injury.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, cofounder of “DoNoHarm,” will speak on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in medical schools, and how this policy has affected what new doctors are learning or not learning in their educational process.
Dr. Pam Popper will address “Using the Courts to Restore Our Right,” in which she will discuss vaccine lawsuits that have been filed and what success we have had in this area.
Dr. Joel Wallskog, co-founder of React19, will recount his own vaccine injury, and unpack what avenues are open to others who were injured by this vaccine.
Dr. Ryan Cole, who had his medical license restricted in the state of Washington for prescribing Ivermectin to Covid patients via telemedicine, will speak about turbo cancers that have occurred since the start of the Covid pandemic.
Dr. James Lindsay will speak about culture wars and their effect on our children.
Dr. Peter Breggin will speak on “Thinning the Herd. The pandemic as a global Milgram experiment.”
Our own Dr. Ilona Farr will speak on “Finding Solutions To Treat Health Problems Caused by Covid-19.”
Here’s your opportunity to learn more at our “Alaskans 4 Personal Freedom” conference on Oct. 26 at the Egan Conference Center in Anchorage.
You can even Zoom in from the comfort of your home and have popcorn too!
Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance.
Anchorage School Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said the district will release an initial list of recommended schools for closing, combining, or repurposing on Nov. 1.
From Nov. 12-18, the district will host a series of community conversations where the public can learn more, ask questions, and offer feedback.
“We will also engage the Superintendent Advisory Committees during a special Multicultural Education Concerns Advisory Committee (MECAC) meeting for additional dialogue and feedback,” Bryantt said.
“For our valued employees, I want to assure you that we will prioritize your preferences for school placement if you are affected by rightsizing. Following Board approval of a Rightsizing plan, our Talent Management team will work closely with staff to assist with plans to ensure a smooth transition to your new campus,” the superintendent said.
Anchorage is suffering from a loss of students, in part because families have opted for home schooling or private schools, or have moved to the MatSu Valley, where the perception is that schools are performing better than in Anchorage. In addition, Anchorage residents of childbearing age are having fewer children, if any.
Anchorage’s population has been shrinking for a decade. While the overall population in Alaska has grown 2.7% from 2010 to 2020, Anchorage Municipality’s population shrank 2.3%.
The goal of downsizing the overall footprint of the Anchorage schools has been under way on since April, with several school board meetings, community meetings and surveys.
