Another year, another record?
That tends to be the refrain for Fairbanks musher Lance Mackey. He was the first to win the Yukon Quest and Iditarod back to back in 2007. Last year, he set the Iditarod record with a fourth consecutive victory in the 1,000-mile race from Anchorage to Nome.
By extending that mark this month, Mackey would tie five-time champion Rick Swenson of Two Rivers as the winningest musher in race history.
Swenson notched his fifth championship in 1991 at age 40. Mackey is 40.
Ultimately, the fitness of the dogs is typically more important than the age of the musher. Competitors need only listen to what Mackey said at the end of last year's race, the second fastest ever.
"I had seven dogs who would go to the end of the Earth for me, and nine more who would try," Mackey said. "I've got a lot of young superstars and a bright future with them."
That future has arrived.
And as much as Mackey loves to talk up his dogs, competitors know the musher plays a huge role.
"He could take your dogs and beat his team with your dogs. That's how good of a musher he is," said Hugh Neff, a Mackey friend who finished ninth. "It ain't just about the dogs -- it's about him. And the magic he has that nobody else seems to have."
Neff isn't alone in that opinion.
"He'll probably be the first to tell you (it's) his dogs ... (but) he doesn't have the best dog team," said Zack Steer of Sheep Mountain, who wound up 12th last year. "I ran with him in the middle of the race. My team was as fast or faster. He wins because of him and because of his passion."
Mackey believes that what he does well is understand his team, allowing for calculated risks that can change a race in an instant.
A flash decision last year to push from Nulato through Kaltag and on to Unalakleet -- a 140-mile marathon -- while four-time champion Jeff King rested provided Mackey the lead for good.
"I don't think that I do anything with my running to jeopardize the dogs or the future of the dogs," Mackey said. "I gamble ... (but) I'm not going to win the Iditarod at the expense of my team."
If Mackey plans to join Swenson in the five-victories club, he's going to have to outrun a slew of top-flight mushers -- including a crack crew of 20-somethings unwilling to wait another decade or two for glory.
In addition to Swenson, who is 60 and sporting an artificial hip, Mackey will face four-time champion Martin Buser of Big Lake, who in January finished fourth at the Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race; 2004 champion Mitch Seavey of Sterling; and his son, the promising 24-year-old Dallas Seavey.
In addition there are:
• The Runners-up: Both DeeDee Jonrowe of Willow and Paul Gebhardt of Kasilof have finished second twice. Canadians Sebastian Schnuelle (2009) and Hans Gatt (last year) would both be champions now if Mackey had chosen another profession.
• The Questers: Two River neighbors Aliy Zirkle and Sonny Lindner have triumphed in mushing's other marathon, the Yukon Quest.
• The Kids: OK, they're not exactly kids, but close enough. Dallas Seavey, 24, was eighth last year; Mike Williams Jr., 26, of Akiak was nipped at the finish line to wind up second in January's Kuskokwim 300; Pete Kaiser, 23, of Bethel finished third in the same race; and Melissa Owens, 21, of Nome has moved to Knik to focus her training.
• The Doublers: In recent years, a formula for Iditarod success has been to run a strong Yukon Quest in February. Signed up for both 1,000-mile races are Gatt, Neff, Schnuelle, Ken Anderson of Fairbanks, Jodi Bailey of Chatanika, Kelley Griffin of Wasilla and Michelle Phillips of the Yukon.
But Mackey has already gotten at least one break.
His nemesis, four-time champion Jeff King of Denali Park, has either retired or is taking this Iditarod off. The duo's battles along the Norton Sound coast over the last few years have delivered most of the thrills in a race threatening to become boringly predictable.
As in Mackey-Mackey-Mackey-Mackey-Mackey.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Ellis wins after Streeper is disqualified
Blayne Streeper had it in the bag.
At the end of the second day in the three-day competition, the defending champion in the Fur Rendezvous Open World Champion Sled Dog Race held a lead of more than one minute over his nearest rival. His team was still pulling strong while others were feeling the strain. His strategy and instincts were working flawlessly. All signs pointed to a third day of trail conditions that would be near perfect for his fast, strong dogs.
Knowledgeable race fans agreed that it was a matter of time before he won his sixth Rondy championship and became the third-winningest musher in the history of the sprint race -- and the first to chalk up five consecutive wins.
Then, with one last mile to go in Saturday's 25-mile leg, to the dismay and astonishment of the crowd, "Buddy" Streeper struck another musher.
Streeper and his supporters say it was an innocent slap. But several onlookers thought it looked like a punch thrown in anger. So did many who saw the video clip of the incident posted by a reader on adn.com.
Race authorities agreed and, before the start of Sunday's final heat, disqualified him for unsportsmanlike conduct. Egil Ellis, in second place at the end of day two, went on to win this year's race on Sunday.
Corinne McVee of Anchorage was among those watching at the hill on Cordova Street leading up to 15th Avenue. Luke Sampson of Kotzebue was traveling up the hill and moved to the far right as Streeper caught up with him. But instead of overtaking Sampson's team on the left, Streeper edged up on the right where McVee said there was little space. The result was a near-tangling of the two teams.
Both mushers made it to the top of the hill, by which point Sampson had veered left and Streeper was next to him. As he passed, Streeper took the swipe at Sampson, who appeared to stagger on the video clip, then swore at him.
Several people along Cordova Street were in a position to see the incident, including race officials, a radio announcer and the police officer directing traffic at the top of the hill. Cheers turned to boos.
Coming down Fourth Avenue behind the team of John Erhart, Streeper looked perturbed. His lead dogs nosed to the right of Erhart's sled, where there was no room and Streeper made gestures of frustration as he crossed the finish line. Bringing his sled to a halt, he was terse with reporters who tried to speak with him at what appeared to be a moment of victory.
The Alaska Sled Dog and Racing Association officials began investigating the allegation immediately. A written statement from Greater Anchorage Inc., the organization that runs the winter festival in which the race long has been among the most popular events, said that ASDRA had received five written accounts from trail guards at the site and a number of phoned-in complaints from other witnesses.
They also received a description of the account from Sampson, who declined to make a written protest concerning the matter.
Streeper also issued a written statement with his side of the story. In it he said that as he approached Sampson, he hollered, "Luke! Trail! Luke!"
"He did not hear me and as my leaders reached him and attempted to pass he jumped off his sled and started running along side, interfering with my leaders," Streeper said.
"As my team caught and passed Luke at the top of the hill I slapped his arm to get his attention and hollered, 'Luke, pay (expletive) attention!' "
Streeper said he acted out of concern for the safety of the dogs and felt that the penalty was too severe. He also said, "I regret using profanity during the race and apologize to all of the fans that I may have offended and to my friend Luke Sampson."
Race marshal Janet Clarke said it was the first time in the history of the race that such a penalty had been applied to a musher.
"We sometimes have trouble with the smaller teams because they're run by inexperienced mushers," she said. "What makes this unusual is that racers at this level are so professional and focused. They just don't let their emotions interfere with the race."
She stressed that the disqualification only applied to this race. The Greater Anchorage Inc. press release also said, "We welcome Blayne Streeper/Streeper Kennels to return to the World Championship Sled Dog Races in 2012."
In fact Streeper Kennels was present in a big way on the final day. The Streeper family of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, has assisted many of the competitors in this year's race.
Brent Beck expressed thanks to Buddy Streeper for getting him interested in the sport. Aaron Burmeister's fifth place team was a string of Streeper dogs, as advertised by their harnesses in the official Streeper Kennel colors of green and gold. He also got to use the big Streeper dog truck for the last day of the race.
Blayne's father Terry, in his big, green parka embellished with Canadian flags, worked tirelessly along the chute, assisting other teams as needed and chatting in a friendly way with other Rondy royalty like nine-time champion George Attla. The influence of the family -- whose members include two time winner Eddie Streeper -- runs deep at the Rondy race.
Sampson, who was just getting over an illness at the start of the race, scratched on the last day. He had grown concerned about the condition of his dogs and, before the Cordova hill incident, was considering calling for his truck to come pick them up at every checkpoint. The cheers of the crowd motivated both him and his team, but as they struggled with the hill, he had already decided to pull them out of the final day's competition.
Although the remaining competitors had been advised not to speak with the media, there was no shortage of off-the-record opinion about what happened or whether officials had done the right thing or whether Ellis would have won had Streeper not been removed.
The 2011 race will be controversial for some time to come.
The decision to disqualify Streeper was not made lightly, race marshal Clarke said. But ultimately ASDRA didn't see any other course.
At a pre-race huddle with the mushers she urged them to set their feelings aside for the moment. "It's hard when something this unexpected happens," she said. "But we have a race to run."
The competitors nodded, shook hands, wished one another well, and went to prepare their dogs for the race.
At the end of the second day in the three-day competition, the defending champion in the Fur Rendezvous Open World Champion Sled Dog Race held a lead of more than one minute over his nearest rival. His team was still pulling strong while others were feeling the strain. His strategy and instincts were working flawlessly. All signs pointed to a third day of trail conditions that would be near perfect for his fast, strong dogs.
Knowledgeable race fans agreed that it was a matter of time before he won his sixth Rondy championship and became the third-winningest musher in the history of the sprint race -- and the first to chalk up five consecutive wins.
Then, with one last mile to go in Saturday's 25-mile leg, to the dismay and astonishment of the crowd, "Buddy" Streeper struck another musher.
Streeper and his supporters say it was an innocent slap. But several onlookers thought it looked like a punch thrown in anger. So did many who saw the video clip of the incident posted by a reader on adn.com.
Race authorities agreed and, before the start of Sunday's final heat, disqualified him for unsportsmanlike conduct. Egil Ellis, in second place at the end of day two, went on to win this year's race on Sunday.
Corinne McVee of Anchorage was among those watching at the hill on Cordova Street leading up to 15th Avenue. Luke Sampson of Kotzebue was traveling up the hill and moved to the far right as Streeper caught up with him. But instead of overtaking Sampson's team on the left, Streeper edged up on the right where McVee said there was little space. The result was a near-tangling of the two teams.
Both mushers made it to the top of the hill, by which point Sampson had veered left and Streeper was next to him. As he passed, Streeper took the swipe at Sampson, who appeared to stagger on the video clip, then swore at him.
Several people along Cordova Street were in a position to see the incident, including race officials, a radio announcer and the police officer directing traffic at the top of the hill. Cheers turned to boos.
Coming down Fourth Avenue behind the team of John Erhart, Streeper looked perturbed. His lead dogs nosed to the right of Erhart's sled, where there was no room and Streeper made gestures of frustration as he crossed the finish line. Bringing his sled to a halt, he was terse with reporters who tried to speak with him at what appeared to be a moment of victory.
The Alaska Sled Dog and Racing Association officials began investigating the allegation immediately. A written statement from Greater Anchorage Inc., the organization that runs the winter festival in which the race long has been among the most popular events, said that ASDRA had received five written accounts from trail guards at the site and a number of phoned-in complaints from other witnesses.
They also received a description of the account from Sampson, who declined to make a written protest concerning the matter.
Streeper also issued a written statement with his side of the story. In it he said that as he approached Sampson, he hollered, "Luke! Trail! Luke!"
"He did not hear me and as my leaders reached him and attempted to pass he jumped off his sled and started running along side, interfering with my leaders," Streeper said.
"As my team caught and passed Luke at the top of the hill I slapped his arm to get his attention and hollered, 'Luke, pay (expletive) attention!' "
Streeper said he acted out of concern for the safety of the dogs and felt that the penalty was too severe. He also said, "I regret using profanity during the race and apologize to all of the fans that I may have offended and to my friend Luke Sampson."
Race marshal Janet Clarke said it was the first time in the history of the race that such a penalty had been applied to a musher.
"We sometimes have trouble with the smaller teams because they're run by inexperienced mushers," she said. "What makes this unusual is that racers at this level are so professional and focused. They just don't let their emotions interfere with the race."
She stressed that the disqualification only applied to this race. The Greater Anchorage Inc. press release also said, "We welcome Blayne Streeper/Streeper Kennels to return to the World Championship Sled Dog Races in 2012."
In fact Streeper Kennels was present in a big way on the final day. The Streeper family of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, has assisted many of the competitors in this year's race.
Brent Beck expressed thanks to Buddy Streeper for getting him interested in the sport. Aaron Burmeister's fifth place team was a string of Streeper dogs, as advertised by their harnesses in the official Streeper Kennel colors of green and gold. He also got to use the big Streeper dog truck for the last day of the race.
Blayne's father Terry, in his big, green parka embellished with Canadian flags, worked tirelessly along the chute, assisting other teams as needed and chatting in a friendly way with other Rondy royalty like nine-time champion George Attla. The influence of the family -- whose members include two time winner Eddie Streeper -- runs deep at the Rondy race.
Sampson, who was just getting over an illness at the start of the race, scratched on the last day. He had grown concerned about the condition of his dogs and, before the Cordova hill incident, was considering calling for his truck to come pick them up at every checkpoint. The cheers of the crowd motivated both him and his team, but as they struggled with the hill, he had already decided to pull them out of the final day's competition.
Although the remaining competitors had been advised not to speak with the media, there was no shortage of off-the-record opinion about what happened or whether officials had done the right thing or whether Ellis would have won had Streeper not been removed.
The 2011 race will be controversial for some time to come.
The decision to disqualify Streeper was not made lightly, race marshal Clarke said. But ultimately ASDRA didn't see any other course.
At a pre-race huddle with the mushers she urged them to set their feelings aside for the moment. "It's hard when something this unexpected happens," she said. "But we have a race to run."
The competitors nodded, shook hands, wished one another well, and went to prepare their dogs for the race.
Fierce winds close port at Valdez, batter town 100 MPH: Siding blown off buildings, windshield wipers ripped from cars.
Hurricane-force winds have forced a shutdown of the port where Alaska oil is loaded onto tankers.
The National Weather Service said Sunday there were multiple reports of flying debris shattering car windows and siding blowing off buildings in the Prince William Sound town of Valdez, where the port is located. No injuries were reported.
The winds peaked at 95 mph Saturday, prompting the port closure. A high wind warning remained in effect.
It was even windier at Thompson Pass, where the Richardson Highway passes through the Chugach Mountains. Cars got stuck in deep snowdrifts and 100 mph winds ripped windshield wipers from vehicles.
It's uncertain when the port will reopen, but Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. terminal remained in operations except for vessel loading. Oil from the 800-mile trans-Alaska oil pipeline is being stored in tanks.
Alyeska operates the pipeline, which stretches from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.
By early Sunday, just a little over a quarter of the facility's storage capacity was being utilized, according to spokeswoman Michelle Egan.
"We're not in the type of situation where we would be looking at shutting the pipeline any time soon," she said. "There are many days of room remaining."
The pipeline operates at less than one-third capacity from its peak of 2.1 million barrels per day. The Alyeska terminal has a storage capacity of 8.7 million barrels, Egan said.
The winds had settled to about 10 mph, with a 65 mph gust blasting through the town, said Peggy Perales with the National Weather Service office in Valdez.
"They're all over the place," she said, adding the winds were expected to flare up again, with gusts in the 80 mph range. The high wind warning will be in effect through Monday evening, she said.
Perales said no oil tankers were in the port. Instead, vessels were waiting out the weather in a safe harbor of the sound.
Egan said port closures in Valdez are not unusual. Perales, however, categorized the current conditions as out of the ordinary.
"It's an extended event, and we don't normally get winds this high," she said. "It's not an every-winter event."
Valdez residents are used to strong winds, but the latest bout even got the attention of old-timers like Matt Kinney, a backcountry ski guide who leads excursions near Valdez and in Thompson Pass.
"It's been a while since we had a good blow," he said. "Yesterday's wind event was a significant event."
The National Weather Service said Sunday there were multiple reports of flying debris shattering car windows and siding blowing off buildings in the Prince William Sound town of Valdez, where the port is located. No injuries were reported.
The winds peaked at 95 mph Saturday, prompting the port closure. A high wind warning remained in effect.
It was even windier at Thompson Pass, where the Richardson Highway passes through the Chugach Mountains. Cars got stuck in deep snowdrifts and 100 mph winds ripped windshield wipers from vehicles.
It's uncertain when the port will reopen, but Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. terminal remained in operations except for vessel loading. Oil from the 800-mile trans-Alaska oil pipeline is being stored in tanks.
Alyeska operates the pipeline, which stretches from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez.
By early Sunday, just a little over a quarter of the facility's storage capacity was being utilized, according to spokeswoman Michelle Egan.
"We're not in the type of situation where we would be looking at shutting the pipeline any time soon," she said. "There are many days of room remaining."
The pipeline operates at less than one-third capacity from its peak of 2.1 million barrels per day. The Alyeska terminal has a storage capacity of 8.7 million barrels, Egan said.
The winds had settled to about 10 mph, with a 65 mph gust blasting through the town, said Peggy Perales with the National Weather Service office in Valdez.
"They're all over the place," she said, adding the winds were expected to flare up again, with gusts in the 80 mph range. The high wind warning will be in effect through Monday evening, she said.
Perales said no oil tankers were in the port. Instead, vessels were waiting out the weather in a safe harbor of the sound.
Egan said port closures in Valdez are not unusual. Perales, however, categorized the current conditions as out of the ordinary.
"It's an extended event, and we don't normally get winds this high," she said. "It's not an every-winter event."
Valdez residents are used to strong winds, but the latest bout even got the attention of old-timers like Matt Kinney, a backcountry ski guide who leads excursions near Valdez and in Thompson Pass.
"It's been a while since we had a good blow," he said. "Yesterday's wind event was a significant event."
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Drilling advocates dominate federal offshore hearing
Alaska drilling advocates on Friday night dominated a federal public hearing seeking comment on a proposed five-year plan for offshore oil and gas lease sales that includes the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.
More than 100 people signed up to testify at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management scoping session covering 2012-2017 but fewer than half had time to make comments during the three-hour session.
Pro-drilling forces offered pizza and soft drinks to encourage supporters to arrive early and sign up to testify. The agency took them in order and drilling opponents, including those who arrived more than an hour early, finally got their chance near the end of the session.
State Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan led off testimony and said Gov. Sean Parnell advocates additional lease sales in the Arctic Ocean.
"I strongly believe that the vast, vast majority of Alaskans in all walks of life share this position," he said.
Alaska's No. 1 industry is petroleum and upward of 90 percent of state general fund income comes from the oil industry. However, the trans-Alaska pipeline is operating at less than one-third capacity and state officials fear it could shut down without additional sources.
"OCS development will be a very important part of stemming the TAPS decline," Sullivan said. "It will also have a huge impact in terms of jobs and federal revenue and state revenue."
He also said Alaskans feel enormous frustration with federal government as a partner in resource development projects.
"To put it bluntly, you are missing in action," he said. The federal government, Sullivan said, has shifted from a policy of promoting environmental protection to shutting down resource development through misuse of endangered species law and wilderness designations. That pushes U.S. oil purchases to other countries, he said.
"Those countries don't have near the environmental stringent requirements that we do," he said.
Several dozen other drilling advocates followed and spelled out how the state economy and the country need the oil and gas Alaska has to offer.
Carl Portman of the Resource Development Council said drillng can be done safely. About 30 wells have been drilled in the Beaufort and five in the Chukchi, all using older technology and all without a blowout, he said.
A study paid for by Shell Oil and released this week used federal estimates that the Beaufort and Chukchi seas hold 27 billion barrels of oil and 132 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
By the time 30 people had testified, the meeting was interrupted by Leslie Cornick, a marine biology teacher at Alaska Pacific University, who asked if the agency intended to listen to anyone on the other side. She finally got her chance to speak with 15 minutes remaining.
She took issue with Alaskans saying they did not want the federal government telling them how they should develop their resources.
"Unless you're an Alaska Native, we all came from somewhere else, and we have been telling the Alaska Natives what do to with their resources ever since we got here," she said.
Drilling, she said, threatens the ocean bounty that Arctic coastal communities rely on.
"Oil and gas are not the only resources in this state," she said. "And they are not the resources on which the Alaska Natives primarily depend."
History has plenty of examples of the downside of drilling, from the Exxon Valdez to Deepwater Horizon to a tanker that spilled oil last week in a Norwegian marine national park. The technology does not exist to clean spills in ice, she said.
The remote northern coast of Alaska lacks infrastructure needed to respond to a spill, she said.
"I am opposed, vehemently, to these leases going forward in the current period because we aren't ready," Cornick said. "The Arctic is not ready."
More than 100 people signed up to testify at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management scoping session covering 2012-2017 but fewer than half had time to make comments during the three-hour session.
Pro-drilling forces offered pizza and soft drinks to encourage supporters to arrive early and sign up to testify. The agency took them in order and drilling opponents, including those who arrived more than an hour early, finally got their chance near the end of the session.
State Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan led off testimony and said Gov. Sean Parnell advocates additional lease sales in the Arctic Ocean.
"I strongly believe that the vast, vast majority of Alaskans in all walks of life share this position," he said.
Alaska's No. 1 industry is petroleum and upward of 90 percent of state general fund income comes from the oil industry. However, the trans-Alaska pipeline is operating at less than one-third capacity and state officials fear it could shut down without additional sources.
"OCS development will be a very important part of stemming the TAPS decline," Sullivan said. "It will also have a huge impact in terms of jobs and federal revenue and state revenue."
He also said Alaskans feel enormous frustration with federal government as a partner in resource development projects.
"To put it bluntly, you are missing in action," he said. The federal government, Sullivan said, has shifted from a policy of promoting environmental protection to shutting down resource development through misuse of endangered species law and wilderness designations. That pushes U.S. oil purchases to other countries, he said.
"Those countries don't have near the environmental stringent requirements that we do," he said.
Several dozen other drilling advocates followed and spelled out how the state economy and the country need the oil and gas Alaska has to offer.
Carl Portman of the Resource Development Council said drillng can be done safely. About 30 wells have been drilled in the Beaufort and five in the Chukchi, all using older technology and all without a blowout, he said.
A study paid for by Shell Oil and released this week used federal estimates that the Beaufort and Chukchi seas hold 27 billion barrels of oil and 132 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
By the time 30 people had testified, the meeting was interrupted by Leslie Cornick, a marine biology teacher at Alaska Pacific University, who asked if the agency intended to listen to anyone on the other side. She finally got her chance to speak with 15 minutes remaining.
She took issue with Alaskans saying they did not want the federal government telling them how they should develop their resources.
"Unless you're an Alaska Native, we all came from somewhere else, and we have been telling the Alaska Natives what do to with their resources ever since we got here," she said.
Drilling, she said, threatens the ocean bounty that Arctic coastal communities rely on.
"Oil and gas are not the only resources in this state," she said. "And they are not the resources on which the Alaska Natives primarily depend."
History has plenty of examples of the downside of drilling, from the Exxon Valdez to Deepwater Horizon to a tanker that spilled oil last week in a Norwegian marine national park. The technology does not exist to clean spills in ice, she said.
The remote northern coast of Alaska lacks infrastructure needed to respond to a spill, she said.
"I am opposed, vehemently, to these leases going forward in the current period because we aren't ready," Cornick said. "The Arctic is not ready."
Pilot, trailblazer join the Iditarod Hall of Fame UNSUNG HEROES: Without this pair's dedication, iditarod might not have succeeded.
Two men who made the preposterous notion of racing dog teams from Anchorage to Nome a possibility, one by land and one by air, are the newest members of the Anchorage Daily News' Iditarod Hall of Fame.
Though their names might be familiar only to fans whose memories are long or research is thorough, Unalakleet trailblazer Doug Katchatag and Bush pilot Larry Thompson helped solve two enormous logistical problems in the early days of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Without Katchatag, segments of the historic trail might still be obscured by trees.
Without Thompson, dogs and mushers might have gone hungry at checkpoints.
Katchatag, 63, was in on Joe Redington Sr.'s grand scheme from the get-go, offering advice about dogs, providing connections in villages along the race route and taking charge of the effort to open the trail from Kaltag to Nome.
Thompson, who died in 2004 at age 69, was a one-man Iditarod Air Force in the early years of the race, ferrying supplies from Anchorage to the Susitna Valley in his Cessna 180.
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Iditarod race photographer Jeff Schultz, a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, called the two men "unsung heroes." Channel 2 photographer Eric Sowl, another member of the panel, said their volunteer efforts helped turn the Iditarod into Alaska's signature event.
"Doug and Larry are two people who helped the race move forward every year," Sowl said.
Doug Katchatag: Clearing the route
Salmon brought Joe Redington Sr. and Doug Katchatag together back in late 1960s, but it was dogs that bound them for life.
Katchatag comes from a long line of fishermen and dog drivers in Unalakleet, a village on the northwest coast where Redington worked as a fish buyer for a co-op.
Redington dreamed of racing sled dogs a thousand miles from Anchorage to Nome, and in Katchatag he found not only a fellow dog lover, but a pragmatist who helped the dream become reality.
"Joe talks about dogs all the time and he asks me one day what I thought about a race from Anchorage to Nome, did I think it could be done?" Katchatag said. "And I said yeah it could be done, it's just a matter of putting in a lot of work putting in the trails."
For a whole summer the two talked about the idea. When October came and Redington returned to his home in the Susitna Valley, he was on a mission.
"I told him, go talk to the radio stations, get invited to the TV stations, go see the oil and gas companies and the restaurants, call the Seattle Times. Advertise your race, and you'll get it going," Katchatag said. "He jumped on a plane and he called me back in February and said, 'I got $50,000, we can have our race.' "
Not so fast, Katchatag said.
"We need at least $100,000 more," he told Redington. "We've got to pay these people to open the trail. It's all covered with brush and trees, and they can't just get up and leave their families. You've got to pay them."
Somehow the money was raised, and for three winters Katchatag directed the task of clearing 340 miles of trail from Kaltag to Nome.
Forged by gold miners seeking their fortunes and made famous by the 1925 Serum Run, the trail fell out of use when airplanes and snowmachines replaced dog teams as the main mode of transportation in rural Alaska. The workers whom Katchatag directed cleared 40 years of growth -- trees and bushes, Katchatag said -- from the trail.
Deep snow made progress slow. Villagers worked in pairs, with one walking ahead on snowshoes to pack the snow and the other following on a snowmachine.
"It snows like a bugger out there, and if you get off the trail you sink to your neck," Katchatag said. "Back in the old days the snowmachines were heavy and they just sunk down. Imagine sinking on a snowmachine and looking up into the sky. That's the way it was."
Crews worked only in the winter, because the trail wasn't accessible by land in the summer.
"We didn't know what four-wheelers were," Katchatag said, "and there were too many mosquitoes and gnats."
In January 1973, the trail from Kaltag to Nome was cleared. In February -- with the inaugural Iditarod less than a month away -- Redington called Katchatag with a dilemma.
"He said, 'Doug, we got a race going on and no trail to McGrath. How are we going to open that trail up?'
"I said, Joe, you got the Army there at Fort Rich. Go talk to a general and see if he can send his troops on bivouac training to McGrath. You got to beg, you got to call him sir, you got to do every darn thing in the book."
And so the Army came to the rescue and broke trail to McGrath. The race was on.
Every year since, Katchatag mans the checkpoint at Unalakleet. He is one of the few who have been part of the Iditarod since the beginning.
"I've got it down to a science," he said. "First the trail breakers come in and we feed them. We put all the dog food next to the checkpoint, so we can keep an eye on it, so no dogs get to it, no ravens get to it. It's almost a 24-hour job. The first two races, I stayed up one week straight without sleeping."
He's never been paid a penny. Even the money raised for trail-clearing went to others, not to him.
He keeps threatening to quit, but he never follows through. He's a dog guy, and the race owns a piece of his heart.
Larry Thompson: Race's air force of one
When the Iditarod began in 1973, organizers had a wacky vision of racing dog teams across the vast frozen nothingness that dominates the heart of Alaska come winter.
But without a practical and savvy pilot like Larry Thompson, that vision might have been dashed against the cold, hard reality of hundreds of miles of trackless terrain firmly in the grip of punishing winters.
Without Thompson, there might never have been an Iditarod Air Force -- that collection of pilots that moves people, supplies, dog food, veterinarians, lame dogs and countless other items back and forth between Anchorage and Nome.
Without Thompson, there might not have been a race. As superbly fit as racing sled dogs are, no team can pull all the food needed to fuel a 1,000-mile journey.
When the 39th Iditarod starts Saturday in Anchorage, 31 volunteer pilots will stand ready to help ensure 124,822 pounds of dog food, 391 bales of hay, 5,000 trail markers, 1,135 cans of Heet and 45 veterinarians are where they need to be on the trail to Nome.
But when Thompson, then 38, became the pilot for the inaugural race, he flew alone.
"There's absolutely no way the race could have happened without Larry or somebody like him," said Rich Burnham of Kaltag, a four-time Iditarod finisher who was Thompson's friend and business partner. "No way it could have functioned."
Added Jack Morris, race veterinarian in the 1974 Iditarod: "In the first years, Larry was the whole air force. He did virtually all the flying."
Early race organizers gently roped in Thompson, whose catch-as-catch-can style dovetailed nicely with that of race founder Joe Redington Sr.
"It was on the first Saturday that March, as the teams were leaving Mulcahy Stadium, that race marshal Dick Tozier sought out Thompson and told him there was 'some food' at the airport that needed to get to Susitna Station," author Lew Freedman wrote in the book "Iditarod Silver."
"Could he haul it that day?
"Thompson agreed and went out to the airport, where he found an overwhelming pile of sacks and boxes of dog food and supplies."
That request led to another. And another. And another.
"Thompson was having such a good time," Freedman wrote, "he kept on volunteering -- flying people, food and supplies all the way to Nome. He volunteered his time and plane for about 10 years."
Thompson, who came to Alaska from Bisbee, Ariz., in 1960, fit the role of the quintessential Bush pilot -- a stocky, 5-foot-3 man with a black beard and fleece-lined cowboy boots. He described his Iditarod flying as "hours and hours of monotony, then minutes of stark terror."
"He loved flying over the race and looking down on it," Burnham said. "It gave him empowerment. Just by flying over it. It gave him that real-life experience."
Thompson flew an old Cessna 180, using hand flaps that ran levers controlling the plane's lift.
"The only way he felt comfortable flying was to have that control in his hands," Burnham said. "That got him into places nobody else could go. But he was always cool, calm and in control."
During the Iditarod, the Cessna was always packed.
"There was dog food in gunny sacks stacked up as high as we could see inside the plane," said photographer Rob Stapleton, who flew with Thompson in the race's early years.
Morris, a vet with the Wasilla Veterinary Clinic, still marvels over the number of dogs Thompson managed to fit in his plane.
"I asked him, 'How do you tell when it's overloaded?' 'Easy,' he said. 'When it can't get off the ground,' " Morris recalled.
In 1979, the Iditarod presented Thompson with a huge trophy proclaiming him the "World's Greatest Pilot." He died of lung cancer in 2004 at age 69.
"He was a mold they'll never make again," said Danny Davidson, chief pilot of today's Iditarod Air Force.
Though their names might be familiar only to fans whose memories are long or research is thorough, Unalakleet trailblazer Doug Katchatag and Bush pilot Larry Thompson helped solve two enormous logistical problems in the early days of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Without Katchatag, segments of the historic trail might still be obscured by trees.
Without Thompson, dogs and mushers might have gone hungry at checkpoints.
Katchatag, 63, was in on Joe Redington Sr.'s grand scheme from the get-go, offering advice about dogs, providing connections in villages along the race route and taking charge of the effort to open the trail from Kaltag to Nome.
Thompson, who died in 2004 at age 69, was a one-man Iditarod Air Force in the early years of the race, ferrying supplies from Anchorage to the Susitna Valley in his Cessna 180.
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Iditarod race photographer Jeff Schultz, a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee, called the two men "unsung heroes." Channel 2 photographer Eric Sowl, another member of the panel, said their volunteer efforts helped turn the Iditarod into Alaska's signature event.
"Doug and Larry are two people who helped the race move forward every year," Sowl said.
Doug Katchatag: Clearing the route
Salmon brought Joe Redington Sr. and Doug Katchatag together back in late 1960s, but it was dogs that bound them for life.
Katchatag comes from a long line of fishermen and dog drivers in Unalakleet, a village on the northwest coast where Redington worked as a fish buyer for a co-op.
Redington dreamed of racing sled dogs a thousand miles from Anchorage to Nome, and in Katchatag he found not only a fellow dog lover, but a pragmatist who helped the dream become reality.
"Joe talks about dogs all the time and he asks me one day what I thought about a race from Anchorage to Nome, did I think it could be done?" Katchatag said. "And I said yeah it could be done, it's just a matter of putting in a lot of work putting in the trails."
For a whole summer the two talked about the idea. When October came and Redington returned to his home in the Susitna Valley, he was on a mission.
"I told him, go talk to the radio stations, get invited to the TV stations, go see the oil and gas companies and the restaurants, call the Seattle Times. Advertise your race, and you'll get it going," Katchatag said. "He jumped on a plane and he called me back in February and said, 'I got $50,000, we can have our race.' "
Not so fast, Katchatag said.
"We need at least $100,000 more," he told Redington. "We've got to pay these people to open the trail. It's all covered with brush and trees, and they can't just get up and leave their families. You've got to pay them."
Somehow the money was raised, and for three winters Katchatag directed the task of clearing 340 miles of trail from Kaltag to Nome.
Forged by gold miners seeking their fortunes and made famous by the 1925 Serum Run, the trail fell out of use when airplanes and snowmachines replaced dog teams as the main mode of transportation in rural Alaska. The workers whom Katchatag directed cleared 40 years of growth -- trees and bushes, Katchatag said -- from the trail.
Deep snow made progress slow. Villagers worked in pairs, with one walking ahead on snowshoes to pack the snow and the other following on a snowmachine.
"It snows like a bugger out there, and if you get off the trail you sink to your neck," Katchatag said. "Back in the old days the snowmachines were heavy and they just sunk down. Imagine sinking on a snowmachine and looking up into the sky. That's the way it was."
Crews worked only in the winter, because the trail wasn't accessible by land in the summer.
"We didn't know what four-wheelers were," Katchatag said, "and there were too many mosquitoes and gnats."
In January 1973, the trail from Kaltag to Nome was cleared. In February -- with the inaugural Iditarod less than a month away -- Redington called Katchatag with a dilemma.
"He said, 'Doug, we got a race going on and no trail to McGrath. How are we going to open that trail up?'
"I said, Joe, you got the Army there at Fort Rich. Go talk to a general and see if he can send his troops on bivouac training to McGrath. You got to beg, you got to call him sir, you got to do every darn thing in the book."
And so the Army came to the rescue and broke trail to McGrath. The race was on.
Every year since, Katchatag mans the checkpoint at Unalakleet. He is one of the few who have been part of the Iditarod since the beginning.
"I've got it down to a science," he said. "First the trail breakers come in and we feed them. We put all the dog food next to the checkpoint, so we can keep an eye on it, so no dogs get to it, no ravens get to it. It's almost a 24-hour job. The first two races, I stayed up one week straight without sleeping."
He's never been paid a penny. Even the money raised for trail-clearing went to others, not to him.
He keeps threatening to quit, but he never follows through. He's a dog guy, and the race owns a piece of his heart.
Larry Thompson: Race's air force of one
When the Iditarod began in 1973, organizers had a wacky vision of racing dog teams across the vast frozen nothingness that dominates the heart of Alaska come winter.
But without a practical and savvy pilot like Larry Thompson, that vision might have been dashed against the cold, hard reality of hundreds of miles of trackless terrain firmly in the grip of punishing winters.
Without Thompson, there might never have been an Iditarod Air Force -- that collection of pilots that moves people, supplies, dog food, veterinarians, lame dogs and countless other items back and forth between Anchorage and Nome.
Without Thompson, there might not have been a race. As superbly fit as racing sled dogs are, no team can pull all the food needed to fuel a 1,000-mile journey.
When the 39th Iditarod starts Saturday in Anchorage, 31 volunteer pilots will stand ready to help ensure 124,822 pounds of dog food, 391 bales of hay, 5,000 trail markers, 1,135 cans of Heet and 45 veterinarians are where they need to be on the trail to Nome.
But when Thompson, then 38, became the pilot for the inaugural race, he flew alone.
"There's absolutely no way the race could have happened without Larry or somebody like him," said Rich Burnham of Kaltag, a four-time Iditarod finisher who was Thompson's friend and business partner. "No way it could have functioned."
Added Jack Morris, race veterinarian in the 1974 Iditarod: "In the first years, Larry was the whole air force. He did virtually all the flying."
Early race organizers gently roped in Thompson, whose catch-as-catch-can style dovetailed nicely with that of race founder Joe Redington Sr.
"It was on the first Saturday that March, as the teams were leaving Mulcahy Stadium, that race marshal Dick Tozier sought out Thompson and told him there was 'some food' at the airport that needed to get to Susitna Station," author Lew Freedman wrote in the book "Iditarod Silver."
"Could he haul it that day?
"Thompson agreed and went out to the airport, where he found an overwhelming pile of sacks and boxes of dog food and supplies."
That request led to another. And another. And another.
"Thompson was having such a good time," Freedman wrote, "he kept on volunteering -- flying people, food and supplies all the way to Nome. He volunteered his time and plane for about 10 years."
Thompson, who came to Alaska from Bisbee, Ariz., in 1960, fit the role of the quintessential Bush pilot -- a stocky, 5-foot-3 man with a black beard and fleece-lined cowboy boots. He described his Iditarod flying as "hours and hours of monotony, then minutes of stark terror."
"He loved flying over the race and looking down on it," Burnham said. "It gave him empowerment. Just by flying over it. It gave him that real-life experience."
Thompson flew an old Cessna 180, using hand flaps that ran levers controlling the plane's lift.
"The only way he felt comfortable flying was to have that control in his hands," Burnham said. "That got him into places nobody else could go. But he was always cool, calm and in control."
During the Iditarod, the Cessna was always packed.
"There was dog food in gunny sacks stacked up as high as we could see inside the plane," said photographer Rob Stapleton, who flew with Thompson in the race's early years.
Morris, a vet with the Wasilla Veterinary Clinic, still marvels over the number of dogs Thompson managed to fit in his plane.
"I asked him, 'How do you tell when it's overloaded?' 'Easy,' he said. 'When it can't get off the ground,' " Morris recalled.
In 1979, the Iditarod presented Thompson with a huge trophy proclaiming him the "World's Greatest Pilot." He died of lung cancer in 2004 at age 69.
"He was a mold they'll never make again," said Danny Davidson, chief pilot of today's Iditarod Air Force.
Huntington-Olds team wins the Iron Dog snowmachine race
Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River repeated as Iron Dog champions early Saturday evening, passing the team of Todd Palin and Eric Quam in the final 100 miles of the 2,000-mile snowmachine race across Alaska.
Olds and Huntington told Channel 2 at the finish line that they thought their chances of repeating were doomed when a belt broke on one of their Polaris Rush 600s right before Manley, 300 miles from the Fairbanks finish line.
"Four hours ago, I thought it was over," Huntington said.
"But we regrouped and here we are," Olds said.
Huntington and Olds eked out a two-minute lead going into Tanana earlier Saturday.
But Palin, a three-time champ, and Quam, a 2008 champ, surged past them and reached Nenana 17 minutes ahead of Huntington and Olds.
But after leaving Nenana, Palin had trouble with one of the skis on his Arctic Cat F6 600 and had to stop to fix it, giving Huntington and Olds the break they needed.
They claimed the lead on the 77-mile run from Nenana to North Pole, arriving at North Pole with a 14-minute lead that more than held up over the final 35 miles to Fairbanks.
Huntington and Olds, who will share the first-place prize of $50,000, reached the finish line at 5:51 p.m. Saturday. Palin and Quam finished at 6:09 p.m. and the father-son team of Scott and Cory Davis claimed third place about 10 minutes later.
Much of the pace and outcome of the 26th edition of the race was dictated by weather.
The early leaders, Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter, lost command when their sleds got stuck in overflow on the Yukon River near Nulato.
And for the better part of two days, the race stalled in Nome because of what officials called "life-threatening" trail conditions. Race officials ordered the race run under a yellow caution flag for the first 250 miles of the trip to Fairbanks, from Nome to Unalakleet.
Olds and Huntington told Channel 2 at the finish line that they thought their chances of repeating were doomed when a belt broke on one of their Polaris Rush 600s right before Manley, 300 miles from the Fairbanks finish line.
"Four hours ago, I thought it was over," Huntington said.
"But we regrouped and here we are," Olds said.
Huntington and Olds eked out a two-minute lead going into Tanana earlier Saturday.
But Palin, a three-time champ, and Quam, a 2008 champ, surged past them and reached Nenana 17 minutes ahead of Huntington and Olds.
But after leaving Nenana, Palin had trouble with one of the skis on his Arctic Cat F6 600 and had to stop to fix it, giving Huntington and Olds the break they needed.
They claimed the lead on the 77-mile run from Nenana to North Pole, arriving at North Pole with a 14-minute lead that more than held up over the final 35 miles to Fairbanks.
Huntington and Olds, who will share the first-place prize of $50,000, reached the finish line at 5:51 p.m. Saturday. Palin and Quam finished at 6:09 p.m. and the father-son team of Scott and Cory Davis claimed third place about 10 minutes later.
Much of the pace and outcome of the 26th edition of the race was dictated by weather.
The early leaders, Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter, lost command when their sleds got stuck in overflow on the Yukon River near Nulato.
And for the better part of two days, the race stalled in Nome because of what officials called "life-threatening" trail conditions. Race officials ordered the race run under a yellow caution flag for the first 250 miles of the trip to Fairbanks, from Nome to Unalakleet.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Parnell claims administration openly hostile to oil states MORATORIUM: Governor links U.S. policy and slow economic recovery.
WASHINGTON -- With the unrest in the Middle East as his springboard, Gov. Sean Parnell lashed out at the Obama administration's stance on domestic oil production, saying the White House approach was having a tangible effect on the country's foreign policy.
In a speech at the National Press Club, the Republican governor called the federal government "openly hostile" to oil-producing states, particularly for the delays in allowing Shell to drill exploratory wells on leases off Alaska's northern coast that the company purchased in 2008.
"If it looks like a moratorium and walks like a moratorium ... maybe it is," said Parnell, who is in Washington this weekend for the National Governor's Association winter meeting.
Parnell said there's a direct link between the economic recovery and the failure to use Alaska's oil reserves as a national security buffer against the uncertainty in Libya and other oil-producing countries in the Middle East. Higher gasoline prices could harm any economic recovery, Parnell said.
"This is the moment our government must re-examine its 'no new wells' policy when it comes to oil exploration and development here at home," Parnell said. "The U.S. foolishly imports more than 63 percent of our oil. That leaves us vulnerable to the economic shock of disruption of these oil supplies and it drives down that economic recovery."
Federal decisions have blocked oil companies from three of the most promising Alaska locations for major oil discoveries, all in the Arctic:
• The Chukchi and Beaufort seas that Shell wants to explore.
• The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• The Teshekpuk Lake region of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
'UNLOCKING' DOMESTIC OIL
Parnell also criticized President Barack Obama's proposal in his State of the Union address to do away with some tax credits for oil companies, echoing the governor's statements about Alaska needing to cut its own oil-production tax.
"Anything you tax more, you get less of," Parnell said, adding that overregulation can have the same effect.
"The Department of Interior and the EPA appear to be driving U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa," Parnell said. "In many senses, the State Department is forced into a reactive, mitigating role because of the increasingly hostile stance that Interior and the EPA have taken to domestic energy exploration and production."
"These are agencies that can lock down domestic oil with no responsibility for consequences," he said. "They can force America to depend ever more heavily on foreign oil, at an enormous cost of lives, tax dollars and economic opportunity. They do this by delaying leasing, by delaying permitting, and by attempting sweeping lockups of land without congressional approval or authority."
Parnell was referring to the Obama administration's new Bureau of Land Management policy on wild lands, which calls for the government to inventory holdings across the country in an effort to protect wilderness-quality land.
Parnell and several other western governors are scheduled to meet next week with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to talk about the policy, which Parnell likened to a "shopaholic with a stolen credit card and a taste for empire building."
GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY
One environmentalist in the audience, Emilie Surrusco of the Alaska Wilderness League, criticized Parnell's claim that the federal government isn't approving permits quickly enough.
"He left a few things out," Surrusco said. "He's talking about how they need to keep speeding things up, speeding things up, speeding things up, yet there's no mention of the government responsibility in trying to protect our resources and make sure what happened in the Gulf doesn't happen again."
Parnell was asked how he reconciled his call for speedier permitting and the need to protect resources in light of last year's Gulf oil spill. Alaskans are "intimately familiar with messes created when oil is not developed and shipped responsibly," he said.
"Think back to 1989 and the Exxon Valdez. The Deepwater Horizon, a significant tragedy to Americans and to our environment, no question," he said. "The fact remains, though, that America develops its resources in a more responsible manner than virtually any other place in this world."
But he argued that waiting five years for an air permit, as Shell could, is "unreasonable."
SENATORS PUSH ON ALASKA OIL
Parnell also said he was taking his own advice he's giving the federal government, by advocating to open more land to oil and gas development, building roads to those places and rewriting the existing oil-industry tax structure.
That tax regime, known as Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share, or ACES, was a hallmark of former Gov. Sarah Palin's administration. It had his support at the time of its passage, Parnell acknowledged, but said he believes the tax structure is due for an overhaul.
"Alaska needs to make itself more competitive," Parnell said. "So to do that, we are working to lower taxes. Alaska can become more competitive."
Parnell's speech came a day after U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told state lawmakers in Juneau that she's not above "throwing some elbows, perhaps ruffling a few feathers" to push for additional exploration and production, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, that would keep oil flowing through the trans-Alaska pipeline for decades more.
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, who sits on the Senate Commerce Committee, has asked for the panel to hold a hearing on the pipeline, with the approach that getting more oil in the pipeline to keep it open is "a national issue, not just an Alaska issue," said spokeswoman Julie Hasquet. He also has asked for an energy security hearing in Senate Armed Services Committee, Hasquet said.
In a speech at the National Press Club, the Republican governor called the federal government "openly hostile" to oil-producing states, particularly for the delays in allowing Shell to drill exploratory wells on leases off Alaska's northern coast that the company purchased in 2008.
"If it looks like a moratorium and walks like a moratorium ... maybe it is," said Parnell, who is in Washington this weekend for the National Governor's Association winter meeting.
Parnell said there's a direct link between the economic recovery and the failure to use Alaska's oil reserves as a national security buffer against the uncertainty in Libya and other oil-producing countries in the Middle East. Higher gasoline prices could harm any economic recovery, Parnell said.
"This is the moment our government must re-examine its 'no new wells' policy when it comes to oil exploration and development here at home," Parnell said. "The U.S. foolishly imports more than 63 percent of our oil. That leaves us vulnerable to the economic shock of disruption of these oil supplies and it drives down that economic recovery."
Federal decisions have blocked oil companies from three of the most promising Alaska locations for major oil discoveries, all in the Arctic:
• The Chukchi and Beaufort seas that Shell wants to explore.
• The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
• The Teshekpuk Lake region of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.
'UNLOCKING' DOMESTIC OIL
Parnell also criticized President Barack Obama's proposal in his State of the Union address to do away with some tax credits for oil companies, echoing the governor's statements about Alaska needing to cut its own oil-production tax.
"Anything you tax more, you get less of," Parnell said, adding that overregulation can have the same effect.
"The Department of Interior and the EPA appear to be driving U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa," Parnell said. "In many senses, the State Department is forced into a reactive, mitigating role because of the increasingly hostile stance that Interior and the EPA have taken to domestic energy exploration and production."
"These are agencies that can lock down domestic oil with no responsibility for consequences," he said. "They can force America to depend ever more heavily on foreign oil, at an enormous cost of lives, tax dollars and economic opportunity. They do this by delaying leasing, by delaying permitting, and by attempting sweeping lockups of land without congressional approval or authority."
Parnell was referring to the Obama administration's new Bureau of Land Management policy on wild lands, which calls for the government to inventory holdings across the country in an effort to protect wilderness-quality land.
Parnell and several other western governors are scheduled to meet next week with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to talk about the policy, which Parnell likened to a "shopaholic with a stolen credit card and a taste for empire building."
GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY
One environmentalist in the audience, Emilie Surrusco of the Alaska Wilderness League, criticized Parnell's claim that the federal government isn't approving permits quickly enough.
"He left a few things out," Surrusco said. "He's talking about how they need to keep speeding things up, speeding things up, speeding things up, yet there's no mention of the government responsibility in trying to protect our resources and make sure what happened in the Gulf doesn't happen again."
Parnell was asked how he reconciled his call for speedier permitting and the need to protect resources in light of last year's Gulf oil spill. Alaskans are "intimately familiar with messes created when oil is not developed and shipped responsibly," he said.
"Think back to 1989 and the Exxon Valdez. The Deepwater Horizon, a significant tragedy to Americans and to our environment, no question," he said. "The fact remains, though, that America develops its resources in a more responsible manner than virtually any other place in this world."
But he argued that waiting five years for an air permit, as Shell could, is "unreasonable."
SENATORS PUSH ON ALASKA OIL
Parnell also said he was taking his own advice he's giving the federal government, by advocating to open more land to oil and gas development, building roads to those places and rewriting the existing oil-industry tax structure.
That tax regime, known as Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share, or ACES, was a hallmark of former Gov. Sarah Palin's administration. It had his support at the time of its passage, Parnell acknowledged, but said he believes the tax structure is due for an overhaul.
"Alaska needs to make itself more competitive," Parnell said. "So to do that, we are working to lower taxes. Alaska can become more competitive."
Parnell's speech came a day after U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, told state lawmakers in Juneau that she's not above "throwing some elbows, perhaps ruffling a few feathers" to push for additional exploration and production, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, that would keep oil flowing through the trans-Alaska pipeline for decades more.
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, who sits on the Senate Commerce Committee, has asked for the panel to hold a hearing on the pipeline, with the approach that getting more oil in the pipeline to keep it open is "a national issue, not just an Alaska issue," said spokeswoman Julie Hasquet. He also has asked for an energy security hearing in Senate Armed Services Committee, Hasquet said.
Without the airport pat-down, what then?
State Rep. Sharon Cissna's now- famous run-in with the TSA last weekend was not where her problems with the full-body scanner began.
Her problems began in November, when she was returning home from a trip to Seattle. That was when she encountered the scanner for the first time. She went through. Agents told her there was an anomaly detected on her chest. They said they would need to do a pat-down. A female agent took her aside.
Cissna had breast cancer eight years ago and lost one of her breasts. She has never been private about her cancer. She even sent an e-mail to the Legislature before her surgery, saying the House of Representatives was about to have one less boob. Now she wears a prosthesis made of a foam or gel-like material in her bra.
Cissna explained all this to the TSA woman. The woman didn't care.
"She was giving me orders and being nasty to me about it," Cissna said.
This was not happening in a private place, Cissna said. It was happening in view of other travelers. Cissna's luggage rolled out the end of the X-ray machine and sat unattended. She kept asking that someone keep an eye on it. No one did, she said. The woman put on gloves and worked her way up her chest on both sides, pressing hard, Cissna said. Cissna was shocked. It was nothing like the light security pat-downs she experienced previously. The agent was "putting her fingers on and around the breast on both sides," she said. The woman touched under her bra and felt her mastectomy scar. Then she let Cissna go.
Cissna called the pat-down traumatic. Like many women, Cissna has a history that includes what she called a "violating experience." The public pat-down brought all those old emotions back up, she said. It bothered her for a long time and even caused some nightmares, she said. She decided she would never do it again.
Fast-forward to Sunday. Cissna said she forgot at first she wasn't going to go through a metal detector like she did in Anchorage. By the time she got to the scanner, there wasn't anything to do but go. And as soon as she did, a female TSA agent appeared in front of her.
"She opens her mouth and says, "Now here's what's going to happen," she said. "I said, "No, no. ... Call the people you need to call, I will not be felt up."
And soon there was a crowd around her. Airport police, TSA, airport staff. They tried to persuade her: Just do the pat-down and get on your flight. You don't have to make this a big deal. Cissna refused. If she didn't get a pat-down, she'd have to leave the airport, they said. She said that was just fine.
Airport police did a background check and told her she was clear. Later, they described her attitude to Daily News reporter Sean Cockerham as "friendly and jovial." The airline refunded her money. But her luggage went on to Juneau.
She had her office put out a news release. The story was picked up, and then it went viral. By Friday afternoon, if you Googled "Sharon Cissna" and "TSA," you got 23,300 results. Anti-TSA groups made her a hero. Strangers sent her flowers. The state House of Representatives voted to send a message of support.
I asked Cissna if it felt invasive to have so many people talking about her mastectomy scar. She said no. She was glad that her experience got people talking about the way the TSA treated people.
Dwayne Baird, spokesman for the northwest region of the TSA, told me that the agency can't be specific about screening procedures because that would be a safety concern. People can opt out of the scanner, but that didn't mean they would avoid a pat-down.
I asked Cissna about safety. A person could hide explosives in her bra. How is the TSA supposed to deal with that? She didn't have an answer. Except that she thought they were dealing with it just fine using metal detectors. Maybe they could use explosive-sniffing dogs? Would it be OK with her if pat-downs were more private? No, she said. She didn't want someone touching her. What if Anchorage gets a body scanner?
"I wouldn't fly," she said.
Maybe that would work for her, but that seemed a little extreme for most people. Her pat-down was invasive, no question. At least that day in November, TSA had a serious customer service issue.
Most people, in fact the vast majority, get through TSA just fine. Is forgoing the new scanners and pat-downs for the sake of protecting privacy worth it if it compromises safety? What is the practical alternative?
Her problems began in November, when she was returning home from a trip to Seattle. That was when she encountered the scanner for the first time. She went through. Agents told her there was an anomaly detected on her chest. They said they would need to do a pat-down. A female agent took her aside.
Cissna had breast cancer eight years ago and lost one of her breasts. She has never been private about her cancer. She even sent an e-mail to the Legislature before her surgery, saying the House of Representatives was about to have one less boob. Now she wears a prosthesis made of a foam or gel-like material in her bra.
Cissna explained all this to the TSA woman. The woman didn't care.
"She was giving me orders and being nasty to me about it," Cissna said.
This was not happening in a private place, Cissna said. It was happening in view of other travelers. Cissna's luggage rolled out the end of the X-ray machine and sat unattended. She kept asking that someone keep an eye on it. No one did, she said. The woman put on gloves and worked her way up her chest on both sides, pressing hard, Cissna said. Cissna was shocked. It was nothing like the light security pat-downs she experienced previously. The agent was "putting her fingers on and around the breast on both sides," she said. The woman touched under her bra and felt her mastectomy scar. Then she let Cissna go.
Cissna called the pat-down traumatic. Like many women, Cissna has a history that includes what she called a "violating experience." The public pat-down brought all those old emotions back up, she said. It bothered her for a long time and even caused some nightmares, she said. She decided she would never do it again.
Fast-forward to Sunday. Cissna said she forgot at first she wasn't going to go through a metal detector like she did in Anchorage. By the time she got to the scanner, there wasn't anything to do but go. And as soon as she did, a female TSA agent appeared in front of her.
"She opens her mouth and says, "Now here's what's going to happen," she said. "I said, "No, no. ... Call the people you need to call, I will not be felt up."
And soon there was a crowd around her. Airport police, TSA, airport staff. They tried to persuade her: Just do the pat-down and get on your flight. You don't have to make this a big deal. Cissna refused. If she didn't get a pat-down, she'd have to leave the airport, they said. She said that was just fine.
Airport police did a background check and told her she was clear. Later, they described her attitude to Daily News reporter Sean Cockerham as "friendly and jovial." The airline refunded her money. But her luggage went on to Juneau.
She had her office put out a news release. The story was picked up, and then it went viral. By Friday afternoon, if you Googled "Sharon Cissna" and "TSA," you got 23,300 results. Anti-TSA groups made her a hero. Strangers sent her flowers. The state House of Representatives voted to send a message of support.
I asked Cissna if it felt invasive to have so many people talking about her mastectomy scar. She said no. She was glad that her experience got people talking about the way the TSA treated people.
Dwayne Baird, spokesman for the northwest region of the TSA, told me that the agency can't be specific about screening procedures because that would be a safety concern. People can opt out of the scanner, but that didn't mean they would avoid a pat-down.
I asked Cissna about safety. A person could hide explosives in her bra. How is the TSA supposed to deal with that? She didn't have an answer. Except that she thought they were dealing with it just fine using metal detectors. Maybe they could use explosive-sniffing dogs? Would it be OK with her if pat-downs were more private? No, she said. She didn't want someone touching her. What if Anchorage gets a body scanner?
"I wouldn't fly," she said.
Maybe that would work for her, but that seemed a little extreme for most people. Her pat-down was invasive, no question. At least that day in November, TSA had a serious customer service issue.
Most people, in fact the vast majority, get through TSA just fine. Is forgoing the new scanners and pat-downs for the sake of protecting privacy worth it if it compromises safety? What is the practical alternative?
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday's oil, gas, gold, zinc prices
North Slope oil: $101.64, up $0.36
U.S. natural gas (Henry Hub): $3.81 per million BTU, down $0.01
Gold (N.Y. Mercantile): $1,408.70 per ounce, down $6.60
Zinc: $1.0999 per pound, down 1.09 cents
U.S. natural gas (Henry Hub): $3.81 per million BTU, down $0.01
Gold (N.Y. Mercantile): $1,408.70 per ounce, down $6.60
Zinc: $1.0999 per pound, down 1.09 cents
Heavy snow in Interior brings hazardous driving conditions
Blustery weather and an influx of fresh snow in recent days has created hazardous driving conditions in Interior Alaska and caused intermittent closures of highways north of Fairbanks.
The Steese Highway was closed Friday afternoon between Miles 86 and 101, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Up to another 6 inches is expected to fall in Fairbanks, as well as regions north and west, for a total of about a foot during the current storm, according to the National Weather Service.
Winds of 35 mph blew snow around the Interior, and gusts of up to 50 mph were expected, forecasters said.
Various DOT travel advisories for the Elliot and Dalton highways warned of blowing snow and other impacts to driving after more than 18 inches of snow earlier in the week and another dump overnight and into this morning, said Meadow Bailey, spokeswoman for the department's regional office in Fairbanks.
The Dalton Highway from the Interior to the North Slope oil fields was open at last report, but travelers were strongly advised not to drive north of Mile 209.
"Part of that is avalanche danger in Atigun Pass," Bailey said.
Earlier closures of the Dalton were the first in many years, she said. It was open at last report.
Also called the Haul Road, the highway feeds supplies that support the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and North Slope oil production.
Bailey, reached by phone just after she arrived home, said the gusts blowing the snow around were the worst part.
"The wind's just blowing our door open, hold on just a second," Bailey said. "The wind has just been incredible."
Travel advisories for slick roads and blowing snow were also in effect for the Parks Highway from Petersville to Fairbanks.
Nearly every weather zone that the Weather Service's Fairbanks office monitors -- the half of Alaska north of Denali National Park and Preserve and west to Saint Lawrence Island -- had winter storm warnings or wind chill advisories for Friday and Saturday.
"We've gotten a lot of calls from people from plow companies, who want to know, 'Is it safe to start plowing?' " said Fairbanks forecaster Steven Kearney. "We had kind of a lull in the action this morning so we had to tell them, 'Well, better hold off, because we still have more on the way.' "
The snowfall of Sunday and Monday in Fairbanks was the sixth-most over two days in more than 100 years for Alaska's second-largest city. This month's 25.1 inches compares to the monthly average of 6.6 inches, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
So far, Fairbanksans have dealt with record snowfall, an early-winter ice storm -- the effects of which can still be seen on local roads in the Golden Heart City -- and the usual frigid temperatures of a sub-Arctic winter.
Phones in the forecast office don't ring as often when it's cold, Kearney said.
"It's quieter, obviously it's cold, but we don't have to issue as many warnings," Kearney said. "People are used to the cold."
The Steese Highway was closed Friday afternoon between Miles 86 and 101, according to the state Department of Transportation.
Up to another 6 inches is expected to fall in Fairbanks, as well as regions north and west, for a total of about a foot during the current storm, according to the National Weather Service.
Winds of 35 mph blew snow around the Interior, and gusts of up to 50 mph were expected, forecasters said.
Various DOT travel advisories for the Elliot and Dalton highways warned of blowing snow and other impacts to driving after more than 18 inches of snow earlier in the week and another dump overnight and into this morning, said Meadow Bailey, spokeswoman for the department's regional office in Fairbanks.
The Dalton Highway from the Interior to the North Slope oil fields was open at last report, but travelers were strongly advised not to drive north of Mile 209.
"Part of that is avalanche danger in Atigun Pass," Bailey said.
Earlier closures of the Dalton were the first in many years, she said. It was open at last report.
Also called the Haul Road, the highway feeds supplies that support the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and North Slope oil production.
Bailey, reached by phone just after she arrived home, said the gusts blowing the snow around were the worst part.
"The wind's just blowing our door open, hold on just a second," Bailey said. "The wind has just been incredible."
Travel advisories for slick roads and blowing snow were also in effect for the Parks Highway from Petersville to Fairbanks.
Nearly every weather zone that the Weather Service's Fairbanks office monitors -- the half of Alaska north of Denali National Park and Preserve and west to Saint Lawrence Island -- had winter storm warnings or wind chill advisories for Friday and Saturday.
"We've gotten a lot of calls from people from plow companies, who want to know, 'Is it safe to start plowing?' " said Fairbanks forecaster Steven Kearney. "We had kind of a lull in the action this morning so we had to tell them, 'Well, better hold off, because we still have more on the way.' "
The snowfall of Sunday and Monday in Fairbanks was the sixth-most over two days in more than 100 years for Alaska's second-largest city. This month's 25.1 inches compares to the monthly average of 6.6 inches, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
So far, Fairbanksans have dealt with record snowfall, an early-winter ice storm -- the effects of which can still be seen on local roads in the Golden Heart City -- and the usual frigid temperatures of a sub-Arctic winter.
Phones in the forecast office don't ring as often when it's cold, Kearney said.
"It's quieter, obviously it's cold, but we don't have to issue as many warnings," Kearney said. "People are used to the cold."
Weather-battered Iron Dog racers to resume race today
Battered Iron Dog snowmobilers arrived in Unalakleet throughout the day today as race officials prepared to resume the race at 5 p.m.
The world's longest snowmobile race has been under a yellow caution flag since Thursday morning as the Seward Peninsula was pounded by a vicious storm that brought snow, wind, warmth and plenty of overflow to area creeks and rivers.
Temperatures dipped as the storm passed through, with the National Weather Service calling for minus 10 readings in Unalakleet tonight. At Kaltag, the next checkpoint on the return trip to Fairbanks, the wind chill was expected to hit minus 45 by Saturday morning.
The emergency shutdown and controlled move to Unalakleet on Thursday sliced about 220 miles from the 2,000-mile race from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks and pushed back the expected finish, according to race officials.
On Thursday, officials were expecting a midday Sunday finish.
But after meeting with drivers today, they moved the expected finish up to 6 p.m. Saturday. Instead of two mandatory 10-hour layovers and a hold on racers in Tanana the evening before the finish, racers will have just one eight-hour layover.
However, Interior Alaska was being hit with heavy snowfall and strong winds Friday.
Former Iron Dog racer Tommy Kriska of Tanana tried to work on the race trail between Ruby and Tanana during the afternoon.
"Wind is blowing the snow sideways," he wrote on the Iron Dog website. "Whiteout conditions right now. Waiting for the weather to settle down."
At the state high school cross-country skiing championships in Fairbanks, gusts exceeded 50 mph.
The duo of three-time champion Dusty Van Meter of Kasilof and 2008 champion Marc McKenna of Anchorage will be the first team to resume racing. Defending champions Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River will follow 11 minutes later.
Todd Palin and Eric Quam will depart 13 minutes behind the defending champs.
The world's longest snowmobile race has been under a yellow caution flag since Thursday morning as the Seward Peninsula was pounded by a vicious storm that brought snow, wind, warmth and plenty of overflow to area creeks and rivers.
Temperatures dipped as the storm passed through, with the National Weather Service calling for minus 10 readings in Unalakleet tonight. At Kaltag, the next checkpoint on the return trip to Fairbanks, the wind chill was expected to hit minus 45 by Saturday morning.
The emergency shutdown and controlled move to Unalakleet on Thursday sliced about 220 miles from the 2,000-mile race from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks and pushed back the expected finish, according to race officials.
On Thursday, officials were expecting a midday Sunday finish.
But after meeting with drivers today, they moved the expected finish up to 6 p.m. Saturday. Instead of two mandatory 10-hour layovers and a hold on racers in Tanana the evening before the finish, racers will have just one eight-hour layover.
However, Interior Alaska was being hit with heavy snowfall and strong winds Friday.
Former Iron Dog racer Tommy Kriska of Tanana tried to work on the race trail between Ruby and Tanana during the afternoon.
"Wind is blowing the snow sideways," he wrote on the Iron Dog website. "Whiteout conditions right now. Waiting for the weather to settle down."
At the state high school cross-country skiing championships in Fairbanks, gusts exceeded 50 mph.
The duo of three-time champion Dusty Van Meter of Kasilof and 2008 champion Marc McKenna of Anchorage will be the first team to resume racing. Defending champions Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River will follow 11 minutes later.
Todd Palin and Eric Quam will depart 13 minutes behind the defending champs.
Travel advisory issued for Interior Alaska highways; Steese summits impassible
FAIRBANKS - Heavy snow is creating difficult driving conditions on the Parks Highway and travelers are advised to avoid the area Friday.
A travel advisory issued by the Alaska Department of Transportation says high winds and 2 to 12 inches of heavy, wet snow has been reported on the 180-mile stretch of highway between Denali State Park and Fairbanks.
High winds are causing drifting and blowing snow and visibility is poor. State crews are working on the roadways, but snow is expected to fall for the next 12 hours. If drivers do travel on the Parks Highway, they are advised to slow down, turn on their headlights and watch for snowplows.
On the Steese Highway, 12 Mile and Eagle Summit are impassible due to high winds and drifting snow and crews have closed the gates. Crews are working on the roads.
A travel advisory issued by the Alaska Department of Transportation says high winds and 2 to 12 inches of heavy, wet snow has been reported on the 180-mile stretch of highway between Denali State Park and Fairbanks.
High winds are causing drifting and blowing snow and visibility is poor. State crews are working on the roadways, but snow is expected to fall for the next 12 hours. If drivers do travel on the Parks Highway, they are advised to slow down, turn on their headlights and watch for snowplows.
On the Steese Highway, 12 Mile and Eagle Summit are impassible due to high winds and drifting snow and crews have closed the gates. Crews are working on the roads.
'Whales' boost to Alaska economy estimated at $16.5 million
A new report says the filming in Alaska of the Drew Barrymore-Ted Danson movie "Everybody Loves Whales" brought an estimated $16.5 million to the state economy.
The report released Thursday by the Anchorage Economic Development Corp. says the film employed more than 1,300 Alaskans over the 58-day shoot last year. That number includes 48 cast members with speaking parts and about 1,100 extras.
The estimate also includes production company spending in Alaska.
The movie has applied for the state's film production tax credit.
The pending movie is a fictional retelling of a 1988 attempt to rescue California gray whales trapped under the ice near Barrow.
The report released Thursday by the Anchorage Economic Development Corp. says the film employed more than 1,300 Alaskans over the 58-day shoot last year. That number includes 48 cast members with speaking parts and about 1,100 extras.
The estimate also includes production company spending in Alaska.
The movie has applied for the state's film production tax credit.
The pending movie is a fictional retelling of a 1988 attempt to rescue California gray whales trapped under the ice near Barrow.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Nasty weather stops Iron Dog - again
Slapped by warm winds that whipped up a ground blizzard, the Iron Dog ground to a halt again early Thursday evening as small packs of snowmobilers holed up for the night in White Mountain and Golovin to wait out conditions some race officials called life threatening.
The racers remaining in the 2,000-mile race from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks left the City of the Golden Sands at midday under a yellow caution flag. Traveling in small bands for safety, riders slowly headed towards Unalakleet, ducking overflow on creeks and rivers while blinding snow that cut visibility near zero at times.
"It's very nasty, so we're going to hole up in Golovin and White Mountain tonight," Iron Dog treasurer Jim Wilke said by phone. He said the delays in resuming racing made it a "virtual certainty" that Saturday's planned finish in Fairbanks would be postponed.
White Mountain is about 140 miles from Unalakleet on the Seward Peninsula. Golovin is some 120 miles away.
When the racers resume racing is anyone's guess. The big winter storm that rolled in from the southeast had cancelled all flights into Nome since Tuesday night.
Racers meeting with Iron Dog officials Thursday morning in Nome were split about how to proceed.
"There were two camps," Wilke said, "and one of them was basically, 'This is a race, let's go.'
"But in the interest of safety, we decided to yellow flag it and restart in Unalakleet. We would have had guys out there all night long in really tough conditions. You really have to err on the side of safety. This is a race but it's also supposed to be fun.
"But more guys than you might think wanted to drop the flag and go."
Bob TenEyck of the National Weather Service office in Nome said blowing snow made conditions miserable, but as he spoke late Thursday afternoon conditions began improving.
"In the midst of all this horrendousness, I can see a bit of sun poking through to the south," he said.
Snow accumulation in Nome was expected to reach 10 inches. Gusts from the southeast reached 45 mph and the temperature hit 32 degrees.
"It's blowing water up every creek and every river," Wilke said.
The racers remaining in the 2,000-mile race from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks left the City of the Golden Sands at midday under a yellow caution flag. Traveling in small bands for safety, riders slowly headed towards Unalakleet, ducking overflow on creeks and rivers while blinding snow that cut visibility near zero at times.
"It's very nasty, so we're going to hole up in Golovin and White Mountain tonight," Iron Dog treasurer Jim Wilke said by phone. He said the delays in resuming racing made it a "virtual certainty" that Saturday's planned finish in Fairbanks would be postponed.
White Mountain is about 140 miles from Unalakleet on the Seward Peninsula. Golovin is some 120 miles away.
When the racers resume racing is anyone's guess. The big winter storm that rolled in from the southeast had cancelled all flights into Nome since Tuesday night.
Racers meeting with Iron Dog officials Thursday morning in Nome were split about how to proceed.
"There were two camps," Wilke said, "and one of them was basically, 'This is a race, let's go.'
"But in the interest of safety, we decided to yellow flag it and restart in Unalakleet. We would have had guys out there all night long in really tough conditions. You really have to err on the side of safety. This is a race but it's also supposed to be fun.
"But more guys than you might think wanted to drop the flag and go."
Bob TenEyck of the National Weather Service office in Nome said blowing snow made conditions miserable, but as he spoke late Thursday afternoon conditions began improving.
"In the midst of all this horrendousness, I can see a bit of sun poking through to the south," he said.
Snow accumulation in Nome was expected to reach 10 inches. Gusts from the southeast reached 45 mph and the temperature hit 32 degrees.
"It's blowing water up every creek and every river," Wilke said.
Whiteout conditions delay Iron Dog restart in Nome
FAIRBANKS - The going got too tough even for even the world’s longest, toughest snowmachine race on Thursday.
The restart of the Iron Dog snowmachine race in Nome was postponed more than five hours Thursday morning because of whiteout conditions that reduced visibility to zero and all 15 teams remaining in the race were placed under a yellow caution flag for the first 263 miles to Unalakleet.
Race officials made the decision to put the race under a yellow flag to Unalakleet for safety reasons, race director Kevin Kastner said.
Racers were being split into five groups, each consisting of three two-man teams, to help break the trail to Unalakleet.
“Their job is to work together and get there as a team,” Kastner said.
The 2,031-mile race from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks was originally scheduled to restart in Nome on Thursday at 8 a.m.
Once they reach Unalakleet, racers will be released on their actual trails times and the official race clock will begin ticking.
“Based on the conditions we’re estimating it will take them at least eight hours to get to Unalakleet, which is normally a five-hour ride,” Kastner said.
Racers will take a mandatory 10-hour layover in Unalakleet and the race will be restarted using teams’ trail times from Nome.
How the delayed start and yellow flag will impact the scheduled finish on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks on Saturday remains to be seen, especially since the National Weather Service in Fairbanks issued a winter storm watch starting Thursday that calls for 4 to 8 inches of snow to fall by Friday night. That’s on top of the foot and a half of snow that fell Sunday and Monday.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed (for a Saturday finish in Fairbanks) but based on what I’ve been hearing about the trails on that side I don’t know,” Kastner said.
The race is usually stopped when racers hit the village of Tanana, 414 miles from the finish, on Friday afternoon and then restarts on Saturday morning to ensure a predictable afternoon finish.
With a later restart in Nome, the yellow flag to Unalakleet and slow going expected on the Yukon and Tanana rivers because of the snow, racers may not make it to Tanana in time for a Saturday finish.
“We’ll send them on their way and see how they do and get to Fairbanks and deal with the snow there,” Kastner said.
One option race officials are considering to get teams to Tanana quicker is to eliminate the 10-hour layover teams are required to take on the Yukon River.
“We may remove the second 10-hour layover to get them to Tanana,” Kastner said.
When the race clock does start ticking again, leaders Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter will have a 11 minute, 7 second lead on defending champs Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River, who arrived in Nome in third place but jumped into second place because they spent less time working on their machines than the team of Todd Palin and Eric Quam, who were second into Nome.
Huntington and Olds, who trailed Palin and Quam by just 58 seconds coming into Nome, spent 9 minutes, 21 seconds working on their Polaris 600s while Palin and Quam did 23 minutes, 39 seconds of work on their machines. McKenna and Van Meter needed only 2 minutes, 29 seconds of repair time.
Palin and Quam now trail McKenna and Van Meter by 24 minutes, 27 seconds.
The fourth-place team of seven-time champ Scott Davis and his rookie son, Cory, who trailed the leaders by 22 minutes, 58 seconds coming into Nome, spent 6 minutes, 45 seconds working on their sleds and now trail McKenna and Van Meter by 27 minutes, 14 seconds.
Two of the 17 teams remaining in the race — Stacey Green and Cliff Johnson, both of Nome, and Jeremiah Jones of Denver and Robbie Muir of Anchorage — never even made it to Nome. They were stuck in Elim, having been caught by the storm on Wednesday. It was unclear whether they would join racers as they headed south to Unalakleet on Thursday or continue on to Nome.
The restart of the Iron Dog snowmachine race in Nome was postponed more than five hours Thursday morning because of whiteout conditions that reduced visibility to zero and all 15 teams remaining in the race were placed under a yellow caution flag for the first 263 miles to Unalakleet.
Race officials made the decision to put the race under a yellow flag to Unalakleet for safety reasons, race director Kevin Kastner said.
Racers were being split into five groups, each consisting of three two-man teams, to help break the trail to Unalakleet.
“Their job is to work together and get there as a team,” Kastner said.
The 2,031-mile race from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks was originally scheduled to restart in Nome on Thursday at 8 a.m.
Once they reach Unalakleet, racers will be released on their actual trails times and the official race clock will begin ticking.
“Based on the conditions we’re estimating it will take them at least eight hours to get to Unalakleet, which is normally a five-hour ride,” Kastner said.
Racers will take a mandatory 10-hour layover in Unalakleet and the race will be restarted using teams’ trail times from Nome.
How the delayed start and yellow flag will impact the scheduled finish on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks on Saturday remains to be seen, especially since the National Weather Service in Fairbanks issued a winter storm watch starting Thursday that calls for 4 to 8 inches of snow to fall by Friday night. That’s on top of the foot and a half of snow that fell Sunday and Monday.
“We’ve got our fingers crossed (for a Saturday finish in Fairbanks) but based on what I’ve been hearing about the trails on that side I don’t know,” Kastner said.
The race is usually stopped when racers hit the village of Tanana, 414 miles from the finish, on Friday afternoon and then restarts on Saturday morning to ensure a predictable afternoon finish.
With a later restart in Nome, the yellow flag to Unalakleet and slow going expected on the Yukon and Tanana rivers because of the snow, racers may not make it to Tanana in time for a Saturday finish.
“We’ll send them on their way and see how they do and get to Fairbanks and deal with the snow there,” Kastner said.
One option race officials are considering to get teams to Tanana quicker is to eliminate the 10-hour layover teams are required to take on the Yukon River.
“We may remove the second 10-hour layover to get them to Tanana,” Kastner said.
When the race clock does start ticking again, leaders Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter will have a 11 minute, 7 second lead on defending champs Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River, who arrived in Nome in third place but jumped into second place because they spent less time working on their machines than the team of Todd Palin and Eric Quam, who were second into Nome.
Huntington and Olds, who trailed Palin and Quam by just 58 seconds coming into Nome, spent 9 minutes, 21 seconds working on their Polaris 600s while Palin and Quam did 23 minutes, 39 seconds of work on their machines. McKenna and Van Meter needed only 2 minutes, 29 seconds of repair time.
Palin and Quam now trail McKenna and Van Meter by 24 minutes, 27 seconds.
The fourth-place team of seven-time champ Scott Davis and his rookie son, Cory, who trailed the leaders by 22 minutes, 58 seconds coming into Nome, spent 6 minutes, 45 seconds working on their sleds and now trail McKenna and Van Meter by 27 minutes, 14 seconds.
Two of the 17 teams remaining in the race — Stacey Green and Cliff Johnson, both of Nome, and Jeremiah Jones of Denver and Robbie Muir of Anchorage — never even made it to Nome. They were stuck in Elim, having been caught by the storm on Wednesday. It was unclear whether they would join racers as they headed south to Unalakleet on Thursday or continue on to Nome.
Murkowski urges action to boost oil production
JUNEAU — The state faces the prospect of the 800-mile trans-Alaska pipeline shutting down within the next decade if steps aren’t taken to boost oil production, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski told lawmakers Thursday.
In a sobering message to a joint session of the Legislature, Murkowski said Alaska cannot afford to take its future for granted. While the state currently enjoys billions of dollars in savings, it faces forecasts of declining oil production — a huge worry given that oil is Alaska’s economic lifeblood.
She urged lawmakers to act on Gov. Sean Parnell’s plan to slash oil production taxes as a way to increase investment and said she would fight efforts by the federal government to block new development.
“When I get back to work in the Senate next week, I’m going to call more forcefully than ever before, using every option available, for this administration to work with us to preserve TAPS,” she said. “That’s probably going to require throwing some elbows, perhaps ruffling a few feathers. But I’m good with that.”
TAPS is short-hand for the pipeline system, which carries more than 10 percent of the nation’s domestic oil production. In December, the line carried an average throughput of 640,000 barrels a day, according to its operator, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. That average fell to around 475,000 barrels a day last month, following a temporary shutdown stemming from a pump station leak.
Murkowski said that operating the line at increasingly lower flow rates will eventually be impossible from an economic and engineering standpoint. She cited figures indicating that as early as 2017 it could be too expensive or too hazardous to keep operating the line.
If that happens, “we are over,” in terms of the state’s ability to move its oil to market, she told reporters later.
She said tough decisions need to be made at the state and federal levels.
She called on lawmakers to act on Parnell’s tax-cut plan while stopping short of explicitly endorsing the specifics. The plan could cost the state up to $2 billion a year in revenue, though Parnell believes it has the potential for huge dividends down the road, in terms of increased production and investment and new jobs. Some lawmakers — notably House Democrats — are leery, seeing it as little more than a corporate giveaway.
Murkowski said, as Parnell has, that the state must take the long-term view. Without the pipeline, she said, there will be nothing to argue about.
She said the unrest in the Middle East — and potential for disruptions in the oil supply — has put the issue of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to development back on the table.
Murkowski said she expects the U.S. House will pass legislation to open the refuge this spring and that said she’ll do everything she can to push the idea in the Senate — a statement that drew applause from state lawmakers.
There’s strong political support from Republicans and Democrats in Alaska for opening the refuge to development.
Murkowski also urged lawmakers to keep an open mind on gas projects.
While she said a major gas line, capable of carrying gas from the North Slope to market, remains the top choice, she said the state should keep consider options such as a gas-to-liquids facility or a plan calling for the state to help finance a line to Fairbanks. She said she wasn’t endorsing either — just saying she believes they deserve to be vetted.
The state has committed up to $500 million to help TransCanada Corp. advance a major gas line. Both TransCanada and a competing project remain in negotiations with potential shippers. Some House lawmakers, eager to see progress, have proposed ditching the pipeline plan under which TransCanada holds an exclusive license with the state if absent proof that it’s economic.
Parnell has urged patience with seeing the process through.
In a sobering message to a joint session of the Legislature, Murkowski said Alaska cannot afford to take its future for granted. While the state currently enjoys billions of dollars in savings, it faces forecasts of declining oil production — a huge worry given that oil is Alaska’s economic lifeblood.
She urged lawmakers to act on Gov. Sean Parnell’s plan to slash oil production taxes as a way to increase investment and said she would fight efforts by the federal government to block new development.
“When I get back to work in the Senate next week, I’m going to call more forcefully than ever before, using every option available, for this administration to work with us to preserve TAPS,” she said. “That’s probably going to require throwing some elbows, perhaps ruffling a few feathers. But I’m good with that.”
TAPS is short-hand for the pipeline system, which carries more than 10 percent of the nation’s domestic oil production. In December, the line carried an average throughput of 640,000 barrels a day, according to its operator, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. That average fell to around 475,000 barrels a day last month, following a temporary shutdown stemming from a pump station leak.
Murkowski said that operating the line at increasingly lower flow rates will eventually be impossible from an economic and engineering standpoint. She cited figures indicating that as early as 2017 it could be too expensive or too hazardous to keep operating the line.
If that happens, “we are over,” in terms of the state’s ability to move its oil to market, she told reporters later.
She said tough decisions need to be made at the state and federal levels.
She called on lawmakers to act on Parnell’s tax-cut plan while stopping short of explicitly endorsing the specifics. The plan could cost the state up to $2 billion a year in revenue, though Parnell believes it has the potential for huge dividends down the road, in terms of increased production and investment and new jobs. Some lawmakers — notably House Democrats — are leery, seeing it as little more than a corporate giveaway.
Murkowski said, as Parnell has, that the state must take the long-term view. Without the pipeline, she said, there will be nothing to argue about.
She said the unrest in the Middle East — and potential for disruptions in the oil supply — has put the issue of opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to development back on the table.
Murkowski said she expects the U.S. House will pass legislation to open the refuge this spring and that said she’ll do everything she can to push the idea in the Senate — a statement that drew applause from state lawmakers.
There’s strong political support from Republicans and Democrats in Alaska for opening the refuge to development.
Murkowski also urged lawmakers to keep an open mind on gas projects.
While she said a major gas line, capable of carrying gas from the North Slope to market, remains the top choice, she said the state should keep consider options such as a gas-to-liquids facility or a plan calling for the state to help finance a line to Fairbanks. She said she wasn’t endorsing either — just saying she believes they deserve to be vetted.
The state has committed up to $500 million to help TransCanada Corp. advance a major gas line. Both TransCanada and a competing project remain in negotiations with potential shippers. Some House lawmakers, eager to see progress, have proposed ditching the pipeline plan under which TransCanada holds an exclusive license with the state if absent proof that it’s economic.
Parnell has urged patience with seeing the process through.
Nenana salmon seller lied about species, indictment alleges FAUX KING: Grand jury indicts man for selling chum dressed as chinook.
A Nenana resident has been indicted for illegally selling 100 pounds of chum salmon strips while claiming it was king salmon.
The two-count grand jury indictment filed last week says that Willis Maxon, 52, sold an unspecified amount of faux king salmon strips at the Alaska Federation of Natives meeting in 2009 in Anchorage.
Also, between January and August last year, Maxon mailed four large boxes of chum salmon strips identified as king salmon for commercial resale outside of Alaska, the indictment said.
Maxon is accused of negotiating a price of $1,347 for 48 pounds of smoked Yukon River king salmon and $1,250 for 50 pounds of smoked king salmon. In both cases, the salmon was actually chum.
The two counts against Maxon are false identification of wildlife and false identification of fish species sold in interstate commerce. The maximum penalty for those violations is five years imprisonment and $250,000, but the actual penalties in false-advertising cases are usually pegged to the value of the items sold.
Maxon did not have a listed phone number and could not be reached for comment.
His arraignment has been scheduled for March 25 in federal District Court in Fairbanks.
The two-count grand jury indictment filed last week says that Willis Maxon, 52, sold an unspecified amount of faux king salmon strips at the Alaska Federation of Natives meeting in 2009 in Anchorage.
Also, between January and August last year, Maxon mailed four large boxes of chum salmon strips identified as king salmon for commercial resale outside of Alaska, the indictment said.
Maxon is accused of negotiating a price of $1,347 for 48 pounds of smoked Yukon River king salmon and $1,250 for 50 pounds of smoked king salmon. In both cases, the salmon was actually chum.
The two counts against Maxon are false identification of wildlife and false identification of fish species sold in interstate commerce. The maximum penalty for those violations is five years imprisonment and $250,000, but the actual penalties in false-advertising cases are usually pegged to the value of the items sold.
Maxon did not have a listed phone number and could not be reached for comment.
His arraignment has been scheduled for March 25 in federal District Court in Fairbanks.
Ice-age child's remains discovered in Interior
Fairbanks researchers say they've uncovered the oldest cremated human remains ever discovered in northern North America at a site near the Tanana River in central Alaska.
The 3-year-old is only the second ice age child discovered on the continent, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Archaeologists discovered the remains in a fire pit in an abandoned living area from 13,200 years ago and dated the child's death to about 11,500 years ago, according to research by UAF's Ben Potter and his team in the Feb. 25 edition of the journal Science.
Looking at the child's teeth, UAF bioarchaeologist Joel Irish said in initial observations that the remains had traits of North Americans and northeast Asians.
Researchers and Interior Native groups have given the child the name Xaasaa Cheege Ts'eniin, which is associated with the Native place name, Xaasaa Na, and means "Upper Sun River Mouth Child."
Interior Alaska Native groups are working with UAF to learn more about the child's story.
"This find is especially important to us since it is in our area, but the discovery is so rare that it is of interest for all humanity," said Tanana Chiefs Conference President Jerry Isaac in a statement issued by UAF.
Healy Lake Traditional Council Chief Joann Polston said she wanted to know everything she could about the child.
Though the remains were cremated, researchers think DNA might still be present in them. Isaac said he intends to have his own DNA compared to the remains.
A small group of humans probably lived at the site hunting and fishing. They used a pit in the dwelling for cooking and leaving food waste, and after the group cremated the child, the pit was filled with dirt and the living space abandoned, according to the researchers' hypothesis.
The 3-year-old is only the second ice age child discovered on the continent, according to the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Archaeologists discovered the remains in a fire pit in an abandoned living area from 13,200 years ago and dated the child's death to about 11,500 years ago, according to research by UAF's Ben Potter and his team in the Feb. 25 edition of the journal Science.
Looking at the child's teeth, UAF bioarchaeologist Joel Irish said in initial observations that the remains had traits of North Americans and northeast Asians.
Researchers and Interior Native groups have given the child the name Xaasaa Cheege Ts'eniin, which is associated with the Native place name, Xaasaa Na, and means "Upper Sun River Mouth Child."
Interior Alaska Native groups are working with UAF to learn more about the child's story.
"This find is especially important to us since it is in our area, but the discovery is so rare that it is of interest for all humanity," said Tanana Chiefs Conference President Jerry Isaac in a statement issued by UAF.
Healy Lake Traditional Council Chief Joann Polston said she wanted to know everything she could about the child.
Though the remains were cremated, researchers think DNA might still be present in them. Isaac said he intends to have his own DNA compared to the remains.
A small group of humans probably lived at the site hunting and fishing. They used a pit in the dwelling for cooking and leaving food waste, and after the group cremated the child, the pit was filled with dirt and the living space abandoned, according to the researchers' hypothesis.
White-out conditions close Dalton Highway
FAIRBANKS — A severe winter storm hit Alaska’s Brooks Range on Wednesday, stranding numerous trucks on the Dalton Highway amid heavy drifting snow, high winds and zero visibility.
The Alaska Department of Transportation said that conditions are forcing maintenance crews to withdraw from a 110-mile stretch of the Dalton Highway in the Atigun Pass area. Travel is not advised because of the poor conditions, which include winds of 50-60 mph.
“They just can’t keep it open,” said DOT spokeswoman Meadow Bailey. “They plow through it, and it just blows over again.”
An undetermined number of trucks also are stuck between 275 Mile and 305 Mile, according to DOT. Bailey said drivers are being retrieved from trucks stuck in the roadway, but most appear to be staying put while parked along the side of the road.
Bailey said it’s the fourth weather-related closure of the Dalton Highway this year. Before that, she said the Dalton hadn’t been closed for at least a few years.
The recent storms have caused trucks to stack up on both ends of the closed area.
Ben Krzykowski, who owns Ben’s Auto and Truck Repair, has spent the past week pulling out stuck vehicles when weather allows it. He said there were at least 50 trucks piled into the Coldfoot Camp parking lot last Saturday.
“There was basically no room to park in there,” he said.
An additional 10 trucks are parked at the other end of the closure at the Sagavanirktok River DOT station until conditions improve, Bailey said.
The Alaska Department of Transportation said that conditions are forcing maintenance crews to withdraw from a 110-mile stretch of the Dalton Highway in the Atigun Pass area. Travel is not advised because of the poor conditions, which include winds of 50-60 mph.
“They just can’t keep it open,” said DOT spokeswoman Meadow Bailey. “They plow through it, and it just blows over again.”
An undetermined number of trucks also are stuck between 275 Mile and 305 Mile, according to DOT. Bailey said drivers are being retrieved from trucks stuck in the roadway, but most appear to be staying put while parked along the side of the road.
Bailey said it’s the fourth weather-related closure of the Dalton Highway this year. Before that, she said the Dalton hadn’t been closed for at least a few years.
The recent storms have caused trucks to stack up on both ends of the closed area.
Ben Krzykowski, who owns Ben’s Auto and Truck Repair, has spent the past week pulling out stuck vehicles when weather allows it. He said there were at least 50 trucks piled into the Coldfoot Camp parking lot last Saturday.
“There was basically no room to park in there,” he said.
An additional 10 trucks are parked at the other end of the closure at the Sagavanirktok River DOT station until conditions improve, Bailey said.
Iron Dog leaders can leave Nome this morning
Rested from a 36-hour layover, the top Iron Dog competitors are scheduled to leave Nome this morning, although a snowstorm might not leave them with much of a trail.
Racers are scheduled to resume racing at 8 this morning, with the team of Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter leading the way.
McKenna and Van Meter beat the second-place team of Todd Palin and Eric Quam to Nome by less than four minutes Tuesday night to claim the halfway prize of $10,000. But they'll leave with a bigger edge, because they needed to spend a mere 2 minutes, 29 seconds working on their machines while in Nome. Any time drivers make repairs during the layover is added to their departure time.
That could prove costly to Palin and Quam, who spent 23:39 on their machines. That helped vault Tyler Huntington and Chris Olds, who were third into Nome, a minute behind Palin and Quam, into second place, because they spent 9:21 on their machines.
Nome is the halfway point of the 2,000-mile race across Alaska from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks, and as of late Wednesday night, only two teams had yet to get there -- Stacey Green and Cliff Johnson riding Arctic Cats and Robbie Muir and Jeremiah Jones aboard Ski-Doos.
The race website listed both teams as "breaking trail, still headed to Nome," late Wednesday. If they didn't get there before midnight, they will be dropped from the race's pro class to its trail class.
The team of Mike Fuller from Chugiak and Billy Long from Wasilla, who started Wednesday in last place, well behind everyone else, scratched later in the day.
Thirteen teams have scratched, leaving 16 in the Pro-class race.
Weather isn't expected to improve before the race finishes Saturday. "Our weatherman is predicting nasty weather till Sunday," Marlene Moto- Karlhere of Deering posted on the Iron Dog blog, reporting 50 mph easterly winds.
2011 Iron Dog
Standings Wednesday
Into Nome
1) Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter, Ski-Doo, 7:41 p.m. Tuesday; 2) Todd Palin and Eric Quam, Arctic Cat, 7:44 p.m. Tuesday; 3) Tyler Huntington and Chris Olds, Polaris, 7:45 p.m. Tuesday; 4) Scott Davis and Cory Davis, Arctic Cat, 8:04 p.m. Tuesday; 5) David Branholm and Matthew Spernak, Polaris, 8:48 p.m. Tueseday; 6) Doug Dixon and Wayne Wold, Arctic Cat, 8:57 p.m.; 7) Ryan Sottosanti and Andrew Zwink, Polaris, 9:39 p.m.; 8) Aaron Marks and Arnold Marks, Polaris, 9:53 p.m.; 9) Andy George and Tre West III, Arctic Cat, 11:09 p.m.; 10) Curtis Cherrier and Jim McAllen, Polaris, 11:21 p.m.;
11) Robert Hingsbergen and Steven Williamson, Arctic Cat, 12:52 a.m.; 12) Aaron Bartel and Jason Wichman, Ski-Doo, 3:39 a.m.; 13) Race Price and Eric Watson, Arctic Cat, 5:31 a.m.; 14) Jake Goodell and Theron Willard, Ski-Doo, 6:01 a.m.; 15) Vernon Albert and Kyle Malamute, Polaris, 6:01 a.m.
On the trail to Nome
16) Stacey Green and Cliff Johnson, Arctic Cat; 17) Jeremiah Jones and Robbie Muir, Ski-Doo.
Scratched
Wade Bailey and Brad Rigdon, Polaris; Lee Harrison and Charles Potter, Arctic Cat; Jana Peterson and Carl Swenson, Arctic Cat; Pam Harrington and Elaine Jackson, Polaris; Mike Fuller and Billy Long, Polaris; Ryan Bloom and Dennis Faldorf, Ski-Doo; Louis Miller III and Louis Miller IV, Polaris; Joe D'Amico and John Glass, Arctic Cat; Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson, Ski-Doo; Derrick Johnson and Steve Piper, Arctic Cat; Jon Berry and Randy Gravatt, Arctic Cat; Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad, Polaris; Daniel Lowrie and Raymond Rapp, Arctic Cat.
Racers are scheduled to resume racing at 8 this morning, with the team of Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter leading the way.
McKenna and Van Meter beat the second-place team of Todd Palin and Eric Quam to Nome by less than four minutes Tuesday night to claim the halfway prize of $10,000. But they'll leave with a bigger edge, because they needed to spend a mere 2 minutes, 29 seconds working on their machines while in Nome. Any time drivers make repairs during the layover is added to their departure time.
That could prove costly to Palin and Quam, who spent 23:39 on their machines. That helped vault Tyler Huntington and Chris Olds, who were third into Nome, a minute behind Palin and Quam, into second place, because they spent 9:21 on their machines.
Nome is the halfway point of the 2,000-mile race across Alaska from Big Lake to Nome to Fairbanks, and as of late Wednesday night, only two teams had yet to get there -- Stacey Green and Cliff Johnson riding Arctic Cats and Robbie Muir and Jeremiah Jones aboard Ski-Doos.
The race website listed both teams as "breaking trail, still headed to Nome," late Wednesday. If they didn't get there before midnight, they will be dropped from the race's pro class to its trail class.
The team of Mike Fuller from Chugiak and Billy Long from Wasilla, who started Wednesday in last place, well behind everyone else, scratched later in the day.
Thirteen teams have scratched, leaving 16 in the Pro-class race.
Weather isn't expected to improve before the race finishes Saturday. "Our weatherman is predicting nasty weather till Sunday," Marlene Moto- Karlhere of Deering posted on the Iron Dog blog, reporting 50 mph easterly winds.
2011 Iron Dog
Standings Wednesday
Into Nome
1) Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter, Ski-Doo, 7:41 p.m. Tuesday; 2) Todd Palin and Eric Quam, Arctic Cat, 7:44 p.m. Tuesday; 3) Tyler Huntington and Chris Olds, Polaris, 7:45 p.m. Tuesday; 4) Scott Davis and Cory Davis, Arctic Cat, 8:04 p.m. Tuesday; 5) David Branholm and Matthew Spernak, Polaris, 8:48 p.m. Tueseday; 6) Doug Dixon and Wayne Wold, Arctic Cat, 8:57 p.m.; 7) Ryan Sottosanti and Andrew Zwink, Polaris, 9:39 p.m.; 8) Aaron Marks and Arnold Marks, Polaris, 9:53 p.m.; 9) Andy George and Tre West III, Arctic Cat, 11:09 p.m.; 10) Curtis Cherrier and Jim McAllen, Polaris, 11:21 p.m.;
11) Robert Hingsbergen and Steven Williamson, Arctic Cat, 12:52 a.m.; 12) Aaron Bartel and Jason Wichman, Ski-Doo, 3:39 a.m.; 13) Race Price and Eric Watson, Arctic Cat, 5:31 a.m.; 14) Jake Goodell and Theron Willard, Ski-Doo, 6:01 a.m.; 15) Vernon Albert and Kyle Malamute, Polaris, 6:01 a.m.
On the trail to Nome
16) Stacey Green and Cliff Johnson, Arctic Cat; 17) Jeremiah Jones and Robbie Muir, Ski-Doo.
Scratched
Wade Bailey and Brad Rigdon, Polaris; Lee Harrison and Charles Potter, Arctic Cat; Jana Peterson and Carl Swenson, Arctic Cat; Pam Harrington and Elaine Jackson, Polaris; Mike Fuller and Billy Long, Polaris; Ryan Bloom and Dennis Faldorf, Ski-Doo; Louis Miller III and Louis Miller IV, Polaris; Joe D'Amico and John Glass, Arctic Cat; Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson, Ski-Doo; Derrick Johnson and Steve Piper, Arctic Cat; Jon Berry and Randy Gravatt, Arctic Cat; Todd Minnick and Nick Olstad, Polaris; Daniel Lowrie and Raymond Rapp, Arctic Cat.
Court focuses on polar bears in endangered species talks BATTLE: Environmentalists want to move them to list; state disagrees.
WASHINGTON -- Behind the legal wrangling Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Washington was a central question about the Endangered Species Act: What, if anything, can be done to save polar bears as the Earth warms and sea ice recedes?
Courts have done plenty in the past to protect endangered or threatened species, including putting a halt to logging or construction, noted U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. But, he asked, what should be done when the primary threat to polar bears is the loss of their sea- ice habitat?
"How do we fix that?" the judge asked Kassie Siegal of the Center for Biological Diversity, the lead lawyer for the environmental coalition seeking to change polar bears from merely threatened to endangered status.
"Deep and rapid greenhouse gas reductions," Siegal said.
Her answer got at the heart of what environmental groups hope to do with their lawsuit: force the Obama administration to reconsider a rule that prohibits the Endangered Species Act from being used as a tool to regulate greenhouse gases.
But both Congress and the Obama administration have failed so far to successfully enact legislation or rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Sullivan's question suggested he, too, was skeptical about what more could be done by the courts. Already he has asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to further explain how it made its determination in 2008 that polar bears are merely threatened, and not endangered.
Wednesday, environmentalists argued that the bears should be considered endangered, and that the Fish and Wildlife Service misread its own science in determining they were only threatened. Based on the projected loss of sea ice in the coming decades, polar bears are already so threatened they should be considered endangered, they argued.
The state of Alaska, which opposes even the threatened listing, also disputed how federal scientists interpreted their own research, albeit from a slightly different point of view. The state disputes that the Fish and Wildlife Service could derive population estimates from sea ice projections, said Murray Feldman, the state's Boise, Idaho-based attorney in the case.
The state also holds the position that since polar bears currently have a robust population that covers much of its historic territory, they shouldn't be listed as threatened or endangered like species that face more easily addressable threats to their survival.
"What, under the law, is the appropriate management framework for this species?" Feldman said.
It's undisputed that polar bear habitat is shrinking, but it's less clear how fast, and what it will mean to the future polar bear population, currently estimated at 20,000 to 25,000.
Environmentalists argued Wednesday in court that the ice is melting even faster than the models are predicting, an assertion supported by many researchers. Arctic sea ice is declining at an increasing rate all months of the year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado. That decline is stronger in summer months, and researchers who study climate and sea ice anticipate that at some point in the near future, the Arctic Ocean will lose its ice cover completely in late summer.
Polar bears spend most of their lives on sea ice and use it to travel, breed and hunt, especially for their main prey, ringed seals, which are the only seals that can live in completely ice-covered waters. If the Arctic continues its current melting trend, polar bear populations worldwide could decline by as much as two-thirds by mid-century. They could be near extinction by the end of the century.
Their loss would be significant to the Arctic ecosystem, said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as symbolic. Putting legal issues aside, listing polar bears as endangered would force the government to grapple with the consequences of climate change, he said.
"It's a recognition that global warming is not just a distant threat, but in fact a real threat," he said.
Government lawyers, though, said that even with its status listed as threatened, much is being done to protect the bears, including developing critical habitat boundaries. Their status as a threatened species also prompted additional study of the bears, said Clifford Stevens, a Justice Department attorney representing the Interior Department's position in the case
"This is not a 'no-list' situation: The government has listed the species," he said. "It has done exactly what Congress asks be done: Species that face likely endangerment in the future be listed as threatened."
Courts have done plenty in the past to protect endangered or threatened species, including putting a halt to logging or construction, noted U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. But, he asked, what should be done when the primary threat to polar bears is the loss of their sea- ice habitat?
"How do we fix that?" the judge asked Kassie Siegal of the Center for Biological Diversity, the lead lawyer for the environmental coalition seeking to change polar bears from merely threatened to endangered status.
"Deep and rapid greenhouse gas reductions," Siegal said.
Her answer got at the heart of what environmental groups hope to do with their lawsuit: force the Obama administration to reconsider a rule that prohibits the Endangered Species Act from being used as a tool to regulate greenhouse gases.
But both Congress and the Obama administration have failed so far to successfully enact legislation or rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Sullivan's question suggested he, too, was skeptical about what more could be done by the courts. Already he has asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to further explain how it made its determination in 2008 that polar bears are merely threatened, and not endangered.
Wednesday, environmentalists argued that the bears should be considered endangered, and that the Fish and Wildlife Service misread its own science in determining they were only threatened. Based on the projected loss of sea ice in the coming decades, polar bears are already so threatened they should be considered endangered, they argued.
The state of Alaska, which opposes even the threatened listing, also disputed how federal scientists interpreted their own research, albeit from a slightly different point of view. The state disputes that the Fish and Wildlife Service could derive population estimates from sea ice projections, said Murray Feldman, the state's Boise, Idaho-based attorney in the case.
The state also holds the position that since polar bears currently have a robust population that covers much of its historic territory, they shouldn't be listed as threatened or endangered like species that face more easily addressable threats to their survival.
"What, under the law, is the appropriate management framework for this species?" Feldman said.
It's undisputed that polar bear habitat is shrinking, but it's less clear how fast, and what it will mean to the future polar bear population, currently estimated at 20,000 to 25,000.
Environmentalists argued Wednesday in court that the ice is melting even faster than the models are predicting, an assertion supported by many researchers. Arctic sea ice is declining at an increasing rate all months of the year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado. That decline is stronger in summer months, and researchers who study climate and sea ice anticipate that at some point in the near future, the Arctic Ocean will lose its ice cover completely in late summer.
Polar bears spend most of their lives on sea ice and use it to travel, breed and hunt, especially for their main prey, ringed seals, which are the only seals that can live in completely ice-covered waters. If the Arctic continues its current melting trend, polar bear populations worldwide could decline by as much as two-thirds by mid-century. They could be near extinction by the end of the century.
Their loss would be significant to the Arctic ecosystem, said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as symbolic. Putting legal issues aside, listing polar bears as endangered would force the government to grapple with the consequences of climate change, he said.
"It's a recognition that global warming is not just a distant threat, but in fact a real threat," he said.
Government lawyers, though, said that even with its status listed as threatened, much is being done to protect the bears, including developing critical habitat boundaries. Their status as a threatened species also prompted additional study of the bears, said Clifford Stevens, a Justice Department attorney representing the Interior Department's position in the case
"This is not a 'no-list' situation: The government has listed the species," he said. "It has done exactly what Congress asks be done: Species that face likely endangerment in the future be listed as threatened."
Despite frostbite, Gatt says he's in the Iditarod to win
Frostbitten or not, Hans Gatt said this week he plans to compete in the Iditarod before retiring from sled dog racing.
His team could have won last year and may be even stronger now, Gatt told Whitehorse radio station CKRW. “I will definitely try to win.”
Still, he has only two weeks to heal from second-degree frostbite that ended a Yukon Quest full of brutal surprises for the champion musher. Gatt, who scratched from the race after a dunk into three-feet of water on Birch Creek, called this his most difficult race yet.
Need proof? Here’s a scene from Hans Gatt’s Yukon Quest:
In the clip, musher Brent Sass is helping Gatt’s team out of American Summit, where he had hit a wall of wind and soft snow in the middle of the night, he said.
“I was very well aware that I was getting very hypothermic and there’s only so much time you have,” Gatt said of an hours-long stretch he spent wrapped in a sleeping bag and soaking-wet clothes.
The interviewer had asked if Gatt had feared for his life during the race.
Gatt, who talked about leaving competitive mushing after the Iditarod, said he had. “I was conscious enough and I just knew up there that I was approaching the point where I probably would just pass out.”
The interview, posted Tuesday on the radio station’s blog, is a must-listen for Iditarod and Quest fans. It’s a raw, 26-minute exchange between Gatt and interviewer Steve MacArthur that answers many of the questions that followed Gatt home from Fairbanks as the mushing world recovered from a dramatic Quest and began preparing for the fast-approaching Iditarod.
Gatt, who finished just more than an hour behind Lance Mackey last year, is looking for his first win. I’d hoped to reach him early this week after hearing conflicting and vastly different reports about the condition of his hands. No luck so far. I’ll update if I hear anything about changes to his condition or Iditarod plans.
The race’s ceremonial start is March 5 in Anchorage.
Along with Gatt, several of last year’s Iditarod top 10 – Ken Anderson, Sebastian Schnuelle, Hugh Neff – are coming off a Yukon Quest that race marshal Hans Oettli called the toughest ever.
“We had an incredible snowstorm. You could be standing in front of a (trail) marker and you wouldn’t even see it,” he said in a phone interview from Whitehorse.
Who looked good coming out of the Quest?
Oettli said he thinks Schnuelle, who finished second, has a chance to place among the top five at the Iditarod. To Oettli, Schnuelle’s team looked the strongest arriving in Fairbanks. Good fat reserves. Full of energy.
“They were totally alert, still barking in the finish line, ready to go,” he said.
Hugh Neff, who withdrew after his team stalled at Eagle Summit and a member of his 2010 Iditarod team, 3-year-old Geronimo, died.
“That was devastating for me,” Neff said of losing the dog. He plans to use 11 or 12 of his Quest dogs in the Iditarod. Annie, his leader, sat out the Quest and will likely be on his team out of Willow.
Neff said he doesn’t plan on “hanging out” with Mackey along the Iditarod trail as he has in the past, hoping instead to challenge the defending champ.
“We’re letting this guy win instead of making him reach and do his best. We’ve got to push the envelope and make it a competitive race,” he said.
As for Gatt's hands, the Whitehorse musher says the injury forced him to cut a recent training run short, but that there is still time before the Iditarod.
“I will make it," he told CKRW. "It will be a challenge to keep my fingers warm. But there is ways to do that.”
"It will get better every day," Gatt said. "I just right now have to be careful so I don’t refreeze them.”
I wonder if Mackey -- who was the first to win back-to-back Quest and Iditarods -- is glad he sat out the first half of the double-header this year.
His team could have won last year and may be even stronger now, Gatt told Whitehorse radio station CKRW. “I will definitely try to win.”
Still, he has only two weeks to heal from second-degree frostbite that ended a Yukon Quest full of brutal surprises for the champion musher. Gatt, who scratched from the race after a dunk into three-feet of water on Birch Creek, called this his most difficult race yet.
Need proof? Here’s a scene from Hans Gatt’s Yukon Quest:
In the clip, musher Brent Sass is helping Gatt’s team out of American Summit, where he had hit a wall of wind and soft snow in the middle of the night, he said.
“I was very well aware that I was getting very hypothermic and there’s only so much time you have,” Gatt said of an hours-long stretch he spent wrapped in a sleeping bag and soaking-wet clothes.
The interviewer had asked if Gatt had feared for his life during the race.
Gatt, who talked about leaving competitive mushing after the Iditarod, said he had. “I was conscious enough and I just knew up there that I was approaching the point where I probably would just pass out.”
The interview, posted Tuesday on the radio station’s blog, is a must-listen for Iditarod and Quest fans. It’s a raw, 26-minute exchange between Gatt and interviewer Steve MacArthur that answers many of the questions that followed Gatt home from Fairbanks as the mushing world recovered from a dramatic Quest and began preparing for the fast-approaching Iditarod.
Gatt, who finished just more than an hour behind Lance Mackey last year, is looking for his first win. I’d hoped to reach him early this week after hearing conflicting and vastly different reports about the condition of his hands. No luck so far. I’ll update if I hear anything about changes to his condition or Iditarod plans.
The race’s ceremonial start is March 5 in Anchorage.
Along with Gatt, several of last year’s Iditarod top 10 – Ken Anderson, Sebastian Schnuelle, Hugh Neff – are coming off a Yukon Quest that race marshal Hans Oettli called the toughest ever.
“We had an incredible snowstorm. You could be standing in front of a (trail) marker and you wouldn’t even see it,” he said in a phone interview from Whitehorse.
Who looked good coming out of the Quest?
Oettli said he thinks Schnuelle, who finished second, has a chance to place among the top five at the Iditarod. To Oettli, Schnuelle’s team looked the strongest arriving in Fairbanks. Good fat reserves. Full of energy.
“They were totally alert, still barking in the finish line, ready to go,” he said.
Hugh Neff, who withdrew after his team stalled at Eagle Summit and a member of his 2010 Iditarod team, 3-year-old Geronimo, died.
“That was devastating for me,” Neff said of losing the dog. He plans to use 11 or 12 of his Quest dogs in the Iditarod. Annie, his leader, sat out the Quest and will likely be on his team out of Willow.
Neff said he doesn’t plan on “hanging out” with Mackey along the Iditarod trail as he has in the past, hoping instead to challenge the defending champ.
“We’re letting this guy win instead of making him reach and do his best. We’ve got to push the envelope and make it a competitive race,” he said.
As for Gatt's hands, the Whitehorse musher says the injury forced him to cut a recent training run short, but that there is still time before the Iditarod.
“I will make it," he told CKRW. "It will be a challenge to keep my fingers warm. But there is ways to do that.”
"It will get better every day," Gatt said. "I just right now have to be careful so I don’t refreeze them.”
I wonder if Mackey -- who was the first to win back-to-back Quest and Iditarods -- is glad he sat out the first half of the double-header this year.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday's oil, gas, gold, zinc prices
North Slope oil: $102.00, up $2.93 U.S. natural gas (Henry Hub): $3.83 per million BTU, down $0.06
Gold (N.Y. Mercantile): $1,413.40 per ounce, up $12.90
Zinc: $1.1294 per pound, down 2.49 cents
Gold (N.Y. Mercantile): $1,413.40 per ounce, up $12.90
Zinc: $1.1294 per pound, down 2.49 cents
As Iron Dog pack rests in Nome, stragglers battle whiteout
As blowing snow cut visibility to near zero, stragglers in the world's longest and toughest snowmobile race struggled toward Nome this morning for much-needed rest.
Just three of the 18 teams remaining in the race were still on the trail as the sun rose over the Seward Peninsula -- with one far back.
Rookies Stacey Green, 47, and Cliff Johnson, 42, were well-acquainted with the miserable conditions they faced leaving Unalakleet at 9:04 a.m., bound for Shaktoolik. Both Arctic Cat drivers live in Nome and have competed in numerous area races over the years.
Just six minutes behind them was the father-son combo of Robbie Muir, 52, of Anchorage, and Jeremiah Jones, 30, of Denver. The tandem finished ninth last year during a particularly rugged race, but mechanical issues have pushed them down to 17th so far this year.
Bringing up the rear was a team of Polaris drivers, 45-year-old Mike Fuller of Chugiak and 35-year-old Billy Long of Wasilla. They left Ruby at 8:35 a.m., still some 440 miles from Nome. Unless they find a sudden burst of speed, they will be out of the pro class race tonight.
Race rules mandate that all teams must reach Nome by 11:59 p.m. tonight Teams that fail to do so are re-classified as recreational trail class teams, whose race ends in Nome after 1,000 miles.
Drivers will start heading for the Fairbanks finish line at 8 a.m. Thursday. Weather may not be much better. A nasty ground storm is blowing up, centered near White Mountain.
"Our weatherman is predicting nasty weather till Sunday," Marlene Moto-Karlhere of Deering posted on the Iron Dog blog, reporting 50 mph easterly winds.
Thirteen teams have scratched.
2011 Iron Dog
Standings Wednesday
Into Nome
1) Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter, Ski-Doo, 7:41 p.m. Tuesday; 2) Todd Palin and Eric Quam, Arctic Cat, 7:44 p.m. Tuesday; 3) Tyler Huntington and Chris Olds, Polaris, 7:45 p.m. Tuesday; 4) Scott Davis and Cory Davis, Arctic Cat, 8:04 p.m. Tuesday; 5) David Branholm and Matthew Spernak, Polaris, 8:48 p.m. Tueseday; 6) Doug Dixon and Wayne Wold, Arctic Cat, 8:57 p.m.; 7) Ryan Sottosanti and Andrew Zwink, Polaris, 9:39 p.m.; 8) Aaron Marks and Arnold Marks, Polaris, 9:53 p.m.; 9) Andy George and Tre West III, Arctic Cat, 11:09 p.m.; 10) Curtis Cherrier and Jim McAllen, Polaris, 11:21 p.m.; 11) Robert Hingsbergen and Steven Williamson, Arctic Cat, 12:52 a.m.; 12) Aaron Bartel and Jason Wichman, Ski-Doo, 3:39 a.m.; 13) Race Price and Eric Watson, Arctic Cat, 5:31 a.m.; 14) Jake Goodell and Theron Willard, Ski-Doo, 6:01 a.m.; 15) Vernon Albert and Kyle Malamute, Polaris, 6:01 a.m.
Just three of the 18 teams remaining in the race were still on the trail as the sun rose over the Seward Peninsula -- with one far back.
Rookies Stacey Green, 47, and Cliff Johnson, 42, were well-acquainted with the miserable conditions they faced leaving Unalakleet at 9:04 a.m., bound for Shaktoolik. Both Arctic Cat drivers live in Nome and have competed in numerous area races over the years.
Just six minutes behind them was the father-son combo of Robbie Muir, 52, of Anchorage, and Jeremiah Jones, 30, of Denver. The tandem finished ninth last year during a particularly rugged race, but mechanical issues have pushed them down to 17th so far this year.
Bringing up the rear was a team of Polaris drivers, 45-year-old Mike Fuller of Chugiak and 35-year-old Billy Long of Wasilla. They left Ruby at 8:35 a.m., still some 440 miles from Nome. Unless they find a sudden burst of speed, they will be out of the pro class race tonight.
Race rules mandate that all teams must reach Nome by 11:59 p.m. tonight Teams that fail to do so are re-classified as recreational trail class teams, whose race ends in Nome after 1,000 miles.
Drivers will start heading for the Fairbanks finish line at 8 a.m. Thursday. Weather may not be much better. A nasty ground storm is blowing up, centered near White Mountain.
"Our weatherman is predicting nasty weather till Sunday," Marlene Moto-Karlhere of Deering posted on the Iron Dog blog, reporting 50 mph easterly winds.
Thirteen teams have scratched.
2011 Iron Dog
Standings Wednesday
Into Nome
1) Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter, Ski-Doo, 7:41 p.m. Tuesday; 2) Todd Palin and Eric Quam, Arctic Cat, 7:44 p.m. Tuesday; 3) Tyler Huntington and Chris Olds, Polaris, 7:45 p.m. Tuesday; 4) Scott Davis and Cory Davis, Arctic Cat, 8:04 p.m. Tuesday; 5) David Branholm and Matthew Spernak, Polaris, 8:48 p.m. Tueseday; 6) Doug Dixon and Wayne Wold, Arctic Cat, 8:57 p.m.; 7) Ryan Sottosanti and Andrew Zwink, Polaris, 9:39 p.m.; 8) Aaron Marks and Arnold Marks, Polaris, 9:53 p.m.; 9) Andy George and Tre West III, Arctic Cat, 11:09 p.m.; 10) Curtis Cherrier and Jim McAllen, Polaris, 11:21 p.m.; 11) Robert Hingsbergen and Steven Williamson, Arctic Cat, 12:52 a.m.; 12) Aaron Bartel and Jason Wichman, Ski-Doo, 3:39 a.m.; 13) Race Price and Eric Watson, Arctic Cat, 5:31 a.m.; 14) Jake Goodell and Theron Willard, Ski-Doo, 6:01 a.m.; 15) Vernon Albert and Kyle Malamute, Polaris, 6:01 a.m.
'Time Bandit' crew member found dead in Homer
Justin Tennison, a 33-year-old crew member for one of the fishing vessels that appears on Discovery's "Deadliest Catch," was found dead Tuesday in Homer, police say.
Tennison's body was discovered in a room at the Best Western Bidarka Inn and reported to police at 12:52 p.m. Police say he died of unknown causes and the state medical examiner's office plans to perform an autopsy today in Anchorage.
Homer police say no foul play is suspected.
Tennison was found alone in the room, along with alcohol and roughly a quarter-ounce of what appeared to be marijuana, said Lt. Randy Rosencrans. "There was information that there had been a party at an adjacent room."
Read the brief police account here. Hotel employees declined to comment yesterday.
A spokeswoman for Original Productions, the production company that films the show, e-mailed this statement today:
Discovery Channel is saddened by the passing of Time Bandit crew member Justin Tennison. We send our sympathies to his entire family and fellow crew members during this most difficult time.
More on Tennison from the Time Bandit website:
Justin fished commercially for many years, living in Alaska for 28 years. He worked on the Time Bandit, alongside his second cousin, Eddie Uwekoolani, Jr., serving as Engineer during the tendering seasons, and joined the Time Bandit crew as a deckhand fishing the Red King 2010 and Opilio 2011 seasons.
Justin was tough as a bull and was an all-around good hand. The Captains and Crew appreciated his hard work and many contributions this past year. We will miss him terribly and wish his family all the best during this most difficult time.
Justin is survived by a son, daughter, sister, father and grandparents.
Tennison would have turned 34 next month, according to court records.
Tennison's body was discovered in a room at the Best Western Bidarka Inn and reported to police at 12:52 p.m. Police say he died of unknown causes and the state medical examiner's office plans to perform an autopsy today in Anchorage.
Homer police say no foul play is suspected.
Tennison was found alone in the room, along with alcohol and roughly a quarter-ounce of what appeared to be marijuana, said Lt. Randy Rosencrans. "There was information that there had been a party at an adjacent room."
Read the brief police account here. Hotel employees declined to comment yesterday.
A spokeswoman for Original Productions, the production company that films the show, e-mailed this statement today:
Discovery Channel is saddened by the passing of Time Bandit crew member Justin Tennison. We send our sympathies to his entire family and fellow crew members during this most difficult time.
More on Tennison from the Time Bandit website:
Justin fished commercially for many years, living in Alaska for 28 years. He worked on the Time Bandit, alongside his second cousin, Eddie Uwekoolani, Jr., serving as Engineer during the tendering seasons, and joined the Time Bandit crew as a deckhand fishing the Red King 2010 and Opilio 2011 seasons.
Justin was tough as a bull and was an all-around good hand. The Captains and Crew appreciated his hard work and many contributions this past year. We will miss him terribly and wish his family all the best during this most difficult time.
Justin is survived by a son, daughter, sister, father and grandparents.
Tennison would have turned 34 next month, according to court records.
Alaska House: "No one should have to sacrifice their dignity in order to travel.”
The state House took a stand Wednesday in support of Rep. Sharon Cissna, D-Anchorage, who was denied a flight from a Seattle airport over the weekend after refusing a pat-down search.
State Rep. Chris Tuck, another Democrat from Anchorage, said Cissna stood up for her rights and “chose respect.”
He called for a “sense of the House that efficient travel is a cornerstone of our economy and our quality of life especially here in Alaska, and that no one should have to sacrifice their dignity in order to travel.”
The House voted 36-2 to adopt that sentiment. Reps. Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage, and Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River, voted “no.” Cissna and Rep. Anna Fairclough, another Eagle River Republican, were absent.
Cissna is returning to work at the Legislature by ferry on Thursday. Juneau is only accessible by air or water.
She underwent a body scan at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday but refused to submit to what she called an invasive pat-down. She has had a mastectomy because of breast cancer and the scan showed scars. She submitted to such a search in the past and says she vowed never to endure it again.
State Rep. Chris Tuck, another Democrat from Anchorage, said Cissna stood up for her rights and “chose respect.”
He called for a “sense of the House that efficient travel is a cornerstone of our economy and our quality of life especially here in Alaska, and that no one should have to sacrifice their dignity in order to travel.”
The House voted 36-2 to adopt that sentiment. Reps. Bob Lynn, R-Anchorage, and Dan Saddler, R-Eagle River, voted “no.” Cissna and Rep. Anna Fairclough, another Eagle River Republican, were absent.
Cissna is returning to work at the Legislature by ferry on Thursday. Juneau is only accessible by air or water.
She underwent a body scan at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Sunday but refused to submit to what she called an invasive pat-down. She has had a mastectomy because of breast cancer and the scan showed scars. She submitted to such a search in the past and says she vowed never to endure it again.
Federal judge asks what can be done for polar bears
WASHINGTON-- Behind the legal wrangling Wednesday in a federal courtroom in Washington was a central question about the Endangered Species Act: What, if anything, can be done to save polar bears as the earth warms and sea ice recedes?
Courts have done plenty in the past to protect endangered or threatened species, including putting a halt to logging or construction, noted U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. But, he asked, what should be done when the primary threat to polar bears is the loss of their sea ice habitat?
"How do we fix that?" the judge asked Kassie Siegal of the Center for Biological Diversity, the lead lawyer for the environmental coalition seeking stronger to change polar bears from merely threatened to endangered.
"Deep and rapid greenhouse gas reductions," Siegal said.
Her answer got at the heart of what environmental groups hope to do with their lawsuit: force the Obama administration to reconsider a rule that prohibits the Endangered Species Act from being used as a tool to regulate greenhouse gases.
But both Congress and the Obama administration have failed so far to successfully enact legislation or rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Sullivan's question suggested he, too, was skeptical about what more could be done by the courts. Already, he has asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to further explain how it made its determination in 2008 that polar bears are merely threatened, and not endangered.
Wednesday, environmentalists argued that the bears should be considered endangered, and that the Fish and Wildlife Service misread its own science in determining they were threatened. Based on the projected loss of sea ice in the coming decades, polar bears are already so threatened they should be considered endangered, they argued.
The state of Alaska, which opposes even the threatened listing, also disputed how federal scientists interpreted their own research, albeit from a slightly different point of view. The state disputes that the Fish and Wildlife Service could derive population estimates from sea ice projections, said Murray Feldman, the state's Boise, Idaho-based attorney in the case.
The state also holds the position that since polar bears currently have a robust population that covers much of its historic territory, they shouldn't be listed as threatened or endangered like species that face more easily addressable threats to their survival.
"What, under the law, is the appropriate management framework for this species?" Feldman said.
It's undisputed that polar bear habitat is shrinking, but it's less clear how fast, and what it will mean to the future polar bear population, currently estimated at 20,000 to 25,000.
Environmentalists argued Wednesday in court that the ice is melting even faster than the models are predicting, an assertion supported by many researchers. Arctic sea ice is declining at an increasing rate all months of the year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado. That decline is stronger in summer months, and researchers who study climate and sea ice anticipate that at some point in the near future, the Arctic Ocean will lose its ice cover completely in late summer.
Polar bears spend most of their lives on sea ice and use it to travel, breed and hunt, especially for their main prey, ringed seals, which are the only seals that can live in completely ice-covered waters. If the Arctic continues its current melting trend, polar bear populations worldwide could decline by as much as two-thirds by mid-century. They could be near extinction by the end of the century.
Their loss would be significant to the Arctic ecosystem, said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as symbolic. Putting legal issues aside, listing polar bears as endangered would force the government to grapple with the consequences of climate change, he said.
"It's a recognition that global warming is not just a distant threat, but in fact a real threat," he said.
Government lawyers, though, said that even with its status listed as threatened, much is being done to protect the bears, including developing critical habitat boundaries. Their status as threatened species also prompted additional study of the bears, said Clifford Stevens, a Justice Department attorney representing the Interior Department's position in the case
"This is not a 'no-list' situation, the government has listed the species," he said. "It has done exactly what Congress asks be done: Species that face likely endangerment in the future be listed as threatened."
Courts have done plenty in the past to protect endangered or threatened species, including putting a halt to logging or construction, noted U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan. But, he asked, what should be done when the primary threat to polar bears is the loss of their sea ice habitat?
"How do we fix that?" the judge asked Kassie Siegal of the Center for Biological Diversity, the lead lawyer for the environmental coalition seeking stronger to change polar bears from merely threatened to endangered.
"Deep and rapid greenhouse gas reductions," Siegal said.
Her answer got at the heart of what environmental groups hope to do with their lawsuit: force the Obama administration to reconsider a rule that prohibits the Endangered Species Act from being used as a tool to regulate greenhouse gases.
But both Congress and the Obama administration have failed so far to successfully enact legislation or rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Sullivan's question suggested he, too, was skeptical about what more could be done by the courts. Already, he has asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to further explain how it made its determination in 2008 that polar bears are merely threatened, and not endangered.
Wednesday, environmentalists argued that the bears should be considered endangered, and that the Fish and Wildlife Service misread its own science in determining they were threatened. Based on the projected loss of sea ice in the coming decades, polar bears are already so threatened they should be considered endangered, they argued.
The state of Alaska, which opposes even the threatened listing, also disputed how federal scientists interpreted their own research, albeit from a slightly different point of view. The state disputes that the Fish and Wildlife Service could derive population estimates from sea ice projections, said Murray Feldman, the state's Boise, Idaho-based attorney in the case.
The state also holds the position that since polar bears currently have a robust population that covers much of its historic territory, they shouldn't be listed as threatened or endangered like species that face more easily addressable threats to their survival.
"What, under the law, is the appropriate management framework for this species?" Feldman said.
It's undisputed that polar bear habitat is shrinking, but it's less clear how fast, and what it will mean to the future polar bear population, currently estimated at 20,000 to 25,000.
Environmentalists argued Wednesday in court that the ice is melting even faster than the models are predicting, an assertion supported by many researchers. Arctic sea ice is declining at an increasing rate all months of the year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado. That decline is stronger in summer months, and researchers who study climate and sea ice anticipate that at some point in the near future, the Arctic Ocean will lose its ice cover completely in late summer.
Polar bears spend most of their lives on sea ice and use it to travel, breed and hunt, especially for their main prey, ringed seals, which are the only seals that can live in completely ice-covered waters. If the Arctic continues its current melting trend, polar bear populations worldwide could decline by as much as two-thirds by mid-century. They could be near extinction by the end of the century.
Their loss would be significant to the Arctic ecosystem, said Brendan Cummings of the Center for Biological Diversity, as well as symbolic. Putting legal issues aside, listing polar bears as endangered would force the government to grapple with the consequences of climate change, he said.
"It's a recognition that global warming is not just a distant threat, but in fact a real threat," he said.
Government lawyers, though, said that even with its status listed as threatened, much is being done to protect the bears, including developing critical habitat boundaries. Their status as threatened species also prompted additional study of the bears, said Clifford Stevens, a Justice Department attorney representing the Interior Department's position in the case
"This is not a 'no-list' situation, the government has listed the species," he said. "It has done exactly what Congress asks be done: Species that face likely endangerment in the future be listed as threatened."
Former police officer guilty of sexual assaults
Former Anchorage police officer Anthony Rollins left court in handcuffs following his conviction Tuesday for four rapes while in uniform and on duty in 2008 and 2009.
Rollins faces 20 to 30 years each for the four first-degree sexual assault convictions when he is sentenced June 10, according to sentencing guidelines.
A state Superior Court jury also found Rolllins, a 13-year decorated police officer, guilty on multiple counts of second-degree sexual assault, including assault on a fifth victim, criminal use of a computer and official misconduct.
Six women testified Rollins forced them into sex acts or touched them sexually against their will. And while convicting Rollins on 18 counts, the jurors acquitted him of second-degree sexual assault and official misconduct involving an alleged victim from 2006.
Rollins, 43, had pleaded not guilty to all 20 counts.
"Goodbye," Rollins said Tuesday to a friend as a courtroom guard led him away in handcuffs. He had a tear in his eye just before walking out an open door.
One of the victims gave a one-word statement when asked how it felt to hear the guilty verdicts.
"Bittersweet," she told a reporter.
Another victim cried and squeezed her family as sunlight bathed the area outside the courtroom.
A supporter of Rollins, thought to be a family member, left the courtroom sobbing and in the arms of friends. His attorney did not comment on the verdict.
PROSECUTOR RELIEVED
Prosecutor Sharon Marshall said Tuesday she was relieved the jury convicted Rollins. Marshall said she felt that the jury took their time and Rollins got a fair trial.
Marshall also said she was glad the jury believed at least five victims' statements.
"I'm pleased that they saw that these girls were telling the truth," she said. "They needed to know that somebody heard them when they said no, and that a police officer can't do this."
Marshall said the 12-day trial wracked her nerves.
"You keep going to sleep, thinking, 'Did I miss something? Should I have said something differently? Should we have argued something differently?' "
THE ASSAULTS
On April 16, 2009, a woman referred to as M.O. in court documents told rape counselors, and then police, that Rollins had forced her to perform oral sex early that morning during processing at a downtown police substation for a drunken driving arrest.
Anchorage Police Department management put Rollins on paid leave and detectives served search warrants on his patrol car and home as the investigation started to gain momentum. Three months after the initial report to police, then-chief Rob Heun announced the charges against Rollins and said detectives had found a total of five women. Detectives discovered a sixth, listed as R.A. in court documents, as they made calls to women Rollins had contacted on duty
As a matter of policy, the Daily News does not identify victims of sex crimes unless they request it.
In court documents, the victims are:
• M.O. -- processed by Rollins after an April 16, 2009, arrest.
• B.O. -- processed by Rollins after an April 4, 2009, arrest.
• T.N. -- picked up walking by Rollins Dec. 30, 2008.
• O.W. -- picked up at an alcohol sleep-off center by Rollins Sept. 5, 2008.
• E.V. -- passenger in car Rollins stopped; she says he touched her, August 2008.
• R.A. -- said Rollins contacted her at her sister's house in 2006.
The jury acquitted him of sexually assaulting R.A., who testified that Rollins put her hand on his penis when they were alone in the kitchen of a home being inspected by child-welfare workers. Rollins testified he had never seen the woman before the trial.
Rollins admitted in court that he had sex while on the job. The police department fired him and won't discuss why or when, citing confidential personnel matters. He received a court-appointed attorney, Susan Carney, from Fairbanks.
ROLLINS DENIED ASSAULTS
During the trial, jurors heard detailed testimony from Rollins' six accusers, and then also from the ex-police officer himself, who took the witness stand and said three of the sexual encounters were consensual and three never happened at all.
Rollins filled out DUI paperwork and gave two of the women breath-alcohol tests. Two ended up in his car as citizens seeking assistance, and one he contacted was a passenger in a car he stopped.
Four of the women Rollins is convicted of raping were in their late teens or early 20s.
In her closing argument, prosecutor Marshall said Rollins used his position as a police officer for sex, calling him arrogant and overconfident.
Rollins used "soft, subtle power abuse, situational force," Marshall said.
Carney, his attorney, said the trial came down to a "credibility contest" between Rollins and his accusers. Rollins sinned, she said, but he didn't break the law.
Rollins' wife is a police sergeant who supervises the School Resource Officer program.
Rollins is a former police spokesman and played other high-profile roles in the department, representing the department at a job fair and as a member of its Honor Guard at a memorial honoring fallen policemen.
Police department spokesman Lt. Dave Parker declined to comment on the verdict and said Chief Mark Mew would give a statement at Mayor Dan Sullivan's weekly press availability today.
The December before the allegations came out, the department awarded Rollins a medal of valor for rescuing a man from a burning building. He received a Meritorious Conduct award in 2004 for assisting in anti-bullying programs in schools. He also made presentations in classrooms on topics including personal safety, such as "stranger danger," the school district said.
One of the women Rollins claimed to have had consensual sex with at the downtown substation testified she recognized Rollins from a talk he'd given at her elementary school when she was younger. She was the same age as Rollins' son, who also attended the school.
INVESTIGATING THEIR OWN
Sgt. Ken McCoy, head of the Anchorage Police Department's Special Victims Unit, said the department now can start rebuilding the trust it lost due to Rollins' actions. "It's hard enough for victims to come forward," McCoy said. "The victims took a very large step in this case to come talk to us, to have enough faith in this, that we would do the right thing and investigate one of our own."
Police officers' union president Derek Hsieh said he and other officers were disgusted by Rollins' actions.
A reporter asked about comments from Rollins alleging other officers were having sex on the job. Hsieh said those comments were "ridiculous."
"By no means are police employees perfect ... but when we make mistakes, we're held accountable," Hsieh said.
Discussions have been held about changes in policy related to the Rollins case, Hsieh said. Those included putting video cameras in police substations and inside patrol cars, he said.
Rollins faces 20 to 30 years each for the four first-degree sexual assault convictions when he is sentenced June 10, according to sentencing guidelines.
A state Superior Court jury also found Rolllins, a 13-year decorated police officer, guilty on multiple counts of second-degree sexual assault, including assault on a fifth victim, criminal use of a computer and official misconduct.
Six women testified Rollins forced them into sex acts or touched them sexually against their will. And while convicting Rollins on 18 counts, the jurors acquitted him of second-degree sexual assault and official misconduct involving an alleged victim from 2006.
Rollins, 43, had pleaded not guilty to all 20 counts.
"Goodbye," Rollins said Tuesday to a friend as a courtroom guard led him away in handcuffs. He had a tear in his eye just before walking out an open door.
One of the victims gave a one-word statement when asked how it felt to hear the guilty verdicts.
"Bittersweet," she told a reporter.
Another victim cried and squeezed her family as sunlight bathed the area outside the courtroom.
A supporter of Rollins, thought to be a family member, left the courtroom sobbing and in the arms of friends. His attorney did not comment on the verdict.
PROSECUTOR RELIEVED
Prosecutor Sharon Marshall said Tuesday she was relieved the jury convicted Rollins. Marshall said she felt that the jury took their time and Rollins got a fair trial.
Marshall also said she was glad the jury believed at least five victims' statements.
"I'm pleased that they saw that these girls were telling the truth," she said. "They needed to know that somebody heard them when they said no, and that a police officer can't do this."
Marshall said the 12-day trial wracked her nerves.
"You keep going to sleep, thinking, 'Did I miss something? Should I have said something differently? Should we have argued something differently?' "
THE ASSAULTS
On April 16, 2009, a woman referred to as M.O. in court documents told rape counselors, and then police, that Rollins had forced her to perform oral sex early that morning during processing at a downtown police substation for a drunken driving arrest.
Anchorage Police Department management put Rollins on paid leave and detectives served search warrants on his patrol car and home as the investigation started to gain momentum. Three months after the initial report to police, then-chief Rob Heun announced the charges against Rollins and said detectives had found a total of five women. Detectives discovered a sixth, listed as R.A. in court documents, as they made calls to women Rollins had contacted on duty
As a matter of policy, the Daily News does not identify victims of sex crimes unless they request it.
In court documents, the victims are:
• M.O. -- processed by Rollins after an April 16, 2009, arrest.
• B.O. -- processed by Rollins after an April 4, 2009, arrest.
• T.N. -- picked up walking by Rollins Dec. 30, 2008.
• O.W. -- picked up at an alcohol sleep-off center by Rollins Sept. 5, 2008.
• E.V. -- passenger in car Rollins stopped; she says he touched her, August 2008.
• R.A. -- said Rollins contacted her at her sister's house in 2006.
The jury acquitted him of sexually assaulting R.A., who testified that Rollins put her hand on his penis when they were alone in the kitchen of a home being inspected by child-welfare workers. Rollins testified he had never seen the woman before the trial.
Rollins admitted in court that he had sex while on the job. The police department fired him and won't discuss why or when, citing confidential personnel matters. He received a court-appointed attorney, Susan Carney, from Fairbanks.
ROLLINS DENIED ASSAULTS
During the trial, jurors heard detailed testimony from Rollins' six accusers, and then also from the ex-police officer himself, who took the witness stand and said three of the sexual encounters were consensual and three never happened at all.
Rollins filled out DUI paperwork and gave two of the women breath-alcohol tests. Two ended up in his car as citizens seeking assistance, and one he contacted was a passenger in a car he stopped.
Four of the women Rollins is convicted of raping were in their late teens or early 20s.
In her closing argument, prosecutor Marshall said Rollins used his position as a police officer for sex, calling him arrogant and overconfident.
Rollins used "soft, subtle power abuse, situational force," Marshall said.
Carney, his attorney, said the trial came down to a "credibility contest" between Rollins and his accusers. Rollins sinned, she said, but he didn't break the law.
Rollins' wife is a police sergeant who supervises the School Resource Officer program.
Rollins is a former police spokesman and played other high-profile roles in the department, representing the department at a job fair and as a member of its Honor Guard at a memorial honoring fallen policemen.
Police department spokesman Lt. Dave Parker declined to comment on the verdict and said Chief Mark Mew would give a statement at Mayor Dan Sullivan's weekly press availability today.
The December before the allegations came out, the department awarded Rollins a medal of valor for rescuing a man from a burning building. He received a Meritorious Conduct award in 2004 for assisting in anti-bullying programs in schools. He also made presentations in classrooms on topics including personal safety, such as "stranger danger," the school district said.
One of the women Rollins claimed to have had consensual sex with at the downtown substation testified she recognized Rollins from a talk he'd given at her elementary school when she was younger. She was the same age as Rollins' son, who also attended the school.
INVESTIGATING THEIR OWN
Sgt. Ken McCoy, head of the Anchorage Police Department's Special Victims Unit, said the department now can start rebuilding the trust it lost due to Rollins' actions. "It's hard enough for victims to come forward," McCoy said. "The victims took a very large step in this case to come talk to us, to have enough faith in this, that we would do the right thing and investigate one of our own."
Police officers' union president Derek Hsieh said he and other officers were disgusted by Rollins' actions.
A reporter asked about comments from Rollins alleging other officers were having sex on the job. Hsieh said those comments were "ridiculous."
"By no means are police employees perfect ... but when we make mistakes, we're held accountable," Hsieh said.
Discussions have been held about changes in policy related to the Rollins case, Hsieh said. Those included putting video cameras in police substations and inside patrol cars, he said.
Governor undecided about returning federal health cash $14.7 MILLION: State funds would go to programs, he says.
JUNEAU -- Gov. Sean Parnell hasn't decided whether to return at least $14.7 million the state received to implement provisions of the federal health care reform law he believes to be unconstitutional.
But he said Tuesday that if the federal government asks for the money back, he'd be happy to return it.
Parnell told reporters the state would continue with programs it believes should move forward as a matter of policy and would do so with state money.
The challenge now facing the administration is how best to do that, in light of conflicting court rulings and no clear indication of when any one of the cases will reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Parnell angered some lawmakers with his decision to refuse federal funds for a health care benefit exchange, a veritable marketplace for coverage options, The decision prompted at least one Senate Democrat to suggest Parnell was putting politics over what's best for Alaskans. An estimated 14 percent of Alaskans are uninsured.
Parnell dismissed that criticism, saying it's not a novel concept for a governor to heed a court ruling.
Last month, a federal judge in Florida struck down the federal health care law as unconstitutional. Alaska was among 26 states that were party to the case. In spite of conflicting court rulings in other cases, Parnell, who sought the opinion of his attorney general, considers the Florida ruling the law of the land as it pertains to Alaska.
The administration plans to proceed accordingly until the matter is resolved by the courts. That includes not accepting additional federal money under the law, said William Streur, commissioner of Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services.
While the administration in some ways is "trying to wing it," Streur said the governor has also provided clear directions in areas where he wants the state to press ahead -- including looking at ways to better manage cases for Alaskans with high-cost health care and looking at how the state can benefit from an exchange.
Parnell also expressed a willingness to work with the Legislature, a prospect Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, welcomes. French has introduced legislation to establish a health benefit exchange and questioned Parnell's openness to meaningful reform.
Streur said that even if the portions of the law are ultimately determined to be unconstitutional, he believes some provisions will survive. He cites as examples the ability to have children covered under a parent's health insurance policy until age 26 and an insurance plan for those unable to get coverage on their own because of pre-existing conditions.
He couldn't say whether the state would fight efforts to allow public employees to add older children to their coverage, beginning July 1.
"I think that we are going to cross that bridge when we come to it," he said, adding that he wasn't trying to be evasive but wasn't sure what the administration's stance would be.
"Since it's federal law at this point, I don't know how we can avoid it," he said.
But he said Tuesday that if the federal government asks for the money back, he'd be happy to return it.
Parnell told reporters the state would continue with programs it believes should move forward as a matter of policy and would do so with state money.
The challenge now facing the administration is how best to do that, in light of conflicting court rulings and no clear indication of when any one of the cases will reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Parnell angered some lawmakers with his decision to refuse federal funds for a health care benefit exchange, a veritable marketplace for coverage options, The decision prompted at least one Senate Democrat to suggest Parnell was putting politics over what's best for Alaskans. An estimated 14 percent of Alaskans are uninsured.
Parnell dismissed that criticism, saying it's not a novel concept for a governor to heed a court ruling.
Last month, a federal judge in Florida struck down the federal health care law as unconstitutional. Alaska was among 26 states that were party to the case. In spite of conflicting court rulings in other cases, Parnell, who sought the opinion of his attorney general, considers the Florida ruling the law of the land as it pertains to Alaska.
The administration plans to proceed accordingly until the matter is resolved by the courts. That includes not accepting additional federal money under the law, said William Streur, commissioner of Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services.
While the administration in some ways is "trying to wing it," Streur said the governor has also provided clear directions in areas where he wants the state to press ahead -- including looking at ways to better manage cases for Alaskans with high-cost health care and looking at how the state can benefit from an exchange.
Parnell also expressed a willingness to work with the Legislature, a prospect Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, welcomes. French has introduced legislation to establish a health benefit exchange and questioned Parnell's openness to meaningful reform.
Streur said that even if the portions of the law are ultimately determined to be unconstitutional, he believes some provisions will survive. He cites as examples the ability to have children covered under a parent's health insurance policy until age 26 and an insurance plan for those unable to get coverage on their own because of pre-existing conditions.
He couldn't say whether the state would fight efforts to allow public employees to add older children to their coverage, beginning July 1.
"I think that we are going to cross that bridge when we come to it," he said, adding that he wasn't trying to be evasive but wasn't sure what the administration's stance would be.
"Since it's federal law at this point, I don't know how we can avoid it," he said.
Iron Dog front-runners take mandatory layovers in Nome FIRST TO NOME: Van Meter and McKenna make it a few minutes ahead of Palin and Quam.
As a warm, blustery storm blew into Nome late Tuesday, a dense pack of the world's top snowmachine racers motored into the City of the Golden Sands for respite, repairs and, in some cases, piles of cash.
The Ski-Doo riding duo of Dusty Van Meter and Marc McKenna, with four Iron Dog titles between them, claimed $10,000 as the first to arrive at 7:41 p.m., narrowly edging two other teams with championship pedigrees.
Just three minutes back was four-time champion Todd Palin, the former First Dude and reality cable television star who's one of the savviest drivers on the trail. This year he has a new partner, 2008 champion Eric Quam of Palmer, who's never finished outside the top seven.
Defending champions Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River were third, a minute behind Palin and Quam. They displayed their moxie by laying down the fastest run between White Mountain and Nome, averaging a brisk 62 mph.
The Davis Times Two tandem of seven-time champion Scott Davis and 22-year-old son Cory checked in at 8:04 p.m., 23 minutes behind the leaders.
But as the top racers parked their machines in a heated impound area, National Weather Service forecasters were issuing a winter storm warning for Nome that runs through 6 p.m. today. Up to seven inches of snowfall, gusts to 55 mph and temperatures reaching 35 degrees were expected.
Racers have until Thursday morning to rest and rehabilitate before starting the second half of the race for the Fairbanks finish line. Much of that portion of the trail involves river running on flat trail, often with hidden hazards -- a type of riding that may favor the 25-year-old Huntington, who grew up in Galena on the banks of the mighty Yukon River.
Last year, Huntington and Olds pulled away to a comfortable victory during the second half of the race.
But for now, the top teams had some extra spending money for Nome.
Palin and Quam picked up $3,000 for getting to Nome in second place, while Huntington and Olds were in position to earn $5,000 -- $2,000 for being the third team to arrive and possibly $3,000 more for the fastest run from White Mountain to Nome.
With hundreds of miles left, the race was up for grabs for any of the top teams.
Riding Arctic Cats, Palin and Quam showed plenty of river-running speed on the Yukon River earlier, averaging 88 mph on the 98-mile stretch from Galena to Kaltag, a full 8 mph faster than the next-fastest team.
Teams will have a day-long break before heading for the Fairbanks finish line on Thursday morning.
The team of Wasilla rookies Wade Bailey and Brad Rigdon pulled out of the race in Galena, bring the list of scratched teams to eight.
The Ski-Doo riding duo of Dusty Van Meter and Marc McKenna, with four Iron Dog titles between them, claimed $10,000 as the first to arrive at 7:41 p.m., narrowly edging two other teams with championship pedigrees.
Just three minutes back was four-time champion Todd Palin, the former First Dude and reality cable television star who's one of the savviest drivers on the trail. This year he has a new partner, 2008 champion Eric Quam of Palmer, who's never finished outside the top seven.
Defending champions Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River were third, a minute behind Palin and Quam. They displayed their moxie by laying down the fastest run between White Mountain and Nome, averaging a brisk 62 mph.
The Davis Times Two tandem of seven-time champion Scott Davis and 22-year-old son Cory checked in at 8:04 p.m., 23 minutes behind the leaders.
But as the top racers parked their machines in a heated impound area, National Weather Service forecasters were issuing a winter storm warning for Nome that runs through 6 p.m. today. Up to seven inches of snowfall, gusts to 55 mph and temperatures reaching 35 degrees were expected.
Racers have until Thursday morning to rest and rehabilitate before starting the second half of the race for the Fairbanks finish line. Much of that portion of the trail involves river running on flat trail, often with hidden hazards -- a type of riding that may favor the 25-year-old Huntington, who grew up in Galena on the banks of the mighty Yukon River.
Last year, Huntington and Olds pulled away to a comfortable victory during the second half of the race.
But for now, the top teams had some extra spending money for Nome.
Palin and Quam picked up $3,000 for getting to Nome in second place, while Huntington and Olds were in position to earn $5,000 -- $2,000 for being the third team to arrive and possibly $3,000 more for the fastest run from White Mountain to Nome.
With hundreds of miles left, the race was up for grabs for any of the top teams.
Riding Arctic Cats, Palin and Quam showed plenty of river-running speed on the Yukon River earlier, averaging 88 mph on the 98-mile stretch from Galena to Kaltag, a full 8 mph faster than the next-fastest team.
Teams will have a day-long break before heading for the Fairbanks finish line on Thursday morning.
The team of Wasilla rookies Wade Bailey and Brad Rigdon pulled out of the race in Galena, bring the list of scratched teams to eight.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Top Iron Dog teams aim for Nome; Palin, Quam first to Bering Sea coast
FAIRBANKS - As often happens in the world’s longest, toughest snowmachine race, the cream is rising to the top
Only 20 minutes separate the top four teams in what is shaping up to be a close race featuring a Who’s Who of past Iron Dog champs.
The veteran team of Todd Palin and Eric Quam are leading the Iron Dog snowmachine race as teams prepare for the final push up the Bering Sea coast to the halfway point in Nome.
Palin and Quam were the first team to hit the coast on Tuesday morning. They arrived in Unalakleet at 4:40 a.m., 10 minutes ahead of the second-place team of Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter.
Defending champions Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River pulled in at 4:58 a.m., followed by the father-son team of Scott and Cory Davis at 5 a.m.
The top teams are taking a 10-hour break in Unalakleet — one of three required en route to the halfway point — before hitting the trail again late Tuesday afternoon for the final 263-mile push to Nome.
Palin and Quam will have a 10-minute advantage over McKenna and Van Meter when they take to the trail at 2:40 p.m. They lead Huntington and Olds by 18 minutes and the Davis duo by 20 minutes.
The first teams are expected to hit Nome between 5 and 5:30 p.m. The first team to reach Nome will win $10,000.
Seven of the eight racers in the top four teams are past Iron Dog winners.The one exception is 22-year-old Cory Davis, who is a rookie to the Iron Dog but a bronze medalist in the X-Games and one of the country’s top sno-cross racers. The fact that his father, seven-time Iron Dog champ Scott, is the winningest Iron Dogger of all time helps make up for any lack of experience in that department, too.
Palin, a four-time Iron Dog champ, and Quam, who won the 2008 race with McKenna, are running the race together for the first time and the combination appears to be a good one.
McKenna has one Iron Dog title under his belt (2008 with Quam) while Van Meter has won three titles, one of which was with Palin.
Huntington and Olds each won the race for the first time last year.
Riding 600cc Arctic Cats, Palin and Quam picked up the pace on the Yukon River after leaving Galena to put a small gap between them and the rest of the lead pack. They averaged almost 88 mph on the 98-mile stretch from Galena to Kaltag, which was 8 mph faster than the next fastest team. They gained 15 minutes on McKenna and Van Meter, a three-time Iron Dog champ, from Ruby to Kaltag.
They also posted the fastest time on the 95-mile trail from Kaltag to Unalakleet, covering the 95-mile trail in 2 hours, 4 minutes for an average speed of 46 mph. McKenna and Van Meter clocked the exact same time.
Huntington and Olds, riding Polaris 600s, were nine minutes slower than Palin and Quam on the run from Galena to Kaltag and their time from Kaltag to Unalakleet was five minutes slower. The Davis duo was running at almost identical speed, taking one minute longer on the run to Kaltag and posting the same time as Huntington and Olds on the way to Unalakleet.
The top four teams averaged just 44-46 mph on the trail from Kaltag to Unalakleet, struggling with 2 to 3 feet of fresh snow that slowed teams after getting off the Yukon River.
Speeds should pick up again on the coast, judging from the times of two middle of the pack teams that opted to continue past Unalakleet to take their 10-hour layovers in Koyuk, which is 98 miles up the trail from Unalakleet.
While they averaged only about 35 mph on the 41-mile trail from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik, the team of Andy George of Wasilla and Jim West of Nome covered the 57-mile trip across Norton Sound from Shaktoolik to Koyuk at an average speed of almost 98 mph, arriving at 8:40 a.m. The team of Robert Hingsbergen and Steve Williamson, who arrived in Koyuk at 10:47 a.m. Tuesday, clocked an average speed of almost 73 mph on that stretch.
Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Top Iron Dog teams aim for Nome Palin Quam first to Bering Sea coast
Only 20 minutes separate the top four teams in what is shaping up to be a close race featuring a Who’s Who of past Iron Dog champs.
The veteran team of Todd Palin and Eric Quam are leading the Iron Dog snowmachine race as teams prepare for the final push up the Bering Sea coast to the halfway point in Nome.
Palin and Quam were the first team to hit the coast on Tuesday morning. They arrived in Unalakleet at 4:40 a.m., 10 minutes ahead of the second-place team of Marc McKenna and Dusty Van Meter.
Defending champions Tyler Huntington of Fairbanks and Chris Olds of Eagle River pulled in at 4:58 a.m., followed by the father-son team of Scott and Cory Davis at 5 a.m.
The top teams are taking a 10-hour break in Unalakleet — one of three required en route to the halfway point — before hitting the trail again late Tuesday afternoon for the final 263-mile push to Nome.
Palin and Quam will have a 10-minute advantage over McKenna and Van Meter when they take to the trail at 2:40 p.m. They lead Huntington and Olds by 18 minutes and the Davis duo by 20 minutes.
The first teams are expected to hit Nome between 5 and 5:30 p.m. The first team to reach Nome will win $10,000.
Seven of the eight racers in the top four teams are past Iron Dog winners.The one exception is 22-year-old Cory Davis, who is a rookie to the Iron Dog but a bronze medalist in the X-Games and one of the country’s top sno-cross racers. The fact that his father, seven-time Iron Dog champ Scott, is the winningest Iron Dogger of all time helps make up for any lack of experience in that department, too.
Palin, a four-time Iron Dog champ, and Quam, who won the 2008 race with McKenna, are running the race together for the first time and the combination appears to be a good one.
McKenna has one Iron Dog title under his belt (2008 with Quam) while Van Meter has won three titles, one of which was with Palin.
Huntington and Olds each won the race for the first time last year.
Riding 600cc Arctic Cats, Palin and Quam picked up the pace on the Yukon River after leaving Galena to put a small gap between them and the rest of the lead pack. They averaged almost 88 mph on the 98-mile stretch from Galena to Kaltag, which was 8 mph faster than the next fastest team. They gained 15 minutes on McKenna and Van Meter, a three-time Iron Dog champ, from Ruby to Kaltag.
They also posted the fastest time on the 95-mile trail from Kaltag to Unalakleet, covering the 95-mile trail in 2 hours, 4 minutes for an average speed of 46 mph. McKenna and Van Meter clocked the exact same time.
Huntington and Olds, riding Polaris 600s, were nine minutes slower than Palin and Quam on the run from Galena to Kaltag and their time from Kaltag to Unalakleet was five minutes slower. The Davis duo was running at almost identical speed, taking one minute longer on the run to Kaltag and posting the same time as Huntington and Olds on the way to Unalakleet.
The top four teams averaged just 44-46 mph on the trail from Kaltag to Unalakleet, struggling with 2 to 3 feet of fresh snow that slowed teams after getting off the Yukon River.
Speeds should pick up again on the coast, judging from the times of two middle of the pack teams that opted to continue past Unalakleet to take their 10-hour layovers in Koyuk, which is 98 miles up the trail from Unalakleet.
While they averaged only about 35 mph on the 41-mile trail from Unalakleet to Shaktoolik, the team of Andy George of Wasilla and Jim West of Nome covered the 57-mile trip across Norton Sound from Shaktoolik to Koyuk at an average speed of almost 98 mph, arriving at 8:40 a.m. The team of Robert Hingsbergen and Steve Williamson, who arrived in Koyuk at 10:47 a.m. Tuesday, clocked an average speed of almost 73 mph on that stretch.
Read more: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - Top Iron Dog teams aim for Nome Palin Quam first to Bering Sea coast
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