May 11, 2012 · The lack of a term for the black-billed magpie may be because the bird was not in Southwest Alaska until recently. The long-tailed relative of ravens and jays seems to be extending its …

Mar 21, 2013 · While Taras waded through a winter’s worth of snow to point out the scratchy wing marks of a magpie or similar-size bird, another instructor worked in a white crater 30 feet away, levering …

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Jul 21, 1994 · People who know such things have assured me that few tourists read these columns. Good. That makes it possible to discuss here some matters better kept private among Alaskans- …

Mar 12, 2026 · Despite all that is known about the aurora, predicting when the Northern Lights will appear still is a dicey business.

Apr 7, 1994 · Consider, for example, the gray whales. Often called California grays, particularly by denizens of that smaller state to the southeast of us, our gray whales spend the winter in Mexican …

Mar 19, 2026 · Compared to control plants in a test plot near Palmer, tomatoes enclosed in plastic and wire cages produce two to three times as much green and red fruit.

Feb 26, 2026 · The Richter scale uses seismographs to measure actual ground motion at a specific distance (100 km) from the earthquake epicenter (origin). Earthquakes smaller than Richter scale 3 …

Dec 18, 2025 · Probably the best possible way to clear a forested area for agricultural use is in-place burning of whatever vegetation exists. Unfortunately, this is not easy to do because forest fires do …

Feb 26, 2026 · Rigid insulations increasingly are coming into use in the North. Though a more expensive form of insulation than fiberglass batts or blown fiberglass or cellulose, the rigid insulations have …