Akutan
LATEST NEWS
Meet MOTA's new Collections Manager Joselle Hale
The Museum of the Aleutians recently welcomed new Collections Manager Joselle Hale to oversee the care of the organization’s archives. Hale arrived on the island in January from the New England area to replace former Collections Manager Karen Macke. Hale recently sat down with KUCB's Sofia Stuart-Rasi to discuss...
Unalaska’s first Star Trek convention brings island’s Trekkies together
Trivia, video clips and Funko Pops abounded at Unalaska’s very first Star Trek convention, held on April 5. The event was organized on something of a whim by the team at the Museum of the Aleutians. Joselle Hale is the museum’s newest full-time employee and a self-proclaimed lover of...
Chinese paddlefish, golden toads and Canarian oystercatchers: local poet explores the effects of climate change through poetry
April is National Poetry Month, a month to promote the importance of poetry and its significance to society and culture. On this episode of “Island Interviews,” we talk to local poet Randy Shinn. Shinn tells us about his poetry, his inspiration and his current work, which focuses on species extinction and climate change.
Akutan connection to GCI fiber-optic network to go live this summer
Akutan, located in the middle of the Aleutian chain, is slated to receive a fiber-optic internet connection this summer through the GCI Aleutians Fiber Project. Construction is complete and all that remains is to test the system, according to an April 2 statement from the Alaska-based telecommunications company. Once a...
Schoolhouse Block: UCSD fifth grade and art teacher Briannah Malloy
Unalaska City School District’s Briannah Malloy is part of a cohort of teachers almost done with their first year in Unalaska’s public schools. She teaches fifth grade and art, and looks forward to getting better acquainted with the town’s artistic community. In this episode of “Island Interviews,”...
Schoohouse Block: UCSD's kindergarten teacher Kathleen Pettinotti
Unalaska City School District’s Kathleen Pettinotti is part of a cohort of teachers almost done with their first year teaching in Unalaska. She teaches kindergarten, and considers it a pivotal time in a child’s development. In this episode of “Island Interviews,” Pettinotti discusses her approach to teaching and...
Qawalangin Tribe hosts boat building workshops focusing on wellness
The Qawalangin Tribe’s Wellness Program is organizing two boat builds in Unalaska this month with boat builders Marc Daniels and Mike Ferguson. Three tribal members are spending the first few weeks of the month building their own Iqyan, which are traditional Unangax̂ sea kayaks. After the kayaks are completed – expected to be done by April 14 – there will be a community build of a Nigilax̂, which is a Unangax open-skin boat.
Whale freed from suspected fishing gear, experts spotlight Unalaska’s community response
ADFG's Ethan Nichols captained the primary vessel. State Troopers and the U.S. Coast Guard were on support vessels throughout the process. On April 1, a young humpback whale was found tied up in a probable fishing line and anchored down in a busy area in Iliuliuk Bay. Four days later, a group of whale entanglement experts carefully cut the line wrapped around the humpback's mouth and tail.
State of Alaska issues land classification plan for nearly 90,000 acres in Unalaska
The planning area spans from Cape Cheerful, across Unalaska Bay and out east to Erskine Point. That includes several smaller bays within Unalaska Bay as well as Kalekta Bay. The Alaska Department of Natural Resource (DNR) proposes classifying the land under three categories: as wildlife habitat, public recreation land and waterfront development land. The waterfront development section would include an area from Mount Ballyhoo, near the airport, south into Captain’s Bay, into Iliuliuk Creek and around Unalaska Lake, according to DNR’s Unalaska Bay Site Specific Plan Public Review Draft.
Akutan connection to GCI fiber-optic network to go live this summer
Akutan, located in the middle of the Aleutian chain, is slated to receive a fiber-optic internet connection this summer through the GCI Aleutians Fiber Project. Construction is complete and all that remains is to test the system, according to an April 2 statement from the Alaska-based telecommunications company. Once a...
NOAA responds to entangled whale in Unalaska’s Iliuliuk Bay
The Alaska Marine Mammal Stranding Network is working with local responders to gather images and information to coordinate helping an entangled humpback in Unalaska’s Iliuliuk Bay. “They'll be using a GoPro pole cam to get some underwater footage of the entanglement so that we can get some more intel...
Road improvements, Makushin geothermal and dredging top Unalaska’s list of capital projects
The City of Unalaska’s ongoing capital projects were laid out at a city council meeting on March 26. Public Works Director Scott Brown spoke in-depth about plans for a slate of 40 active and funded projects. Some of those projects span multiple years. One of the biggest is bringing...
Iliuliuk Bay dredging to start this fall; agreement signed by feds and Unalaska city officials
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Unalaska city officials signed an agreement on March 29 to begin dredging in Iliuliuk Bay later this year. Unalaska Mayor Vince Tutiakoff Sr. and City Council members attended the signing at Unalaska City Hall, while City Manager Bil Homka attended in person in Anchorage. Homka signed the agreement alongside the Corps’ Alaska District Commander Col. Jeffrey Palazzini.
Alaska Wildlife Trooper vessel captain, Troy Magnusen, makes final voyage aboard P/V Stimson
Troy Magnusen has spent two decades in the wheelhouse of the Stimson, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper patrol vessel. On March 24, Magnusen departed Dutch Harbor for his final journey before retirement. He said that while he isn’t sure where he’s headed next, he’s enjoyed his years aboard the Stimson.
Efforts underway to help entangled humpback whale in Unalaska
UNALASKA, Alaska (KTUU) - An entangled whale has commanded the attention of a small community in the Aleutian Islands, and set in motion a response effort from multiple agencies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was first alerted to a distressed humpback whale in Unalaska’s Iliuliuk Bay on Monday,...
Community soup event makes comeback after five years
Unalaskans Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence is hosting its annual Soup-off this weekend. USAFV Executive Director M. Lynn Crane says the event has been a tradition for decades, but the in-person event was on pause for the past five years due to community tragedies and the COVID-19 pandemic. In...
Whale entanglement experts free humpback in Iliuliuk Bay
A humpback whale is now free in Unalaska after being tied up for at least four days. The entangled whale was first reported on Monday evening in Iliuliuk Bay. Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game were able to free the whale Friday morning. The team included Ed Lyman, a large whale entanglement response coordinator from Hawaii, and Sadie Wright, a biologist from Juneau. They both flew into Dutch Harbor Thursday morning and worked on detangling the whale until late Thursday afternoon. They resumed work the following morning at sunrise and freed the whale around 10 a.m. The whale swam out of the Bay and into the Bering Sea.
City officials talk geothermal, Captains Bay Road at annual legislative lobby trip
Unalaska City officials were in Juneau March 3-6 for their annual lobbying trip, where they presented some of their ongoing priorities to the Alaska Legislature. Ounalashka Corp. CEO Natalie Cale, City Councilmember and Vice Mayor Alejandro “Bong” Tungul, Mayor Vince Tutiakoff Sr., and City Manager Bil Homka were among those who attended the trip.
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