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PWS Fishing Vessel Owners Threaten To Stand Down

2010-04-19T22:35:00Z

When the operator of the trans-Alaska pipeline and Valdez tanker port reported a shortfall in the Prince William Sound-based part of its fishing vessel response fleet earlier this year, some insiders said the biggest single issue driving the decline in participation in the program was a set of long-standing concerns with their contract. Now some vessel owners--feeling those concerns have not been sufficiently addressed--have set a deadline of the end of the month to resolve issues including compensation and insurance, after which they say they are prepared to stand down. Alyeska invited representatives from various response fleets for a meeting in Anchorage Monday (April 19), during which the fishermen hoped to be able to resolve the matter before the Alyeska/SERVS Spring Oil Spill Response Training later this month in Cordova. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Recovering Valdez Eagle Garners Widespread Attention

2010-04-19T22:29:00Z

Officials at a rehabilitation center in Anchorage say the female eagle that survived a now highly-publicized, beak-first nosedive with her mate into a hard snowbank in Valdez is beginning to show signs of recovery from a badly injured wing and major head trauma. Meanwhile, the Valdez biology professor who rescued the bird is enjoying what he calls his "15 minutes of fame." KCHU's Erik Wander has the story:

Valdez Tax Day Tea Party

2010-04-19T22:25:00Z

Hundreds of thousands of Tea Party supporters are set to gather in communities around the country today--tax day--trumpeting their message of fiscal conservatism and constitutionally limited government. Dismissed and sometimes ridiculed by critics, mostly on the left, and bolstered by such high-profile conservative supporters as Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich, the Tea Party has remained a topic of discussion since it came to prominence on tax day last year. In Valdez Friday, a new local chapter of the movement will hold its own "Tax Day Tea Party," the first official public meeting of the group. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Cordova Microwave Project

2010-04-19T22:22:00Z

Households, businesses and community facilities in Cordova can only receive broadband communications via satellite feeds. That's about to change however thanks to roughly $3.4 million in federal stimulus funding Copper Valley Wireless received for the Cordova microwave project. Once complete, the microwave connection will be the first land-based communication connection to Cordova. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Coast Guard to Conduct Dockside Exams

2010-04-13T00:53:00Z

Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Valdez recently kicked off its 2010 voluntary dockside safety examination and safety compliance check initiatives in an effort to better promote safety in the commercial fishing vessel fleet. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Tailgaters' Presence Felt in Valdez

2010-04-13T00:52:00Z

An estimated 300 people turned up at Thompson Pass this year for Tailgate Alaska. Organizers are hailing the event and it's King of Hill snowboarding competition as a success, and say they hope for the city's support in bringing it back in bigger and better form next year. Meanwhile, some in Valdez are saying the event's local impact was significant, and that they hope it serves as a catalyst for the future of recreational tourism to the area. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Five Named Semi-Finalists for Superintendent

2010-04-13T00:49:00Z

The Valdez City School Board has announced five semi-finalists in its search for a candidate to replace outgoing superintendent Lance Bowie, whose contract expires at the end of June. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Certified Lunatic, Master of the Impossible: Tomas Kubinek

2010-04-13T00:46:00Z

The Valdez Arts Council describes Tomás Kubineck's (KOO-bee-neck's) one-man show as "equal parts comic brilliance, virtuosic vaudeville and irresistible charm." Kubinek himself says he's a fool, a clown, a visual poet, a comic genius and a charming huckster. Next week, Valdez audiences can decide for themselves, when the performance artist comes to town for a solo show. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Tailgate Alaska

2010-04-13T00:45:00Z

Throughout much of the 1990s, King of the Hill in Valdez was considered a premier event among big-mountain snowboarders. But with the end of the decade came the abrupt end of the competition. Saturday, King of Hill makes what ESPN.com called it's "triumphant return" to Thompson Pass, where snowboarders and big-mountain enthusiasts from around the world have been gathering for the past week as part of Tailgate Alaska 2010. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Fish and Game Ups Shrimp Pot Limit

2010-04-13T00:42:00Z

As the Alaska Department of Fish and Game prepares to open a commercial shrimp pot fishery in Prince William Sound for the first time in nearly 20 years, the department announced Wednesday an increase in the number of shrimp pots allowed for harvesting shrimp in the Sound's NON-commercial fishery. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Coast Guard's Ambassadorial Musher

2010-04-13T00:39:00Z

The Coast Guard joined forces with the Iditarod for the first time this year, sponsoring a musher in the race in an effort to spread the word about its increased focus on the Arctic and continuing operations in Alaska. Now having carried the Coast Guard flag to a fourth-place finish in Nome in this year's Iditarod, Fairbanks musher Ken Anderson is about to begin the next phase of his relationship with his newest sponsor--the role of ambassador. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Ice Radar Returns to Service

2010-04-13T00:36:00Z

The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council is hailing Alyeska for repairing the Sound’s iceberg-detecting radar system, which was brought back into service March 14th after a roughly six-month absence. The system is not yet operating in the Coast Guard’s Valdez Vessel Traffic Center, which oversees tanker traffic in the Sound, but the Coast Guard says it's awaiting updated software to resolve the problem. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Port Authority Moves Forward Without North Slope Borough

2010-03-26T23:44:00Z

The North Slope Borough's withdrawal from the Alaska Gasline Port Authority will not hinder the Port Authority's plans to acquire Fairbanks Natural Gas, to truck natural gas from the North Slope to consumers in the Fairbanks area and other points, including Valdez, or to build a gas pipeline from the North Slope to Valdez. Valdez Mayor and Port Authority chairman Bert Cottle made those statements during a special meeting of the Valdez City Council Thursday in the wake of the North Slope Borough's request to withdraw earlier in the week. (Story by Erik Wander)

Copper River Watershed Up-River

2010-03-26T23:41:00Z

Saturday's Wild Food Feast and Film Festival at the American Legion Hall in Glennallen is being sponsored by the Copper River Watershed Project. The non-profit group hopes to boost membership in the region in order to leverage funding from outside sources for such projects as habitat restoration, tourism and environmental education programs. Organizers also hope the event provides an opportunity for people who live in the upper part of the watershed to learn more about what the Cordova-based group is doing in the region. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Board Denies Chitina Dip-netters

2010-03-24T23:03:00Z

The Alaska Board of Fisheries voted Sunday to once again classify Chitina dip-netters as personal-use rather than subsistence fishermen. The 6-0 vote came during a meeting in Anchorage after the board was ordered by a judge to revisit a 2003 decision in which the dip-netters were switched from subsistence to personal use classification. Since 1984, the Chitina dipnet fishery has bounced back and forth between the two designations. According to the Chitina Dipnetters Association, the only remaining recourse is to appeal the case to the Alaska Supreme Court, but that decision has yet to be made. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Methane Digestors

2010-03-24T22:58:00Z

A Denali Commission grant in partnership with Cordova Electric, UAF and supported by National Geographic through Solar Cities has launched the Cordova High School science club on a world wide project to both recycle waste and create methane gas for commercial use in local business. Carolyn Roesbery has more:

Citizens' Council Names New Director

2010-03-19T00:43:00Z

A former Valdez Coast Guard commander is set to head the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, the citizen watchdog group that promotes environmentally safe operation of the Alyeska Pipeline marine terminal in Valdez and the oil tankers that use it. KCHU's Erik Wander has more:

Alyeska Reports Fishing Vessel Shortfall

2010-03-19T00:41:00Z

Fishing vessels played a vital role after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, providing equipment and manpower for protecting sensitive areas and recovering and cleaning up oil. Under the state-mandated contingency plan for cleaning up tanker oil spills, Alyeska must maintain contracts with at least 350 trained fishing vessels from Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet and Kodiak Island. But the operator of the trans-Alaska pipeline and Valdez tanker port is now reporting a shortfall in the Prince William Sound-based part of the fleet. Alyeska is therefore teaming up with the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council for a project aimed at fixing the fishing vessel program. KCHU's Erik Wander has more: