Ch’atanaltsegh: A weird and wonderful parade marks return of a Dena’ina place name in Anchorage
Larger-than-life salmon and sandhill cranes joined Indigenous dancers near Fish Creek, just west of downtown.
BY Nathaniel HerzAug 29, 2026
LAND & WATERS DESK
ENVIRONMENT, LAND & FISHERIES
Deep reporting on Alaska fisheries, mining disputes, wildlife biology, and environmental policy.
After historic crash, Yukon River’s iconic king salmon run shows early signs of rebound
The jump in salmon numbers has also inflamed a debate about fishing bans amid reports of illegal harvests.
BY Max GrahamAug 14, 2026
With industry wary of Arctic Refuge, Alaska's own government plans a lonely quest for oil
AIDEA is spending as much as $175 million to look for petroleum in the refuge.
BY Max GrahamJul 16, 2026
Alaska’s board of fish restricted a commercial fleet to protect Western Alaska salmon. Then the AG stepped in.
Subsistence fishermen are fighting the attorney general’s decision to overturn the board’s action.
BY Olivia EbertzJun 4, 2026
Alaska development agency approves $190 million budget for Arctic refuge oil exploration, leasing
AIDEA intends to move ahead with geologic testing on its leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and to bid on new ones in an upcoming federal sale.
BY Max GrahamMay 14, 2026
The state of Alaska could spend nearly $200 million on oil exploration, leasing in Arctic refuge
Alaska’s economic development agency, AIDEA, wants to conduct geologic testing on its existing oil leases — and to bid on new ones — in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
BY Max GrahamMay 11, 2026
With gold prices still soaring, a major Alaska mine proposal is getting a new look
For years, some of Alaska’s largest mining proposals inched along, unable to attract big investment. Then the price of gold took off.
BY Max GrahamMay 4, 2026
‘The salmon people’: How Alaska’s only Native reservation saved its fishing culture
A half-century ago, the Indigenous Tsimshian village of Metlakatla, in Southeast Alaska, preserved its reservation when others in Alaska were terminated. Today, the reserve sustains a thriving fishing industry — and the tribe is fighting in court to expand its territory.
BY Nathaniel HerzApr 8, 2026
When will the deep freeze end? Alaska holds its breath.
A long-running weather pattern shows no sign of relenting. “Cranky’s a good way to describe it,” says one mayor whose village hit minus 50.
BY Nathaniel HerzDec 24, 2025
Thawing permafrost is causing trouble for the Red Dog mine. Solutions could be costly.
Rusting rivers and huge rainfall have complicated pollution control at Northwest Alaska’s massive zinc mine.
BY Max GrahamDec 2, 2025
Alaska troopers seize Kodiak trawl group’s electronics in bycatch probe
An investigation appears to center on whether seafood companies violated federal rules by processing accidentally caught salmon and halibut into low-value fish meal.
BY Nathaniel HerzNov 10, 2025
Typhoons and other climate threats could cost Alaska billions. After last month’s storm, advocates say it’s time to act.
A study published before the storm said there's an $80 million-a-year gap in money needed to protect or move coastal communities.
BY Nathaniel HerzNov 7, 2025
On rivers and in courtrooms, Alaska battles for land inside national parks and preserves
For decades, Alaska land managers have been working to confirm the state's ownership of land beneath navigable rivers and lakes inside national parks and refuges.
BY Nathaniel HerzOct 29, 2025
The secret life of sculpin — a tiny fish that helps scientists monitor mines
Behold, the slimy sculpin.
BY Max GrahamAug 20, 2025
Anchorage electricity prices could go up again. Blame the warm winter.
Anchorage utility executives say that a mild winter translated into lower electricity sales — and a hole in their budget.
BY Nathaniel HerzJul 18, 2025
In court filing, Trump administration hints at a lifeline for embattled Pebble project
After a landmark veto, Trump administration officials say they’re “open to reconsideration” and are negotiating a potential settlement of a lawsuit filed by Pebble’s developer.
BY Max GrahamJul 11, 2025
A national quest for uranium comes to remote Western Alaska, raising fears in a nearby village
Demand for low-carbon nuclear energy could boost uranium prospects on Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. But residents of the small village of Elim fear a mine would pollute the river they depend on.
BY Max GrahamJun 18, 2025
Coastal Alaskans see commercial fishing limits as a ‘crisis.’ Lawmakers don’t.
Alaska’s Legislature adjourned last week without addressing an issue that many residents of coastal, Native villages see as urgent: expanding access to commercial fishing careers.
BY Nathaniel HerzMay 28, 2025
Who will benefit from melting glaciers?
In a remote corner of North America, salmon and mining companies are vying for new territory.
BY Max GrahamMay 22, 2025
Conservation group's lawsuit seeks to speed listing of Alaska king salmon under Endangered Species Act
The lawsuit asks a judge to order the service to "promptly issue" its decision on the petition by a specific date.
BY Nathaniel HerzMay 9, 2025
A contentious mining project in Southeast Alaska just changed hands. Its new owner is already looking to sell.
Opponents are celebrating the news as a setback for the Palmer Project near Haines, one of the state’s most advanced — and polarizing — mining projects.
BY Max GrahamMay 8, 2025
Northern Journal news and a side of Interesting Stuff
The podcast is back! And other news.
BY Nathaniel HerzMay 7, 2025
A key player in moving Interior Alaska off fossil fuels? Multibillion-dollar mining corporations.
The mining industry’s global quest for cheaper, cleaner power could change how thousands of Alaskans get electricity.
BY Max GrahamApr 29, 2025
A diesel spill along the Yukon raises fears about Hilcorp’s drilling program
No one is saying whether the truck that spilled 1,000 gallons of fuel had been on a Hilcorp job. But it belongs to a company that’s worked for Hilcorp on its Yukon Flats exploration program.
BY Nathaniel HerzApr 25, 2025
How a billionaire’s bet on Donlin mine could inject new life into the huge, slow-moving Alaska gold project
A global mining giant is selling its 50% stake in Donlin Gold. One of the buyers is John Paulson, who made billions betting against the housing market before the 2008 financial crisis.
BY Max GrahamApr 24, 2025
Above the Yukon River, on Native land, Hilcorp is set to drill for oil this summer
Hilcorp has signed oil leases with Doyon, the Indigenous-owned corporation for Interior Alaska, which hopes the drilling effort will yield the state’s next big oil field. But there’s fierce opposition from local tribes.
BY Nathaniel HerzApr 7, 2025
Months after fish died near an Alaska mine, state regulators and the mine’s owner still don’t know what killed them.
“Sometimes you’re just never going to have data that says, ‘Yes, that’s what it was,” said a top state regulator.
BY Max GrahamMar 19, 2025
In Norway, a fossil fuel feud at a celebration of the national sport
A standoff between World Championships organizers and Norwegian climate advocates is threatening to mar an otherwise impeccably executed event.
BY Nathaniel HerzMar 4, 2025
How a risky state investment in seafood cost Alaskans millions and left a fishing town in crisis
There were warning signs ahead of the bet on Peter Pan Seafood, which is expected to cost Alaskans more $29 million.
BY Hal BerntonFeb 13, 2025
The last skipper in Ouzinkie: How Gulf of Alaska villages lost their Native fishing fleets
A permitting system designed in the 1970s was supposed to make Alaska’s commercial fishing industry more sustainable and more profitable. But over the last 50 years, it has hollowed out many Indigenous coastal villages where residents no longer can earn a living by harvesting salmon.
BY Nathaniel HerzFeb 5, 2025
Could a push to expand winter trails boost a controversial mining road west of Anchorage?
Boosters of a mining road in the backcountry northwest of Anchorage are poised to get a $100,000 federal grant for trail work. Some locals see it as part of an under-the-radar effort to push the road forward.
BY Max GrahamJan 16, 2025
Big fight looms at Board of Fish meeting over Prince William Sound trawl bycatch
Conservation and tribal advocates have lobbied for a crackdown for years on the unintentional harvests of salmon and other species by Bering Sea pollock trawlers. Now, they’re turning their attention to a smaller pollock trawl fishery in Prince William Sound.
BY Nathaniel HerzDec 10, 2024
America needs antimony for weapons and solar panels. The mining industry is looking to Alaska.
Two Australian companies are pursuing federal funding to jump-start antimony mining near Fairbanks and Anchorage.
BY Max GrahamNov 15, 2024
Above the Stikine River, the Canadian government is boosting a huge mining project you’ve probably never heard of
Canada’s federal government plans to fund a key road at the Galore Creek development, along a major salmon bearing river that flows into Southeast Alaska near the fishing town of Wrangell.
BY Max GrahamOct 21, 2024
Interesting stuff: Dunleavy attends Trump fundraiser, solar for Alaska airports, and a company wants $50 million in state loans for natural gas drilling
Also: A renewable energy advocacy group says a recent ruling by state regulators is an "abdication" of their responsibility, and a contested election for leadership of Alaska's largest statewide Native organization.
BY Nathaniel HerzOct 19, 2024
Dozens of fish died near a Southeast Alaska gold mine. Two months later, state regulators haven’t determined what killed them.
State fish scientists say the circumstances of the fish kill suggest that it stems from a water quality problem. But regulators say they're still waiting from data from the Kensington gold mine's operator.
BY Max GrahamOct 4, 2024
Interesting Stuff: How Alaska regulators ignored a gas conservation scheme. And: What happened to those Kodiak king salmon?
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska rejected a proposal to increase electricity rates for heavier users. And: updates on the Kodiak king salmon bycatch incident and the future of Peter Pan Seafood.
BY Nathaniel HerzSep 30, 2024
Two Kodiak trawlers caught 2,000 king salmon. Now, a whole fishery is closed.
The incident is sure to draw more scrutiny on the issue of bycatch — the industry term for the unintended harvest, typically of salmon or halibut, by boats targeting other species.
BY Nathaniel HerzSep 25, 2024
A public serv-fish announcement: You should be eating more black cod.
Alaska caught black cod is oily and delicious, and it's selling at rock bottom prices right now in part because of the devaluation of the Japanese yen.
BY Nathaniel HerzAug 30, 2024
“Huge disaster”: Historically weak pink salmon runs strain Alaska’s seine fishermen
Skippers in Prince William Sound and Kodiak say this year's pink harvest is one of the worst they’ve ever seen. “I wake up every morning and I try to apply for a different job," one said.
BY Max GrahamAug 9, 2024
Biden administration rejects Inslee’s top choice for Alaska fish commission, reappoints trawl official
Washington’s Democratic governor had advanced an ally of tribes and conservation groups for appointment to the federal commission that manages lucrative fisheries off the Alaska coast. But the U.S. commerce secretary instead reappointed an official from a Seattle-based trawl company.
BY Nathaniel HerzJul 30, 2024
A Canadian gold mine spill raises fears among Alaskans on the Yukon River
Officials say cyanide pollution at Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine poses no health risks to Alaskans. But advocates worry it could compound a yearslong salmon crisis on the Yukon River — and should draw new attention to Canadian mines in areas that drain into Alaska waterways.
BY Max GrahamJul 24, 2024