Alaska Killer Whales vs. Witty Otter

In this extraordinary video taken this past week in Tutka Bay, Alaska, a mother otter avoids getting eaten by a group of killer whales by jumping on the back of my friend’s small boat that was in the area.

What’s not shown on the below video is one of the killer whales knocking the mother otter and her baby into the air. Unfortunately, the baby otter was eaten at that point while the mother made her escape.

The guys on the boat believe that the killer whales were training their young on how to hunt. That’s probably what allowed the mother otter to avoid being eaten herself.

As you watch this video, keep in mind that the killer whales that are swimming around and under the boat are much bigger than the boat itself.

Pilot Advisory: Volcanic Ash Over Kodiak, Alaska, But It’s 100 Years Old

Photo credit: National Park ServiceAlaska Public Radio reported last night that

There was volcanic ash in the air over the Shelikof Straight and parts of Kodiak Island yesterday. A person in Port Lions called KMXT to ask if a volcano had erupted, but the Alaska Volcano Observatory showed all was normal. However, it turned out that a volcano had erupted, though it wasn’t yesterday – it was almost exactly 100 years ago.

The National Weather Service office in Anchorage reported that ash from the Novarupta explosion in 1912 was being whipped up by strong northerly winds because of a lack of snow cover in the Valley of 10,000 Smokes and Katmai National Park on the Alaska Peninsula.

Fox News added that

The ash drifted up to about 4,000 feet and traveled over the Shelikof Strait and across Kodiak Island, prompting an aviation alert. The news was first reported by KMXT radio.

Weather service meteorologist Brian Hagenbuch said it isn’t unheard of for ash from Novarupta to create a haze, but it isn’t very common either. Winds in the area were blowing about 35 to 40 mph, with gusts of more than 52 mph.

Officials first picked up the haze on a weather camera Tuesday when the sun was rising. “It looked very foggy. … It was kind of a curious thing,” Hagenbuch said. “We didn’t expect fog there.”

As the day got lighter, the haze took on a “brownish, smog-type look,” he said.

A satellite image showed a “milky white plume” spreading out from the northern Alaska peninsula, and authorities later confirmed the existence of ash particles, he said.

The Katmai National Park website describes the “famed Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes,” the area from where the ash was blown, as

a spectacular forty square mile, 100 to 700 foot deep ash flow deposited by Novarupta Volcano in 1912. A National Park & Preserve since 1980, today Katmai is still famous for volcanoes, but also for brown bears, pristine waterways with abundant fish, remote wilderness, and a rugged coastline.

Former Miss Teen Alaska Perishes on HMS Bounty in Hurricane Sandy (+video)

By Thom Patterson. Claudene Christian dreamed of living a seafaring life like the historic HMS Bounty naval officer who shared her name centuries ago.

She’d secured a spot as a crew member on a replica of the Bounty and had announced it proudly on her Facebook page. But less than six months after joining the ship, her dream was cut short.

As Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast, its powerful winds swirled up waves that crippled the three-masted, 180-foot Bounty off North Carolina’s coast, forcing the 16-member crew to abandon ship.

That’s when the waves swept Christian overboard, along with the Bounty’s captain and another crew member early Monday, Coast Guard Vice Adm. Robert Parker told CNN. That crew member made it to a lifeboat; Christian’s body was found on Monday evening. Capt. Robin Waldridge remains missing.

Christian, 42, often said she was related to Fletcher Christian, the 18th-century sailor blamed for leading the infamous mutiny on the real HMS Bounty. Read more from this story HERE.

More on Former Alaskan Who Died Alongside the HMS Bounty Captain

By Matt Blake and Anthony Bond. Ms Christian’s mother, who is also called Claudene, said the ship began taking on water after a generator went out on the ship on Sunday night.

It was around 160 miles from the eye of the storm as it made its way from Connecticut to Florida.

Her mother said she was contacted by her daughter on Thursday when she said she wouldn’t be able to contact them from the sea, according to 5newsonline.

Ms Christian was a former Miss Teen Alaska and attended the University of Southern Carolina.

Her aunt, Patricia Saulsberry, said that she had been interested in ships since she toured replicas of Nina and Pinta. Read more from this story HERE.

Here’s a video of the rescue efforts:

2nd Amendment in Action: Juneau Public School Sends 200 Sixth Graders to the Firing Range

Last week in Juneau Alaska, about 200 sixth graders headed to the firing range to learn about firearms. Floyd Dryden Middle school runs a program that teaches the kids how to safely handle and shoot rifles, as well as hunting ethics, conservation and management, navigation and other outdoor skills.

But don’t misunderstand, just as the Second Amendment isn’t about hunting, neither is this program. Program Director Ken Coate stresses:

“We aren’t here to create little hunters. We’re here to teach firearm safety, firearm handling, how to treat a firearm with respect, how to keep a kid from getting in trouble with a firearm — and everything else is a side benefit.”

A side benefit. Meaning that the most important thing and the primary purpose of this program is to instill respect for and knowledge of firearms. I have always been a proponent of educational programs such as this so that children realize that guns in real life hold very little in common with the dramatized fiction of the movies.

With this knowledge a couple of things happen. First, the seriousness of the matter sinks in so children understand that guns are not toys. Secondly, the mystery around guns is removed so kids won’t be as tempted to seek them out in a home that has one. Thirdly, if you acclimate a child in their youth with guns there is less of a likelihood that they will grow up with that irrational fear and hatred that spawns gun control zealots.

To the earlier points, the Principal of Floyd Dryden, Tom Milliron, wrote a letter to the parents of the children before the program saying:

“Students who live in homes without firearms are often exposed to firearms in their friends’ homes. They need to understand safe and appropriate behavior in these situations.”

Now, for any parent who vehemently objects, their child does not have to participate, but my question is, why would you want to hurt your child? This is a fantastic program which teaches your child invaluable knowledge and may actually save their life. Are anti gun zealots so conceited that they would sacrifice their children in order to maintain their own misguided self righteousness?

I don’t think any of the Alaskan parents actually objected to the program. The previous paragraph was directed more to the other places in this country where they not only lack this program but hell would literally have to freeze over before it was allowed in their schools. I’m thinking firstly of New York City and other North Eastern dens of gun bias. His Mayor-ness Bloomberg’s brain would most likely explode if someone would suggest such a program in his fiefdom. When you have as much hate in your heart as Mayor Bloomberg does then little things like sacrificing children to promote your own agenda is of little consequence.

This is the kind of program that should be everywhere in America. Instead of having a tragedy befall a family because a kid thinks a gun is a toy or doesn’t have the proper respect for a firearm, why don’t we educate them so we avoid a tragedy in the first place?

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Tony Oliva is the Director of Media Relations for Gun Owners of America. You can read more from his blog HERE.

Alaska Family Action’s Response to ADN Column that Compared AFA to Communism, Sharia Law

Shannyn Moore recently wrote an inflammatory piece [in the Anchorage Daily News], comparing Communism and Sharia Law advocates with Alaska Family Action. We are deeply offended, and hope that anyone who does not advocate for the mass killing of millions of innocent victims (as occurred last century in Communist countries), or the televised beheading of “infidels” this century, is equally offended by her claim. The difference between such groups and Christians who wish to speak about public policy is not simply a subtle nuance, and should be detectable by Shannyn.

Alaska Family Action does indeed endeavor to promote Judeo-Christian values, which historically involves reaching out to those who are most vulnerable and in need (whether yet unborn /newborn, or struggling to raise a family.) We are thankful that we are still able to do so, including fundraising to get our message out in the public square, despite the best efforts of some to oppress and silence that perspective.

A word about our motivations is appropriate. Since ancient Rome, Christians demonstrated respect for life by pulling discarded babies from the Tiber River and trash heaps outside the city gates; in the 1600s Christians established the first hospitals. Helping the vulnerable is an essential part of who we are, and for Christians, these actions are rooted in our Scriptures.

Let us take just one example: Abortion. AFA advocates against elective abortion because we believe the unborn child is a person. If we are right, then killing the child is dreadfully wrong, with at least two differences from killing an adult. First, we know that at certain stages of development, the unborn child can not only feel pain, but does not yet possess the capability known as “going into shock” to partially block excruciating pain before death. Second, when the child is dismembered in-utero without benefit of anesthesia, no one hears her as she screams.

Our revulsion at this practice leads us to ask voters to oppose Senator Hollis French and the bipartisan coalition. We obviously disagree with Senator French on partial birth abortion, the need to protect minor children from predators, the right of parents to be involved in their daughter’s abortion decision, and forcing the public to fund abortions. However, we’re deeply troubled that he would use his position as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee to prevent a hearing or vote on bills passed by the House on these issues. We believe that is an abuse of power, and an affront to democracy.

Indeed, AFA does seek a voice in the public arena. Issues of life and proper respect for traditional marriage have moved there and we will move with them. We are grateful that Governor Parnell spoke at our fundraiser. There is plenty of precedent in American history for political leaders to speak out on moral issues, going all the way back to George Washington. There is also plenty of precedent for churches and the religious to be deeply involved in issues of public concern – from the cause of Independence through the call to Abolition; from calls to arms to calls for peace; from civil rights for blacks to civil rights the unborn.

Does she find laws against murder objectionable because they are rooted in a Biblical commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill”? Do followers of Christ lose their right to speak in the public square, or lose the right to raise funds to communicate their point of view, because their view is informed by their faith? Alaska Family Action uses funds to advocate for candidates, as permitted under the law. Instead of demonizing Jim Minnery and AFA, rather than seriously engage on issues that confront our families, we suggest an authentic dialogue.

Perhaps people of faith will eventually lose their right to raise funds and speak out on issues of public policy. However, given what is at stake, many of us who are followers of Christ will follow the example of generations of believers and continue to speak out for the vulnerable. We will do so to our last breath. We can do nothing less.

Exxon Gets Key Permit for Alaska’s Point Thomson Field

Exxon Mobil Corp on Friday received a major federal permit it needed to start construction on the Point Thomson oil and gas field on the eastern North Slope of Alaska, officials said, after an extended delay that threatened some leases there.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted Exxon a wetlands-fill permit for construction of drill pads, roads, an airstrip, pipeline, and docking and other facilities needed for production at the long-languishing field – production the state of Alaska has accused the company of dragging its heels on.

The Army Corps permit followed a detailed environmental impact study that began in 2009. While there remain a few outstanding state permits, the wetlands-fill authorization was the major approval needed for construction, said Mike Holley, northern branch team leader for the state’s Army Corps district.

Holley said Exxon, backed by partners BP Plc and ConocoPhillips, hopes to begin construction soon.

“They are planning on doing as much of the construction this winter as possible,” he said, adding that ice roads, which are built by spraying water on the tundra, would accommodate that.

Read more from this story HERE.

USGS: Massive 7.7 Earthquake Just 164 Miles South of Metlakatla, AK, Tsunami Warnings Issued

An hour ago, a massive 7.7 quake hit near the southern tip of Southeast Alaska, just 164 miles south of Metlakatla.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) announced that the depth of the quake was approximately 17 kilometers (almost 12 miles).

This is the largest earthquake in the region in 63 years. In 1949, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck the area.

The West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has issued a regional tsunami warning for areas near the quake, including southeast Alaska. Hawaii is expected to experience some “non-destructive” sea level changes later tonight as a result of the quake.

UPDATE: Tsunami warnings were downgraded to advisories. In Craig, Alaska, the earthquake apparently caused a four inch wave. Despite the significant size of the earthquake, relatively minor damage has been reported from Canada and southeast Alaska.

Alaska Natives Lobby Obama Admin. Against Oil Development in NPR-A

Native Alaskans have teamed up with environmental forces to urge the Obama administration to stick with a conservative management plan for the National Petroleum Reserve, despite oil industry protests that the proposal would block energy development in lands specifically reserved for extracting fossil fuels.

Joseph Sagviyuaq Sage, a whaling captain from Barrow, Alaska, and Lillian Stone, a teacher from Anaktuvuk Pass, are set to meet with Senate staffers and Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes while in Washington, D.C. this week. The pair are collaborating with the Alaska Wilderness League to make the case that some areas in the 23-million acre reserve should be off limits to oil development.

The push comes as the administration nears a final decision on how to balance energy production and conservation in the 89-year-old reserve in northwest Alaska. In August, the Interior Department unveiled its “preferred” management plan, which would allow oil and gas development in 11.8 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska while blocking the activity in other areas that are home to caribou herds and polar bears.

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management appears likely to make a final decision on whether to adopt its preferred approach sometime after the Nov. 6 presidential election.

Stone said she wanted policymakers in the nation’s capital to know “we are real people and we are directly impacted by any activity that goes on within NPR-A.” Oil drilling in the reserve threaten the caribou that roam the land, Stone said, as well as the Alaska Natives who hunt the animal for food and clothing.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska’s ‘Bi-Partisan’ Working Group: The Cover for the Progressive Agenda of Obama’s Minions (+video)

There has been no small shortage of advertising state-wide to support the “Bi-Partisan Working Group,” or sometimes called the Senate Majority. Despite their claim that they are “bi-partisan” or work “in a bi-partisan” way, it is really a cover for a State Senate controlled by Progressive Democrats. While it is true that the Senate President Gary Stevens is a Republican, he can hardly be viewed as a conservative. Proclaiming resource development to conflict with the state constitution, his views would be laughable if they were not hurting the state and blocking legislation that would allow resource development. In exchange for facilitating their agenda, Gary Stevens gets an easy glide from the Democrats to get back into office.

An examination of the rest of the Bi-Partisan Working Group shows they are, in fact, quite partisan. Some of the most radical state democrats are in control of important committees. It is through the committee chairmanships that they control state business, fostering the agenda of the progressive left. All of them worked on Barack Obama’s campaign, and they share his views on resource development. Anna Fairclough, long time state representative, correctly identified the key roles these Democrats play in the state’s legislative process. The term “bi-partisan” is simply a cover for Democrats trying to hide their association with Barack Obama and his policies.

An examination of the individual members of this group of “gate-keepers” is very revealing. They are all pro-abortion; Bettye Davis is actually playing the role of Planned Parenthood attack dog on her web page against conservative legislators like Alan Dick, claiming they are leading a war on woman. (Apparently, Senator Davis isn’t familiar with the strong role females have in Rep. Dick’s family and rural Alaska). They favor policies that allow government to intrude into your life; some like Joe Thomas advocate policies so radical that many building school teachers would be horrified (newborn public education, support of student insurrections, belief that brains quit developing after the age of 7). Even Joe Paskvan advocates their radical policies (although Paskvan does not agree with Thomas on brain development and believes brains don’t develop until a person is in their 20s). They worked against Parental Consent legislation, they supported legislation that criminalized parents if their child dropped out of school, and they are firm in their belief that the state can run your life better than you can. They may “claim” they are only about fiscal issues, but they clearly have a social agenda they are hiding, and it is an agenda that is reflective of the over-reaching power of the state into family matters that were the hallmark of the Knowles era.

Others like Hollis French are simply anti-gun at their core, and have led Senators like Paskvan and Woelekowski, who once had stellar gun records, down the gun control path. All of them share Barack Obama’s views on resource development and will do whatever they can to block resource development while making them think it is to YOUR advantage. Even worse, they will lie about the records of the Republican Majority to remain in power. They seem to think that no one remembers that the VECO scandal started with the Democrats and Tony Knowles’s Governor’s fund while Dave Guttenberg was Chairman of the Democratic Party, no one remembers the Knowle’s witch hunts for home school mothers who might drown their children, or the various and sundry big government positions of this group of old school progressives.

The cover for the Progressives as “Bi-Partisan” can be clearly seen with a closer examination of the “gatekeeper” Democrats. Fortunately, there are solid people running against each one of these Democratic “gate-keepers.” Let’s get out there and vote, and get both Barack Obama, and his minions in our state senate, out of office. Take note of their names and vote them out.