Author: kfskadmin

A better-than-expected pink salmon season has been winding down in Southeast Alaska. As of early this week (Aug 25th), the Seine Fleet had harvested about 20 million pinks which is about on par with projections. But the fish have been bigger than average and they’ve been worth more than last year on the dock. Meanwhile, there are signs of a big pink run next year.

It looks like there will be no contests for city council in Petersburg this year. In fact, voters will only have a couple advisory board and commission races and a ballot initiative to decide this fall. The filing deadline closed Tuesday night. Matt Lichtenstein has a rundown of the ballot.

The Republican primary race for Southeast House District Two remained too close to call last night. It looks like the margin is narrow enough that absentee votes could push it either way.

Federal fishery scientists have been searching for lost dungeness crab pots in waters around Petersburg and Wrangell this August. The two-year project is part of a broader effort to learn more about the effect of various types of marine debris in the United States. So far, the researchers say the impact of derelict dungy pots in Alaska seems to be relatively low.

Petersburg City Schools will be the first district in Alaska to take part in a Forest Service program aimed at helping to teach students about the natural world. The School Board this week approved an agreement to join the agency’s “Adopt-a-School” program. Among other things, the program will create a school garden and greenhouse.
Also this week, the District Superintendent discussed the idea of a locally-based correspondence school that could serve area homeschoolers. In other news, the Board learned more about Petersburg’s student performance on standardized tests under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Matt Lichtenstein has a look at some of the news from the August School Board meeting.