On beings and biomes—the translucent bear
By Dawnell Smith In Phillip Pullman’s “The Dark Materials” books, the mighty polar bear finds himself exiled from his kingdom. Humans trick him into drunkenness, so...
12 February, 2026
Between a rock and a hard place—hard rock mining’s toxic stew
By Dawnell Smith Industrial mining destroys the lands where it blasts, drills, crushes, and digs. It poisons streams, rivers, and lakes and requires perpetual...
14 January, 2026
Beings and biomes—life in the subnivean zone
By Madison Grosvenor The snow is finally falling in Southcentral. I have eagerly awaited skiing on fresh...
14 January, 2026
We sued Interior for illegally trading away public lands in Izembek Refuge
By Dawnell Smith While Alaskans faced job furloughs and worried about food and...
14 November, 2025
The Alaska Board of Game blew off the State Constitution when advancing its plan to gun down every bear possible
By Madison Grosvenor We took the Alaska Board of Game to court last...
14 November, 2025
On beings and biomes–eelgrass is the sexiest plant alive
By Dawnell Smith Once upon a time, a land plant got salty. [caption id="attachment_20558"...
14 November, 2025
On beings and biomes—wetlands as the center of our everything
By Madison Grosvenor In Crossing the Swamp, poet Mary Oliver immerses us in...
17 October, 2025
On beings and biomes—the perpetual homecoming of migratory birds
by Dawnell Smith Three years ago, a four-month-old bar-tailed godwit flew nonstop for...
12 September, 2025
Bloom Again—a book about us
By Dawnell Smith Marybeth Holleman found herself taking a leap of faith. The...
13 August, 2025
On beings and biomes—caribou and their migrations
By Madison Grosvenor Each year in Alaska, caribou carve their way across thousands...
13 August, 2025
On beings and biomes—beluga whales
By Dawnell Smith Beluga whales look every bit as darling as the ones...
10 July, 2025
What does the Endangered Species Act do?
By Madison Grosvenor Alaska is undergoing rapid change. Melting sea ice, thawing permafrost,...
10 July, 2025
Beings and biomes—an intertidal abundance
By Madison Grosvenor Twice a day, the ocean pulls away from Alaska's shorelines,...
12 June, 2025
Beyond control: The fight for science, ethics, and coexistence in Alaska’s predator policies
By Madison Grosvenor Last month’s court ruling that found the State of Alaska’s...
16 May, 2025
On beings and biomes—a year in the tundra
By Madison Grosvenor Alaska’s tundra is a land of extremes, where life has...
14 April, 2025
Wildlife management or managing ourselves—a look at predator control practices in Alaska
By Madison Grosvenor Last month, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance secured a major victory...
14 April, 2025
Alaska News Brief March 2025—the gutting of public lands
I never watched “The Apprentice” and don’t revel in people getting fired....
19 March, 2025
The law under fire—what does NEPA do?
By Dawnell Smith Decades ago, bulldozers plowed interstate highways across the country without...
19 March, 2025
Beings and biomes: keystone and indicator species
By Madison Grosvenor Imagine walking under the masonry arch of an old castle....
18 March, 2025
How to focus on Fridays
By Madison Grosvenor If you’ve seen Trustees on social media over the last...
18 March, 2025
Alaska News Brief February 2025–how to drink from a fire hydrant
How do you drink from a fire hydrant? Well, first, take a deep...
14 February, 2025
What does the law do? ANILCA and public lands in Alaska
Welcome to our first piece in a series of articles about what...
13 February, 2025
On beings and biomes–the Wolverine
By Dawnell Smith Wolverines belong to winter. They thrive in the cold, the mountains,...
13 February, 2025
Showing Alaska our love—the places, beings, and experiences that fill our hearts
In Alaska, February brings more hours of sunlight after months of long...
13 February, 2025
Our response to the Trump administration’s industrialization agenda in Alaska
The Trump administration released a rash of executive orders on Jan. 20....
21 January, 2025
On beings and biomes–the boreal forest
Welcome to the first in our series called “beings and biomes.” For...
15 January, 2025
Alaska News Brief December 2024. Keep bringing the light.
Winter just started, according to the astronomical calendar, but most Alaskans have...
20 December, 2024
The 50th Anniversary series: Landmark cases
By Dawnell Smith A winning lawsuit can set the stage for legal interpretations...
20 December, 2024
What’s the Izembek Refuge land swap and road proposal really about?
By Dawnell Smith In the early 1980s and for decades after, Alaska legislators,...
20 December, 2024
The fifth decade—goodbye coal, hello chaos
By Dawnell Smith The last decade feels like a dust storm—like a blur...
22 November, 2024