Outdoors

As part of a group called the Kayaani Sisters Council, Naomi Michalsen helped develop a free guide for people who want to learn to sustainably and respectfully gather local plants. In May, Michalsen spoke with KTOO’s Chloe Pleznac about respectful harvesting. 

In last week’s Garden Talk, Michalsen talked about some of the basic principles of respectful harvesting. This week, she talks about some of her favorite books and resources — but also why it’s important to learn directly from experts.  

“Plants can teach us a lot,” she said. “We can look at plants as our relatives and our family. And when we look at things that way, it helps us when we think about how we want to treat this area or these plants.”

Michalsen said caring for the plants you harvest is important. That could mean cleaning the areas around them or being an advocate or steward for the land. For Michalsen, gratitude plays an important role.

“Always just, you know, leaving a gift for the plants. Some people also leave a strand of hair, they might leave some tobacco, they might leave a gift or a song or say thanks,” she said. “But part of that is just being present in the moment and being aware of your surroundings and appreciative of everything that we have.”

Michalsen said one of her favorite resources on harvesting is Haa Atxaayí Haa Kusteeyíx Sitee, Our Food Is Our Tlingit Way of Life, an oral history project that focuses on traditional Lingít food and culture. 

She also recommends the books of Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, and a book called Plant Teachings for Growing Social-Emotional Skills, Alaska Edition. 

But Michalsen stresses that going out with an expert is crucial to staying safe and learning to properly identify plants. 

“If we’re only relying on the internet or books, we can get ourselves into trouble,” she said. “We might be missing a lot of what the messages and the teachings are of each of these plants.” 

A free, printable version of the Respectful Harvesting Guidelines is available on the University of Alaska Fairbanks website. Michalsen acknowledged the other contributors to the project: Trixie Bennett of Ketchikan, Louise Brady of Sitka, Eva Burk of Nenana, Tia Holley of Soldotna, Gloria Simeon of Bethel, and Disney Williams of Juneau.

Alaska offers unparalleled access to outdoor spaces and recreation. And with summer now here, many Alaskans are heading out on adventures.

To help prepare for the season, Alaska Public Media spoke with outdoor safety instructors Deb Ajango and Luc Mehl on Talk of Alaska about their tips for staying safe outside. (Listen to the full episode here.) We also asked our listeners and readers for their advice, and we heard from many of you.

From knowing your limits to staying flexible, here are six of the top tips shared:

(Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity)

1. Share your plans, but stay flexible.

“Tell someone where you’re going and your expected arrival time back. Contact them when you return or have them reach out to you. If you don’t return and they can’t reach you, alert emergency services. Put your contact information inside your backpack, same for cars left in the parking lot.” – Wendy in McCarthy

“Always let someone know where you’re going. Even if it’s just a two hour walk.” – Sheri in Palmer

This was the most common piece of advice we received. Any time you’re headed out, make sure someone who isn’t going with you knows when and where you’ll be. Ajango echoed that during Talk of Alaska, but added that it’s important to build some wiggle room into those plans.

“If you look at, again, accident causation…what are common contributing factors? One is people who feel a rigidness to follow a schedule,” she said. “Not only have a trip plan, which doesn’t have to be this rigid thing, but make sure that people know where you’re going to be so that if something bad happens, they can help you.”

2. Bring an emergency communications device, but don’t let it change your risk tolerance.

“Have some sort of two-way, over-the-horizon satellite communications device.” – Erin in Anchorage

Satellite communications devices have come a long way in the last several years, with many smartphones now coming equipped with the ability to send SOS signals via satellite. Mehl was a proponent of the technology, but shared some caveats about its drawbacks.

“The consequence of making it so easy to hit SOS is that there are a lot of false SOS’s, and so the search and rescue communities can be stretched thin, and maybe less able to respond to real emergencies, so that’s a concern,” Mehl said. “But then on the other hand, the folks I’m hearing from, they’re saving more lives, like getting more calls means there are people getting rescued from situations that maybe were life-threatening.”

Ajango warned about complacency, citing a theory known as risk homeostasis.

“Bringing in technology can indeed change your decisions and give you a different risk tolerance,” she said. “And so you absolutely need to keep that in mind…Your cell phone, and your inReach, isn’t going to save your life, so don’t change your decisions, don’t take more risks, just because you have this communication method.”

3. Know your partners, your limits, and how to communicate them.

“Take a swiftwater rescue course with the people you get on the water with.” – Justin in Anchorage

“If your plans require a certain amount of skill, fitness or risk assessment, know your partner(s). High consequence terrain is generally not a good place for a first date.” – J. Leslie in Seward

It’s very important to know that the skill levels of your adventuring partners meet the intensity and difficulty of the activity you’re planning. During Talk of Alaska, Ajango stressed the importance of honesty when discussing experience and knowledge.

“I heard this PhD dissertation one time, and they talked about, in the outdoor industry, what is the most common fear of all adults in the outdoors? It’s a fear of looking stupid in front of your peers,” she said. “If we’re afraid to look stupid in front of our peers, we’re not going to admit that we don’t know about a river crossing or a bear.”

That need for honesty applies during an activity, as well as beforehand. Mehl encouraged honest communication about energy, injury and overall mindset during an adventure, and suggested modeling vulnerability for those who might be hesitant to express themselves. As an example, he recounted an experience with longtime Alaskan guide Joe Stock.

“He kept expressing some discomforts, or needing a snack or something, and I was like ‘no way, Joe is not actually feeling that way,’” Mehl said. “But he was adopting this presence that made everybody in the group feel comfortable taking a break or expressing discomfort, and that really stuck with me.”

4. Take out the earbuds.

“Be aware of your surroundings. Take off your earbuds and pay attention.” – Dave in Homer

Listening to music through earbuds or headphones while outdoors severely limits your situational awareness. There are a lot of consequences to that, but the biggest concern in Alaska is around bear safety.

“They want to avoid us, give them warning, and that’s the whole — no earbuds, make noise,” Ajango said.

5. Think about what could go wrong, how to prepare, and how you will react.

“Local person/knowledge, a good plan, a Plan B, a self-rescue emergency plan/supplies and inReach as backup.” – Facebook commenter

Much of Ajango’s work has to do with preparation. Through the courses and consulting work she does, she teaches people preparing to go out to think through the different potential hazards and how they will react if something goes wrong. She often uses video to show people how their bodies should move and react, for instance while using bear spray.

“If you run into things you’re not familiar with, if this is new or different, it’s not routine, then the brain is going to respond by secreting these chemicals, which are, we say, stress chemicals, and it’s going to make it really difficult to perform well and make good decisions,” she said.

When considering hazards, Mehl and Ajango gave five broad categories to think through: the terrain, the weather, the activity itself, the equipment, and the human dynamic — yourself and your partners.

“And so for each one of those, even on the drive to the trailhead, we can have that little chat in the car and say like ‘what might go wrong with this terrain? What might go wrong with the weather, did anybody see the weather forecast?’” Mehl said. “It’s been pretty easy informally, and then I do it quite formally when I’m teaching.”

6. Have fun and go outside!

Ajango and Mehl both work in a field that requires frequent communication about risks, hazards, and things that can go horribly wrong, but they still encourage Alaskans to get outside and enjoy everything the Alaskan outdoors has to offer. Good preparation, planning, and communication are the keys to staying safe while enjoying the natural world, and for both instructors, the benefits far outweigh the risks.

“Without any hesitation, I can say that my time in the outdoors has been life-changing, and life-shaping, and life-forming,” Mehl said. “It’s helped me in my relationship, and it’s helped me with my mental health… It’s hugely rewarding.”

“This is such a cool place to live,” Ajango said. “Just learn to be prepared.”

As part of the Kayaani Sisters Council, Naomi Michalsen helped develop a free guide for people who want to learn about how to sustainably and respectfully gather local plants. For this week’s Garden Talk, Michalsen shared some reflections on the practice of respectful harvesting.

“I didn’t really grow up talking about respectful harvesting. We didn’t say, ‘Hey, let’s go out and harvest respectfully!’” she said. “In today’s world, it seems like things are changing so quickly, that it is how we’re talking, and it is how we’re going out.”

She said that starts with building an understanding of the history and culture of the Indigenous people who have stewarded the land where you want to gather plants.

“Starting with our young kids, to kind of start with that idea that before we even go out to harvest — who are the people that live in the land that we’re harvesting? Build a deeper understanding and connection to the people on whose lands you are harvesting,” she said.

Michalsen said people should also feel spiritually prepared before they go out.

“Some people say a blessing or a song — a prayer. They might meditate, they might talk or sing to the plant. They might announce to the ancestors that they’re there,” she said. “Some people even said that their grandmother told stories the night before about the plant that they were going to harvest, and they would dream about this plant.”

Michalsen also emphasized that language  is a powerful vessel for expressing gratitude and respect. She explained that learning and using the traditional names of plants is a great way to practice. 

“I have a friend in Juneau, George Holly, he’s been working with a lot of the young children, and they’re creating songs around the plants and the environment around them. So it’s okay to create songs as well,” she said.

And she said it’s important to acknowledge one’s teachers.

“For example, Holly Churchill was one of my teachers when I learned how to gather cedar bark. So I always acknowledge that. Rita Blumenstein was one of my teachers around the plants, and so I acknowledge her as one of my teachers,” she said. “So, always acknowledging the people of the land, people that were your teachers — and I always would even gather for them as well, especially when they became older.”

A free, printable version of the Respectful Harvesting Guidelines is available on the University of Alaska Fairbanks website. Come back next week for more from this conversation. 

Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled Michalsen’s last name.

Green things have been sprouting up all over Juneau in the past month and a half. Along with the warmer weather comes a burst of color and life at the Jensen-Olson Arboretum. 

Ginger Hudson, the arboretum’s manager, recently spoke with KTOO’s Garden Talk about what the arboretum has planned for Memorial Day weekend.

On Saturday, the arboretum will celebrate both National Public Gardens Day and their own Primula Day. There will be a plant sale starting at 10 a.m. and a guided tour of the garden with members of the American Primrose Society beginning at 11 a.m. 

Hudson says Public Gardens Day is a recognition of gardens across the country, which she says are like “plant museums” where visitors can explore unique collections. “It’s important to preserve these lands that are unique or special or have special plant collections. Some may have plants on them that are not found anywhere else in the world. And just to let folks know, ‘Look, this is another place you can come and relax or get ideas for your own garden.’” Hudson said. 

The arboretum’s Primula Day is dedicated to the genus Primula, or primroses. Husdon says the arboretum cares for more than 170 varieties, including some that are considered threatened.

“We’re really excited about that because they grow really well here,” she said.

Hudson said that Caroline Jensen, who donated the arboretum property, loved primroses.

“The previous manager developed her collection into a larger collection for the accreditation acknowledgment — that puts us on the national and international stage. So we collect seeds and plants from all over when we can,” she said. 

Visitors can buy their own Primulas from the arboretum during the plant sale. But for people who can’t grow them at home, Hudson says the gardens at the arboretum remain an accessible resource for everyone to enjoy and appreciate nature’s beauty.

“That’s why we have public gardens! If you don’t have a garden at home but you like gardens, well, you need to just come in and hang out here!” she said. 

The Jensen-Olson Arboretum is currently open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is free, although donations are always welcome. You can find a full list of the arboretum’s future events online at friendsjoarboretum.org/events.

The general manager of Juneau’s Eaglecrest Ski Area, Dave Scanlan, resigned from his role Wednesday night at the request of the ski area’s board. 

The announcement came Thursday morning after the board held a special meeting on Wednesday to evaluate Scanlan’s performance. His resignation came after the board met in an executive session.

The board’s statement thanked Scanlan for his vision of “providing year-round recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.”

In an interview, board chair Mike Satre said he would not be sharing why the board asked for Scanlan’s resignation. 

“So we can’t discuss personnel matters. But the board and myself are 100% committed to ensuring that Eaglecrest is a successful facility providing winter and summer recreational opportunities for both our residents and visitors,” he said. 

Scanlan’s resignation will be effective on June 3. In an interview, he said he didn’t want to leave his job. 

“I want our people to know that this has been my passion. I had no intent to walk away. But it’s clear that they want to try a different pathway,” he said. 

He said that when he was hired back in 2017, the board was looking for a hands-on working manager. But now he thinks they’re looking for something else. 

“The current board has a desire to find a more office, process, paper-oriented general manager to lead the mountain through this next period,” he said. “I don’t hold ill will against any board member or staff or city administration or anything. This has been my life’s passion, and I am honored to have had the opportunity.”

Eaglecrest and Scanlan have both seen some public backlash in recent years, especially following the purchase of a used gondola from Austria. Scanlan was a driving force in getting the multimillion project approved.

Eaglecrest also faces a deficit heading into the city’s budget process — more than $415,000 —  which Scanlan attributed to rising costs, the effects of climate change on snowfall and a tight job market. 

The ski area originally sought a five-year loan of nearly $900,000 from the city, which Scanlan said would help cover the deficit and prepare for the summer season and the addition of the gondola. But the Assembly ultimately approved a $518,000 loan to cover the deficit and the cost of giving a slight raise to employees.

According to the board, they will immediately begin the search for Scanlan’s replacement. In the meantime, the ski area’s Director of Snowsports School, Rental, Retail & Repair, Erin Lupro, will take over the role of interim general manager. Lupro could not be immediately reached for comment. 

Scanlan said he plans to remain in Juneau and be active with the ski community.

This story has been updated to include comment from Dave Scanlan.

It’s the second summer since Alaska State Parks banned camping at the Portage Cove state recreation area in Haines. But on Friday night, a smattering of tents popped up there. A few dozen people showed their support for reopening the park to tent campers.

Mayor Tom Morphet organized the event, calling it a camp-in. He said he was acting in his unofficial capacity as a resident and supporter of state parks, not as mayor. According to Morphet, some 40 people attended, and they left around 1 a.m.

“It’s about consciousness-raising and keeping the pressure on,” Morphet said.

For years, Portage Cove was the only public place to set up a tent in town and the only one intended for visitors without cars. About a mile from Main Street, the cove is easier to access by foot or bicycle than the other state-run camping areas in the Haines Borough, like Chilkoot Lake and Chilkat State Park.

But at the end of 2022, the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation turned the long-time campground into a site for day-use only. Park managers were looking for ways to cut costs, curb litter, and reduce bear attractants. Southeast Area parks superintendent Preston Kroes said at the time that the site generated little revenue from camping fees. Kroes could not be reached for comment about the camp-in.

Since then, some Haines residents and officials have called on the state to restore the campground or hand over management to a private contractor or the Haines Borough. Earlier this year Mayor Morphet wrote a letter to the Department of Natural Resources to see if the state would sell the site to the borough for one dollar.

In response, DNR Commissioner John Boyle said the state wouldn’t consider selling the park because its designation as a national Land and Water Conservation Fund site “greatly increases the time and complexity required for such a transaction.” The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a federal grant program for public outdoor recreation areas.

Jennifer Allen was one of the residents who attended Friday. Allen worked for the division of parks for over a decade as a natural resource technician. Her job involved maintenance at Portage Cove.

“I’m a strong supporter of camping in Haines,” Allen said. “I was very disappointed when the campground was closed to camping and turned into a day-use area.”

Allen said she wouldn’t expect running the campground at Portage Cove to cost much more than a day-use area because parks employees still have to do maintenance, like pumping the site’s outhouses, and are now missing out on camping fees.

Sue Libenson also showed up at the camp-in. She told KHNS that Portage Cove is particularly special because it was the first place in Haines that several long-time residents stayed when they first came to town.

“It’s just a great cornerstone of the Haines community and it just needs to come back into service,” Libenson said.

Bill Zack, a former Haines park ranger, spent his first night in town at Portage Cove — about 40 years ago. In 2022 he told the Chilkat Valley News, “It was one of those beautiful days. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.”

In that interview, Zack predicted it would be tough for park managers to keep people from camping at the cove.