FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson) 

New RFP Sought For Managing PAC
27 Mar 2024 14:48

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The future of management and operations at the Perform [ ... ]

Seiners Get Second Day with 2 Areas to Fish
27 Mar 2024 14:46

By Sentinel Staff
    The Sitka Sound commercial herring sac roe fishery continued today with open [ ... ]

Braves Take Second in Last Minute Upset
27 Mar 2024 12:41

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    After storming into the state 3A boys basketball brac [ ... ]

Tuesday City League Volleyball
27 Mar 2024 12:39

By Sentinel Staff
    The Queen Bees’ spotless season record ended Tuesday night with a 2-1 loss [ ... ]

Kodiak Alutiiq Museum Getting New Attention
27 Mar 2024 12:37

By SHIRLEY SNEVE
Indian Country Today
    A major renovation at an Alaska museum to attract tourist [ ... ]

House Hearing on Inmate Deaths Halted
27 Mar 2024 12:35

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
Alaska Beacon
    A presentation about a jump in the number of inmate deaths in  [ ... ]

Nominee to Bering Sea Council: Not a Trawler
27 Mar 2024 12:34

By NATHANIEL HERZ
Northern Journal
    Tribal and environmental advocates calling for a crackdown o [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Police Blotter
27 Mar 2024 12:26

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 26
At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]

March 27, 2024, Community Happenings
27 Mar 2024 12:25

Big Rigs Sought
For April 13
The 3 to 5 Preschool’s spring fundraiser and Big Rig event is happening [ ... ]

Reassessments Raise Tax Bills for Sitkans
26 Mar 2024 15:22

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The city’s reassessment of taxable real estate, alo [ ... ]

Two Areas Opened in Herring Fishery Today
26 Mar 2024 15:21

By Sentinel Staff
The third opening in this year’s Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery was held Mon [ ... ]

Lady Wolves Rally to Take Fourth at State
26 Mar 2024 15:16

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
    Sitka High’s Lady Wolves bounced back from an openi [ ... ]

Edgecumbe Girls Close Out Season Up North
26 Mar 2024 14:58

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel ports Editor
    Competing in the state 3A basketball tournament in Anc [ ... ]

City League Monday
26 Mar 2024 14:55

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing in a competitive division City League volleyball game Monday evening [ ... ]

House Votes to Broaden Rules For Review Panel Memb...
26 Mar 2024 14:52

By JAMES BROOKS
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    A bill that passed the Alaska House of Representatives on Monday  [ ... ]

Alaskan Grilled in D.C. Over Climate Science
26 Mar 2024 14:51

By NATHANIEL HERZ
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    Gus Schumacher, the Anchorage Olympic cross-country skier, a [ ... ]

Faster Internet Speeds In Rural Schools OK'd
26 Mar 2024 13:53

By CLAIRE STREMPLE
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    Alaska’s rural schools are on track to access faster interne [ ... ]

Native Words Gathered In Environment Studies
26 Mar 2024 13:52

By YERETH ROSEN
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    In the language of the Gwich’in people of northeastern Alaska,  [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Police Blotter
26 Mar 2024 13:49

Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]

March 26, 2024, Community Happenings
26 Mar 2024 13:48

Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m.  [ ... ]

Sac Roe Herring Fishery Opens in Hayward
25 Mar 2024 15:30

By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The 2024 Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery got under [ ... ]

Projects on the Table For Cruise Tax Funds
25 Mar 2024 15:28

By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Assembly will start the annual process of determi [ ... ]

Braves Take Second at State after Close Loss
25 Mar 2024 15:23

By Sentinel Staff
    Competing in the 3A state championship title basketball game Saturday, the M [ ... ]

City League Games Continue
25 Mar 2024 15:11

By Sentinel Staff
    Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]

Other Articles

Daily Sitka Sentinel

November 29, 2019, Community Happenings

Climate Connection: Turning wheels with wind and waves 

By Leah Mason

In our last look at different ways to create the energy, we are taking a look at wind and waves! Wind speeds and wave heights are important to coastal fishing communities because they affect our fuel costs, our safety, and our enjoyment when we’re out on a boat. Even a difference of a couple of miles an hour in wind speed can mean a long, fuel-sucking, slog into the wind or a delay while waiting for better conditions.  Wind also affects waves so it can be useful to think about them together.

Like the tide energy model we discussed last week, most wind energy is electricity created by spinning a wheel. The movement of an air stream turns the blades of the turbine which connects to a gearbox that shortens the turns to a level that can create electricity. In Sitka, we have a small 2.4 kilowatt turbine set 60 feet above the ground, right next to the Coast Guard dock. According to Matt Hunter, math and science teacher at Mt Edgecumbe High, the turbine produces about 1000Kwh per year, and makes an excellent eagle perch when not spinning (I’ve seen these brave “wind riders” myself). This tiny turbine’s yearly output would power an average American home for a month but bigger wind generators can do much more, using the more powerful winds at 150 plus feet. On the other hand, Sitka has low-flying air traffic, making big wind less attractive than something that has a lower profile.  

Enter team Wave Power! Wave energy also uses movement to generate electricity, but instead of using a current of air or water it uses the up-and-down energy (aka “vertical displacement”) that waves embody. Like tides, waves are something we can rely on most days but it’s available in more places at more times of the day. Imagine being able to tie up at a platform that is generating electricity with every passing wave? Working examples of surface wave generation can be found off of Oahu in Hawaii (search “Kaneohe Bay Wave Power”). There is also a totally submerged buoy system (search “CETO wave power”) that is generating power for an Australian navy base off Perth in Western Australia. Both are feeding electricity into the grids of nearby cities. Testing sites for different wave systems are even more advanced in Scotland, England and China.

So, where do all these renewable options rank in the Drawdown program for climate change solutions? Wave and Tidal are at #29, Wind ranks #22  for off shore and #2 for onshore, and rooftop solar comes in at #10. Which fit best with our present and future plans? As noted by Robin Masterman last week, a fossil fuel free energy system will need to be diverse to cover us under different conditions, including closures due to adverse conditions such as landslides. How could Sitka turn the necessity of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels into a virtue or two? Perhaps being ground zero for developing and manufacturing designs for self-sufficient small communities? It’s worth thinking about.

----

Leah Mason is a member of the Sitka Citizens’ Climate Lobby 

 

Foster Child Gift

Tree Up at Fire Hall

The annual Foster Child Christmas Gift Tree is on display at the Sitka Fire Hall.

Unwrapped gifts can be dropped off, along with the ornament tag from the tree, at 208 Lake Street, Suite 2G, above Davis Realty, no later than Friday, Dec. 13.

For information contact Donna at the Office of Children’s Services, 747-2802.

 

Celebration For

Coalition Slated

The Sitka Health Summit Coalition will host a celebratory dinner in recognition of Sitka’s being recognized as a 2019 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Award recipient.

The free public event is 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi. Dinner will be provided to the first 120 in attendance and the door prize is a pair of bicycles. 

On Friday, Dec. 13, noon-1 p.m., the public can attend a brown bag lunch-and-learn followed by a planning session 1-4:30 p.m. to brainstorm ways for spending the $25,000 cash prize. It will feature speaker Kalpana Ramiah who is the vice president of innovations from America’s essential hospitals.

Both events will be at the UAS-Sitka Campus, Room 229. For information go to www.sitkahealthsummit.org or call Doug Osborne at 738-8734.

 

Pioneers Gather,

Holiday Dinner Set

Pioneers of Alaska men’s and women’s igloos 22 and 12 will gather 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at United Methodist Church on Kimsham Street for dinner and camaraderie.

The main dish will be provided; all members are asked to take their favorite holiday dishes.

Brief business will include election of officers and sign up to ring Christmas bells on behalf of the Salvation Army.

Members are being encouraged to attend and celebrate the season with good cheer for the holidays.

 

Cycling Club

Meets at Library

The Sitka Cycling Club will meet noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Sitka Public Library.

Agenda items include bike parking planning, building single track, and club goals for 2020. All are welcome

 

Health Insurance

Event on Tap 

SEARHC Patient Health Benefits department will host a health insurance marketplace question-and-answer session noon-1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the Sitka Public Library. 

In addition to answering questions about the health insurance marketplace, the patient health benefits team is available to discuss Medicaid, Medicare, VA benefits, Healthcare Sharing Ministries and other insurance options.

“If you have questions about how to apply for coverage, what options you have, or how to understand paperwork that you have received, we would be happy to help,” said Andrea Thomas, SEARHC Patient Health Benefit manager. “Getting health insurance can be very confusing and we are specifically trained to assist. Please drop by the Q&A event and ask questions.”

SEARHC is a Certified Application Counselor agency offering free assistance to all Southeast residents by appointment, either in person or by telephone. Contact the Patient Health Benefits office at outreach@searhc.org or 966-8883 for information.

 

Auction, Dinner

Sunday at Elks

Sitka Imagination Library and Sitka Emblem Club will host its third annual Book Basket Auction and Burger Bar Dinner 5-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, at Sitka Elks Lodge.

Proceeds support enrollment of children in the Imagination Library program which promotes early literacy and a love for reading by monthly placing free books in Sitka homes for children through age 5 and hosting family engagement events.  For information contact Lisa at 738-3574.

 

Book Sale Set

At Public Library

 

The Friends of the Sitka Public Library is holding a gently used book sale 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the library. The public is invited to attend.

 

Gingerbread House

Competition Set

All are invited to gather the family to create and enter a gingerbread house into the gingerbread house competition, hosted by Three to Five Preschool.

Families, adults and children of all ages can take their creations and enter to win prizes at 9 a.m. Dec. 7 at Sitka High School during the annual Breakfast with Santa event.

 

Gingerbread houses will be blindly voted on by the public during the 9 a.m.-noon event. First place will take home a Grandma Tillies’ gift certificate.

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20 YEARS AGO

March 2004

Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.


50 YEARS AGO

March 1974

Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....

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