National Park
Trails Closed
Due to increased daytime presence of bears, Sitka National Historical Park trails are closed, day and night, until further notice.
To get to the Alaska Raptor Center from downtown Sitka, rather than going through the park, individuals can take Jeff Davis Street to Sawmill Creek Road. Turn right and continue for .6 miles (about 10 minutes) to 1000 Raptor Way.
‘‘These closures are likely to happen more frequently through salmon spawning season,’’ the park said.
For the most current updates and additional information visit the park’s web page at www.nps.gov/sitk/planyourvisit/conditions or call the visitor center at 747-0110.
New Arrivals
Baby Boy Love
Grady Paul Love was born 7:42 a.m. August 17 at Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center.
At birth the infant weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long. Parents are Lauren Wild and Evan Love. The mother is a fisheries professor and whale biologist at University of Alaska Southeast. The father is a commercial fisherman.
Grandparents are Jan and Bob Love, and Mike Wild and the late Jane Eidler.
This is Lauren and Evan’s first child.
Water Plant Intake
Updates Continue
Construction on the critical secondary water plant intake at the Gary Paxton Industrial Park continues, the City and Borough of Sitka said.
Activities include rock excavation, blasting, and heavy machinery and trucking access. To safely construct the new intake structure, public access to Sawmill Creek in the Gary Paxton Industrial Park area upstream of the ADOT bridge will be closed through Sept. 15.
Individuals should avoid the area and obey all project signage.
Contact the City and Borough of Sitka Public Works Department with any questions at 747-1804.
Overburden Waste
Disposal Site Opens
A new public overburden waste disposal site within the Granite Creek Industrial Area, on the south side of Granite Creek Road, will officially open Wednesday, Sept. 1.
The new site will be operated by Marble Island LLC. Signage will be posted on Granite Creek Road guiding users to the new site, and instructions to users will be displayed at the check-in building.
Large users are being instructed to coordinate with Marble Island LLC to use the new site in advance of its official opening on Sept. 1.
For more information call 907-623-0760. For general questions, contact the City and Borough of Sitka Public Works Department at 747-1804.
Climate Connection
Many of us have spent our whole lives worried about the environment, uncertain about our own futures. But it wasn’t always this way. Growing up I spent many worry-free days in the woods. I’d let the wet, mossy earth seep between my bare feet. I’d collect snails, marvel at lichens, and sneak outside to read. I’ve always had a relationship to the land, but I’m not sure I would have described it that way. There’s a safety in claiming to be an observer; a calculated distance.
But lately I’ve mostly been afraid. First it was recycling and giant garbage patches engulfing the ocean. Then it was emaciated polar bears. Later it was rising temperatures and displaced human beings. We’ve seen catastrophe after catastrophe played out in our communities, on the news, and in our fears about the future. And for good reason. But as the evidence and fatigue mounts simultaneously, it’s worth thinking about how we frame catastrophe.
It’s easy to see why climate fatigue happens. This constant barrage of doom makes us throw up our hands. Makes us think that we can’t do anything right, that nothing we do will make a difference. Makes us think that if we distance ourselves from the land that’s the best way to protect it from ourselves. In this spiral, it’s easy to forget about those muddy, squishy toes days. To forget our relationship with the land is a powerful solution. We humans are culpable in climate change, but we belong here. Not as observers afraid of our own impact, but as active participants.
The road ahead is difficult. How do we love and grieve something at the same time? How do we close the distance between ourselves and the land? I think we take ocean dips and write to our legislators. I think we make sacrifices about taking that plane trip and eat an extra slice of blueberry pie. I think we marvel at the weeds growing in the sidewalk and listen to Indigenous leadership. We must cultivate and remember the relationship we have with the land, whatever that looks like.
I’m not exactly sure what the future holds. But I do know that joy and love for the earth underneath us and around us and inside us is powerful. And necessary. And a much better motivator than fear and guilt. As the news continues to darken, my hope isn’t that we continue to normalize suffering and catastrophe. But that we roll up our sleeves and love and grieve in our own messy ways.
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Callie Simmons is a member of the Citizens Climate Lobby
Clara Gray, 56,
Services Aug. 21
A memorial service for Clara Jane (Bradley) Gray, 56, will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 21, at Sitka Christian Center. The service also will be streamed for those who cannot attend in person, at sitkachristancenter.com and on the Sitka Christian Center Facebook page.
Clara died Tuesday, Aug. 10.
Bowls, Chowder
To Benefit BHV
Hand-crafted bowls and Ludvig’s chowder will be for sale to benefit Brave Heart Volunteers.
The event is 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (or until sold out) on Saturday, Aug. 21, at Ludvig’s chowder cart at the Sitka Sound Science Center.
For a suggested donation, of $35 to $75, patrons can select their favorite bowl, and chowder and bread will be included.
