Services Pending
For Brook Fuller
Former Sitka resident Brook Fuller, 40, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, at Yakima, Washington. An obituary will be printed in the Sentinel next week.
Climate Connection: New Leaves
By Leah Mason
A week ago I wrote that I thought people were a little too excited about the new year. I was so uninspired about it that I forgot it was happening and missed the deadline! The events in the Capitol building have reassured me that we’re really letting the calendar raise our expectations. Nature, and viruses, don’t really care about our deadlines and milestones, but I understand that we think we’ve had enough. I think we’ve got a ways to go but I’m hopeful we can keep it up as long as it’s necessary. We have what it takes.
“Resolve” is the word for the week, it turns out, so my first resolution for the year is my evergreen resolution: to learn. We’ve learned a lot about our world and ourselves this year, and one of those things is how good or bad we can be in a crisis. We’ve reached deep into our community resources to help each other. All of these things are good to know as we roll into a new year.
Things that our column has tried to bring into the community discussion is the need to be similarly brave, compassionate, and ingenious when facing the issues of climate change impacts and solutions. We’ve done things we thought were impossible, for ourselves and for others. As we saw this year, things we’ve done to keep our communities safe have also helped to heal the earth and give our fellow creatures a chance to take back some of what we’ve stolen from them. Resolution 2 for this year is to give back. Literally. As a human being, I take up more space than is reasonable, so reducing this footprint is the least I can do.
I would like to see us build on our achievements in 2021. COVID showed us how easy reducing our carbon footprint can be, and how fragile our supply lines are. Did you know that hand sanitizer manufacturing had an impact on the availability of building materials? And the continuing saga of the breakdown in local ferry services was made much worse by the other disruptions. What a great thing that Sitka could help out its neighbors in their time of need. Resolution number 3 is cooperation! This is how we get to a better future.
On New Year’s Eve 2020, I drew some comfort and had a little chuckle about an internet meme that pointed out the wars over gasoline shown in the first Mad Max films are set in 2021! So, that’s one disaster scenario we’ve dodged so far this year! But as the fossil fuel industry slowly winds down, my fourth resolution is to do what I can to help get on the less furious road to renewable energy self-sufficiency. I just put in an application to be a member of the renewed Sitka Climate Change Taskforce, and I encourage others to get involved in the conversation that this group of Sitka citizens will be having with the City and Borough of Sitka.
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Leah Mason is a member of the Sitka Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
ALFA Members
Set Zoom Meet
The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association invites members to a Zoom meeting to discuss 2021 halibut catch limits and regulatory proposals 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13.
Email alfa.staff@gmail.com or call 747-3400 for the Zoom meeting link and with questions.
Slope Rockfish
Fishery Open
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fish has announced sport fishing for slope rockfish species will continue through Jan. 31.
The resident and nonresident daily bag and possession limit is one slope rockfish, with no annual limit.
A flyer is available on the Fish and Game website http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/home/pdfs/KeepDontKeepRockfish.pdf, to assist anglers with identification.
For information, contact the Sitka ADF&G office at 747-5355.
Health, Wellness
Series to Begin
Cooperative Extension Service experts in health and wellness will lead a free virtual series of one-hour classes beginning Jan. 14.
Agents and staff from around the state will offer weekly Zoom classes at 6 p.m. Thursdays through March 18.
The topics are: Jan. 14, community gardens and health; Jan. 21, diabetes prevention; Jan. 28, healthy homes; Feb. 4, indoor air quality and health; Feb. 11, stress and you; Feb. 18, suicide prevention; Feb. 25, ways to move with Essentrics; March 4, nutrition, foods and habits to boost the immune system; March 11, veggie slam; March 18, Rhodiola, the beneficial adaptogen.
Registration and a link to class details are located at http://bit.ly/RRRreg2021. For information, contact Gina Dionne at gddionne@alaska.edu. Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Gina Dionne at 907-786-6313 or gddionne@alaska.edu.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service is part of a national educational network that provides informal learning activities to the public.
