Screening Set for
48-Hour Films, Docs
The Sitka Film Society, Coliseum Theater and Artchange will present the 48-Hour Film Festival Showcase and local filmmakers’ works in progress 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Coliseum.
The showcase will include films created in 48 hours, using a prop, a character and a line of dialog. Each film is 2 to 7 minutes long. Filmmakers can register and submit films by 5 p.m. Sunday, July 10, on the Sitka Film Society facebook page.
The screenings will also include works by local filmmakers:
- A 5-6 minute sample from “Cruise Boom,” a documentary in progress. Filmmakers Ellen Frankenstein & Atman Mehta filmed over a year in Sitka, as the town faces an unprecedented rise in cruise ship tourism.
“The boom exposes a town grappling with how to go forward and pushes citizens to explore what kind of place they want to live in,” filmmakers said. More information is at cruiseboomfilm.com
- A trailer from “A Beautiful Place”, a film by Mehta which explores the perspectives of residents from Golovin, one of Alaska’s smallest villages.
“The film traces how the village confronts the myriad environmental threats besetting it, hoping to offer a significant view into the lives and minds of those most impacted by the climate crisis,” Mehta said.
Tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for students, at Old Harbor Books and the door. Those with questions may call 738-0602.
Climate Connection – A Fourth Dangerous Feedback Loop
Our earth has many natural feedback loops that are affected by the greenhouse gases we have dumped in the atmosphere by extracting and burning oil, coal and gas. In the last three weeks, this column has mentioned three self-perpetuating positive climate warming feedback loops that exist in nature: methane emissions from permafrost melting, changes in carbon sinks from destruction of our forests, and increases in heat-trapping water vapor from warmer oceans and land surfaces. These effects all increase the warming that we initiated with use of fossil fuels, resulting in spiraling global warming.
A fourth natural feedback loop we have spurred on is decreased albedo, that is the reflectivity of the sun’s rays by the earth’s surface. The high albedo of snow and ice (about 85%) helps counteract the warming effect of atmospheric water vapor—helping to cool the planet. However, ice covers only about 10% of the earth’s surface and is rapidly decreasing. Meanwhile, the dark, open oceans that cover about 70% of the earth’s surface with little albedo (less than 10%) are absorbing far more heat.
Arctic sea ice has been decreasing 13% per decade over the last 40 years. Scientists estimate that a quarter of global warming is caused by the loss of sea ice. Of course, a warmer earth also decreases snow cover on land. As global warming melts sea ice, ocean warming releases both carbon dioxide and water vapor, both of which warm the earth further. Overall, the loss of sea and land ice and snow may have reduced the earth’s cooling albedo effect by 40%.
A related feedback loop is the melting of glacial ice sheets that results in rising sea levels. In turn, rising sea levels melt more land ice, leading to more sea level rise. If the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets continue to melt, the seas may rise 100 feet, displacing the huge proportion of humans living near the earth’s coasts. At some point, this chain reaction of earth warming and sea level rising will be irreversible. Scientists don’t know what temperature increase above preindustrial levels will cause a tipping point from which we can’t prevent further runaway warming—despite stopping our human greenhouse gas emissions. We do know that to return year-round sea ice, glaciers, and snow levels to preindustrial levels could take thousands of years of cooler temperatures.
The world’s fossil fuel crisis unveiled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine appears to have upended many nations’ commitments to reduce our carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gas emissions. The renewed investment in fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure locks us into a worsening predicament with respect to scientists’ counsel to immediately cease fossil fuel development and use. This spells ever worsening conditions and human disaster amidst our climate emergency. We need enlightened leadership at federal, state, and local levels who understand the climate threats posed by natural feedback loops and put solutions in place. To make great changes and adaptation possible, citizen involvement is critical.
Kay Kreiss, Transition Sitka
Planned Electrical
Outage at Eliason
The City and Borough of Sitka electric department is scheduling an outage 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday, July 11, at Eliason Harbor as crews perform maintenance to a transformer.
Assembly Meetings
Information Given
The City and Borough of Sitka has released information concerning Assembly meetings.
Regular meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in Harrigan Centennial Hall.
Agenda and supporting documentation are available at https://sitka.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx, the Sitka Public Library, or by contacting the Municipal Clerk’s Office at City Hall.
The city said public comment on agenda items and “persons to be heard” is encouraged. Citizens may provide comment by email, in-person, or by phone. Regular and special Assembly meetings are livestreamed through the city’s website and YouTube channel.
In addition, regular meetings are aired live on KCAW FM 104.7. To receive Assembly agenda notifications, sign up with GovDelivery on the city’s website. For more information, visit https://www.cityofsitka.com/CityAssembly or contact the Municipal Clerk’s Office at 747-1826 or 747-1811.
Summer Soccer
Camp to Start
Sitka Rush Soccer Club’s summer camp for kindergarten through 12th grades is open for registration.
Camp will be held at Kimsham Field July 26-July 29. Kindergarten through fourth grades will meet 9 a.m.-noon. Those in fifth through 12th grade will meet 1-3 p.m.
Register at sitkayouthsoccer.com
Parking Changes
Are in Place at
National Park
Parking spaces in Sitka National Historical Park visitor center’s upper lot are reserved for ‘‘commercial use authorization’’ permit holders (commercial tour guides) 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through Sept. 30.
Visitors to the park using personally owned vehicles are allowed in the visitor center lower parking lot only. Parking before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. is available during daylight hours in the upper lot.
Additionally, the Russian Bishop’s House has revised operating hours beginning today. It will be closed on Saturday and Sunday except July 15, 31, Aug. 7, 14 & 28, Sept. 4, 17 & 18, when the building will be open for tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to help visitors discover the building’s significance inthe local history of Sitka.
‘‘Thank you for your patience and flexibility as park staff adjust to the changing needs of park visitation,’’ a news release from the park said.
More information can be found on the website at www.nps.gov/sitka.
Municipal Election
Registration On Tap
The last day to register to qualify to vote in the Oct. 4 municipal election is Sept. 4.
To register, or update a voter registration record, visit: https://voterregistration.alaska.gov/ or stop by the Municipal Clerk’s Office in City Hall at 100 Lincoln Street, 3rd floor. For more information, contact the clerk’s office at 907-747-1811 or 907-747-1826.
Division of Elections Region I office contact information is 1-866-948-8683 or 1-907-465-3021.
Filing to Open
For Local Offices
The filing period opens Monday, July 18 and closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 for local offices.
Vacancies will be filled through a regular election of the City and Borough of Sitka on Oct. 4 for a mayor seat (two-year term), two Assembly member seats (three-year terms) and three School Board member seats (one three-year term, one two-year term, and a one-year term).
Candidates for Assembly must be qualified voters and have resided continuously in the municipality during the 12 months immediately before the election. Candidates for School Board must be qualified voters in the municipality for 30 days immediately before the election.
If interested in filing, contact the Municipal Clerk’s office at 747-1811 or 747-1826 to schedule an appointment to pick up a packet.
Sitkan Named to
Lead Elks District
Shane Taylor of Sitka was installed as district deputy for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks for lodges in the East District of the Alaska State Elks Association at the national convention held July 3-6 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Taylor will serve a one-year term. He recently served as trustee chair for the state association. He is a member of Sitka Lodge 1662 and an EMS lieutenant with the Sitka Fire Department.
The BPO Elks is a patriotic and charitable organization and is committed to making its communities better places to live. Each year, the order donates more than $375 million in cash, goods, and services to the needy, students, people with disabilities, active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces and their families, veterans and their families, and charitable organizations.
This year, the Elks National Veterans Service Commission celebrates 75 years of service to veterans and military members. Through the Elks National Veterans Service Commission, Elks provided direct service to veterans at more than 350 VA medical centers, state veterans homes, and clinics; use grants to provide veterans with food, supplies, and support; and provide beds, supplies, and emergency assistance to veterans experiencing homelessness. To learn more, visit Elks.org.
