A large adult brown bear was shot and killed on a resident’s property in Indian a couple of weeks ago. An anonymous source reported that the brown bear was pressing its nose up against the window of the home of the resident, and the resident felt threatened that the bear was going to crash through it and enter their home. The resident reportedly called a neighbor who shot the bear three times and killed it.
A representative of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the agency in charge of investigating bear shootings, said they were not notified of the incident as of this writing.
The resident of the home where the bear was killed, who also wishes to remain anonymous, said there have been numerous sightings of brown bears in the Indian area this year and cautions people to be careful and attentive to brown and black bear activity near hiking and biking trails along Turnagain Arm.
A few weeks ago, a brown bear sow and two cubs visited the property of the Brown Bear Saloon in Indian in mid-May and another large male brown bear has frequented Bird Creek. One Bird resident said the browny in Bird was the biggest he’s ever seen.
With salmon soon arriving in Bird Creek, brown and black bear activity will increase in the Indian and Bird area, so fishermen and residents alike need to be especially cautious and aware of bear activity.
Unless you’ve had your head under a rock, you’ve noticed the dust bowl annoyance that is the Southeast corner of the New Girdwood Townsite at the intersection of Holmgren and Girdwood Place West.
Allen Minish of Construction Unlimited Incorporated says it won’t last much longer, however, and estimates his crew will be done with Phase I of the Girdwood Transportation Center Improvements within two to three weeks.
Phase I of the improvements to the area include everything from installing storm drains to all around beautification. The bike path is being re-aligned to bring it closer to Alyeska Highway so motorists no longer have to stop twice (at the bike path and again at the road,) and parking is being added along Girdwood Place West next to the Mercantile. Plans show sidewalks, stamped with decorative snowflakes, installed throughout the area and bordered with planters, which will be alternately filled with perennials such as geraniums and iris, shrubs, and trees. Decorative street lights are also being installed along the road.
Phase II of the improvements, yet to be released, will encompass re-aligning and paving the rest of the roads around the square as well as the completion of the pathways for the ever-elusive Town Square Park.
Grrdwood (No, it’s not a typo,) Pets & Green Goods aims to make a difference by offering not only organic, eco-friendly and Alaskan Made items for people, but for their furry friends, too.
“We offer a variety of toys, treats, soft beds, collars and leashes made here in Alaska or in other parts of the U.S.,” said owner Julie St. Louis. “Every pet item I stock has been tested by my beagles, or it’s what I would feed my cats if I had them.”
The shop, located in the Court One building on Holmgren next to the Laundromall is slowly expanding its offerings as space permits. Future plans include carrying more Alaskan-made crafts and eco-friendly household and garden products.
St. Louis expects her biggest seller to be pet food as she offers not only Iams and Eukanuba bulk dog food, but will also take orders for a long list of other brands to be delivered to the shop twice a week, saving Girdwood residents a trip into Anchorage
For more information check out the shop, open Tuesday through Sunday, Noon to 7:00 p.m. or call 783-0226 to order your brand of pet food.
The Chair 3 that we all knew and loved is no more. In fact, little remains of the lift, built in 1974, except for a couple of towers near the top of the line. Never fear, though, she’s just getting a face-lift. The concrete was poured for the new towers near the bottom of the mountain Monday, June 16 and work is expected to be completed and by the first of September.The new line will run closer to the Sitzmark and nearer to the terminus of Chair 7.
The changes are being made to make more room at the top, allowing less impact for the race trail to the tram. Future plans include expanding the lift even further down the mountain to the parking lot after the Sitzmark is removed in a few years, says Larry Daniels, Vice President of Real Estate Planning and Development at Alyeska.
Watch the daily progress on the Lower Mountain Cam on the Alyeska Web site at www.alyeskaresort.com.
Carrs/Safeway donated four tons of fresh tomatoes to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center last Friday. The red tomatoes are fed to all the wildlife by AWCC’s collage interns Kristen Peterson and Nichol Abeln .
At first only a few were given out to the musk ox, moose, elk, reindeer, caribou and bison to allow their stomachs to adjust to the new fruit. At $4 per pound retail AWCC’s animals do not enjoy the great flavor and nutritional benefits of tomatoes too often.
After five days of feeding all the animal’s stomachs have adjusted. Kristen and Nichol fill the farm tractor bucket twice daily and distribute the tomatoes over the fence. They feed about 1000 pounds daily a wholesale worth of $4,000. We hope they enjoy the tomatoes while they last.