In 2022, an avian flu strain reached the United States. Over the past year, more than fifty-eight million domestic poultry and thousands of wild birds have died from the viral H5N1 flu strain. According to biologists, it is the largest bird flu outbreak in U.S. history and doesn’t seem to be going away. As its name suggests, the virus mainly affects wild and domestic birds but can also infect mammals.
In Alaska, more than twelve hundred chickens and ducks have died from the avian flu, and it has killed more than two-hundred wild birds, including eagles, ravens, and shorebirds. Biologists have also found the virus in wild mammals, including bears and foxes. Migrating wild ducks and geese spread the virus when they defecate contagious droppings across the areas where they travel.
Scientists have no treatment for avian influenza, and the mortality rate is high for poultry and wild raptors such as hawks, eagles, and owls. Symptoms in diseased birds include fatigue, difficulty walking, nasal discharge, decreased egg production, and swollen combs or wattles.
Transmission to humans is rare, but flu viruses tend to mutate easily, so this disease could affect humans in the future. Scientists have already identified the virus in marine mammals around the world. Biologists have detected outbreaks among seals and other marine mammals in Maine, Chile, and Peru.
The remoteness of most areas in Alaska makes it difficult for biologists to know how widespread the disease is here. In October 2022, researchers found a sick black bear cub in Glacier Bay National Park that tested positive for the H5N1 virus. A month later, a deer hunter on Kodiak Island collected the carcass of a dead brown bear cub that tested positive for the virus. A necropsy on the brown bear cub revealed infection in the cub’s brain, lungs, and liver. Biologists suspect both cubs scavenged on wild birds that had died from influenza and inhaled the virus while tearing the birds apart. Luckily, at this point, the virus cannot be transmitted from bear to bear.
Kodiak bears are at risk if a deadly novel virus spreads among them. A 1998 study on the genetic diversity of North American brown bears indicated that Kodiak bears have less genetic diversity among them than other populations of North American brown bears. Several of the genetic samples from bears on Kodiak showed identical genotypes, meaning the bears were so genetically similar that biologists could not measure the differences between them. According to a 2006 report conducted for the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, the genetic variation among Kodiak bears is much lower than the variation found among any other brown bear population. While the Kodiak bear population presently remains healthy, this low genetic variability makes this population susceptible to decimation by novel parasites or pathogens, which could reach Kodiak and infect bears.
If you see a sick wild bird in Alaska, report the animal to a hotline managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at 866-527-3358 or by email at ak_mbm@fws.gov. In particular, look for signs of disorientation, twitching, or tremors, and birds with necks twisted back.
For those of you in the Anchorage area, I have a book signing at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, May 27th, from 1-5 p.m. Please stop by and say hi. I would love to meet you. I will be at Mosquito Books at the Anchorage airport on Tuesday, May 30th.
The Ochre Sea Star (Pisaster ochraceus) has arrived on Kodiak Island. Ochre sea stars are common in the Pacific Northwest, but the species is slowly expanding its range further north into the cooler waters of the Gulf of Alaska. Brenda Konar, professor of marine biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, says she thinks Kodiak is near the end of its range.
Ochre stars inhabit the Gulf of Alaska and are now common in Prince William Sound. What does their northward migration mean? Scientists think they could be moving further north due to warmer water temperatures in the North Pacific. Ochres stars are incredibly hardy and adaptive, allowing them to inhabit exposed rocky beaches from Baja California to Prince William Sound. Ochre stars can wedge their bodies into rocky crevices on wind-swept coasts, so they don’t get washed away during a storm.
Ochre sea stars reign near the top of their food chain. Seagulls can eat young sea stars, and sea otters eat sea stars of any size, but they have no other predators. Ochre stars eat a wide variety of prey, including mussels, limpets, sea urchins, snails, chitons, and barnacles.
Ochre stars are important in the intertidal communities they inhabit, and scientists consider them a keystone species because their presence affects the intertidal community. They are voracious predators and seem to prefer mussels. Mussels are superior competitors for space on rocky coasts, but when Ochre stars wipe out a group of mussels, other species move in to colonize the area. Since mussels tolerate desiccation better than Ochre stars, mussels can proliferate in the upper intertidal zone. In contrast, the presence of Ochre stars in the lower intertidal eliminates large mussel beds and allows other species to flourish.
Ochre stars begin breeding at age five. They broadcast their eggs and sperm into the water, and fertilization occurs externally. The larvae float in the ocean for a few months and then settle onto the bottom, where they take on the sea star shape. Scientists believe it is during this floating larval stage when the sea stars expand their range. Ochre stars are the most long-lived species of sea star and can live twenty to thirty-five years.
A massive die-off of sea stars on the west coast of the US, including Alaska, began in 2013. Biologists believe the die-off was caused by a virus that flourished during a cycle of hot water temperatures in the North Pacific. Most sea star species are beginning to recover, and the Ochre star seems to be one of the more resilient species.
Will we see more Ochre stars on Kodiak Island, and if so, what will their presence do to the intertidal communities? In Uyak Bay on Kodiak, where I live, mussels flourish in certain areas, but a large population of sea otters has decimated many of the bivalves, sea urchins, and crabs. If Ochre stars move into this area, will they survive the sea otters, and if so, how will they change the makeup of species in the intertidal zone? Only time will tell.
Thank you for reading!
I am excited to announce my new book about true murder and mystery in Alaska. Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier will be available for pre-order at Amazon on December 1st, and the book will be released in late December.
Can you imagine someone hunting you in the Alaska wilderness?
When the daughter of a US senator disappears from the center of Kodiak, Alaska, in the middle of the day, FBI agent Nick Morgan arrives to assist police detective Maureen Horner and Alaska State Trooper Dan Patterson with the investigation. Soon, the officers realize that other young people have vanished from the area as well, and they can find no evidence or eyewitnesses to explain the disappearances.
Meanwhile, bored pilot Steve Larson spends his evenings sitting on the back deck of his floatplane air charter service while he recovers from a debilitating illness. He watches a plane land after dark and sees two men escort a seemingly incapacitated woman to the plane and push her into the rear seat. When the same thing happens a few days later, Steve wonders if he’s imagining things or if these men are kidnapping people. He calls marine biologist and amateur detective Jane Marcus and asks her to sit with him the next time the plane arrives. Jane agrees with Steve: these men are drugging and transporting people against their will. But where are they taking them, and why?
Jane’s curiosity leads her into a nightmare worse than anything she could imagine. As law enforcement officers work to find who’s behind the kidnappings and where the abductors have taken the victims, Jane fights to survive the monsters chasing her in the ultimate hunt.
Experience Mystery and Adventure in the Wildest Place on Earth! The Ultimate Hunt
Flocks of Goldeneyes are a familiar sight nearshore in bays and coves on Kodiak Island in the winter. While both Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes visit Kodiak in the winter, Barrow’s are the most prevalent in this region, and they live year-round on the island.
The Common Goldeneye’s range stretches from Alaska and northern Canada down to California and northern Mexico and east across most of the contiguous United States. Barrow’s Goldeneyes are much less numerous and are found mainly in Alaska, western Canada, and the northwestern continental US.
Goldeneyes are medium-sized ducks with large, triangular heads. The bill is black with a small amount of yellow at the tip. It is narrow and slopes downward from the face. They have streamlined bodies and short tails.
An adult male Common Goldeneye has an iridescent green head that usually appears black. It has a round white spot near the bill and a bright yellow eye. Its back is black, and the sides are white. An adult female has a brown head and a gray back and wings. Both males and females display large white patches on the wings when flying.
A Barrow’s Goldeneye looks very similar to a Common Goldeneye. A Common Goldeneye has a round white spot behind its bill, while a Barrow’s Goldeneye has a crescent-shaped white spot behind the bill. A Common Goldeneye has an angular head, while a Barrow Goldeneye’s head appears rounded. Also, Barrow’s Goldeneyes have a black spur on the side, a mark that is absent in Common Goldeneyes.
When they hatch, male Goldeneye chicks have gray-brown eyes. They turn purple-blue, then blue, then green-blue as they age. By five months, they have clear pale green-yellow eyes, and finally, they turn bright yellow. Females have pale yellow to white eyes.
Goldeneyes mainly breed in the forests of Canada and Alaska, with smaller numbers of Common Goldeneyes breeding in North Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, and the Northeast. They nest in holes in trees near rivers, lakes, or wetlands. Since Barrow’s Goldeneyes do not always nest in tree cavities, they can nest farther north than Common Goldeneyes, extending north of the treeline. Barrow’s Goldeneyes breed on Kodiak Island, while Common Goldeneyes do not.
Common Goldeneyes migrate to the coast in the winter, gathering in bays and other protected areas along the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts. Barrow’s Goldeneyes mostly winter on the North Pacific Coast. Both species favor wintering areas with gravel, rock, and boulder substrates where they can find small mollusks and crustaceans. In the interior, Goldeneyes migrate only far enough south to find lakes and rivers that remain ice-free in the winter. During the winter, they form flocks of four to several hundred ducks.
Goldeneyes are compact and can fly over forty miles per hour. When flying, their wings make a whistling noise, and they are sometimes called “the whistler.” They are also strong swimmers and divers and spend much of their time on the water, where they dive for prey. When diving, they squeeze their wings tight to their body and kick with their feet. Dives can last up to a minute.
Female goldeneye
Goldeneyes form monogamous pairs sometime between December and April, and the pair stays together until the male leaves the female early in the incubation period. Before choosing a mate, the ducks gather in small courtship groups. The males perform elaborate displays, and the females respond with their own displays, often lowering their necks and swinging their heads forward. When they reach the breeding area, the male defends the female and the breeding territory from other Goldeneyes and Buffleheads.
When she reaches the nesting area, the female selects a cavity in a live or dead tree for the nest, often returning to the same nest year after year. The female might also lay her eggs in the nest of another duck. She smooths out material already in the nest to form a bowl and then plucks down feathers from her breast to form a soft lining. She lays four to nine eggs in the nest, which hatch after twenty-seven to thirty-three days. When they hatch, the chicks are covered in black and white down. They are alert with their eyes open and leave the nest after a day or two. If the nest is high up in a hole in a tree, the first step can be treacherous for the ducklings. The mother stands at the tree’s base and calls to her chicks while they step from the nest one by one and tumble to the ground.
Once the ducks leave the nest, the female usually protects them from other ducks. However, some mothers are less maternal and leave their young soon after they hatch. Her ducklings then join the brood of another duck.
Two Common Goldeneye Ducks
Goldeneyes eat aquatic invertebrates, including crabs, shrimp, amphipods, and mussels. They also eat small fish, fish eggs, and insects. Vegetation, such as seeds and tubers, comprise a small part of their diet.
The oldest recorded Common Goldeneye was a male at least twenty years and five months old when he was found in Wisconsin. He had been banded as a young duck in Minnesota.
Goldeneye populations remain stable in most areas of their range, but biologists predict their range will shift northward as the climate warms.
Join other authors and me at our Facebook Beach Party! The main event occurs on June 1st, but sign up early because we begin giving away prizes on May 15th! I will host an hour from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Alaska Time (8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. EDT) during the main event on June 21st. Please join me if you can. I would love your support, and you might win a prize!
What is that black and white duck? Like all northern places, winter arrives early in Alaska. When the leaves turn yellow and orange, stiff breezes blow them off the trees. Heavy rain and turbulent wind mark October and November, and this is when the winter ducks arrive to wait out the storms in sheltered coves.
Thousands of sea ducks overwinter in the deep, narrow bays and coves on Kodiak Island, and several species are year-round residents. The species appear distinctly different when viewed close-up, but they can be difficult to distinguish from a distance. Over the next few posts, I will cover a few common sea ducks we see near Kodiak in the winter.
Harlequin ducks, with their showy plumage, are the easiest sea ducks to identify. They are small diving ducks. Males weigh approximately 1.4 lbs. (650 g), and females average 1.3 lbs. (575 g). Males are brightly colored with slate-blue bodies, white bands, and collars bordered by black lines on the chest and neck. They have a large crescent in front of the eye, a white spot behind the eye, and a white stripe along their neck. A black streak bordered by white and chestnut brown runs along the top of the head, and the flanks are chestnut brown. Their dark brown wings sport an iridescent blue patch on the inner edge. Females are not nearly as colorful. They have a brown body with a white belly, a white patch behind the ear, and white patches in front of the eye.
There are two populations of harlequin ducks in North America. The eastern population breeds from northern Quebec and Labrador south into Newfoundland and northern New Brunswick. This population winters in southern Canada and northern New England. The western population breeds along the rivers in interior south coastal Alaska, Yukon Territory, British Columbia, southwest Alberta, and south to the Rocky and Cascade Mountain regions of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana and Wyoming.
Males and females return to the same breeding and wintering areas each year. Once they reach the wintering area, the ducks form pairs, and pairs often reunite annually. Females breed after they are two years old. As soon as they reach the breeding area, females build their nests on the ground, on small cliff ledges, in tree cavities, or on stumps. They often choose nesting sites on islands in streams and pick places where vegetation or other cover conceals the nest. The female lays five to six eggs in the down-lined nest. She incubates the eggs for approximately twenty-nine days, and the young can feed themselves immediately after hatching. Young harlequins can fly when they are forty-five to fifty-five days old.
Males leave the breeding area soon after the female lays the eggs. The males then begin to molt and cannot fly for twenty-five to thirty days while they shed their old flight feathers and grow new ones. The females molt four to eight weeks after the males.
Harlequins are good swimmers, and they feed by picking up insects, snails, amphipods, fish eggs, and crabs from the bottom of a river or near shore in the ocean.
Oddly, harlequins suffer more broken bones than any other duck species, and by X-raying museum specimens, researchers have learned that most adults have endured multiple healed fractures.
While it is difficult to determine the age of a duck, the oldest recorded harlequin was a male in British Columbia. He was at least twenty years and nine months old when he was identified by his leg band in 2014. Researchers had banded him in Alberta in 1995.
The western population of harlequins is much larger than the eastern population, and biologists estimate its size at 150,000 to 250,000 birds. While scientists do not entirely understand the movements of harlequins between Alaska’s wintering and breeding areas, They believe the bulk of the western population winters in the Aleutian Islands.
A harlequin duck is one of nature’s most stunning creatures. Looking through my binoculars at a harlequin floating in a patch of sunlight, I can hardly believe I am staring at a wild duck and not an intricate piece of art.
by Mary Ann Poll, America’s Lady of Supernatural Thrillers
Seated in the center of historic San Antonio, the Sheraton Gunter Hotel is an impressive sight to behold: twelve-stories tall, beautiful tan brick, and a flare of elegance often found in old properties.
The Sheraton Gunter Hotel is a blend of old and new, modern amenities and timeless elegance, trendy cuisine at its restaurant and bar, Bar 414, and historical significance. On January 9, 2007, the US National Register of Historic Places listed The Sheraton Gunter Hotel as a property of historical importance.
Since the 1830s, the Gunter Hotel has almost always been a hotel under different management and names. It earned extreme notoriety in 1965 at no fault of its own.
Since 1837, just a year after the fall of the Alamo, a hotel, in some form or other, sat on current Sheraton Gunter Hotel Land. The first hotel was called The Settlement Inn and known as the Frontier Inn by some.
The Inn stood at the corner of El Paso and El Rincon Streets (changed to Houston and St. Mary’s Street some years later).
In 1851, the Settlement/Frontier Inn was purchased for $500 and demolished. Irish immigrant brothers William, John, and James Vance had a different venture in mind.
The Vance brothers erected a two-story building where the Inn once stood and rented it out to the US Army for the next decade. During that period, the property operated as the local Headquarters for the Army.
Texas seceded from the United States when the Civil War erupted and joined the Confederates like many other Southern states. The Union (or US Army) left, and the Confederates took their place.
When the Civil War ended, the Vance family lost possession when the Federal troops occupied the city. The Federal troops used the building until 1872 when the Vance family regained ownership.
The building reopened as the Vance House (or Vance Hotel)
San Antonio hit its stride by the turn of the twentieth century because of the railroad and tourism.
In the early 1900s, a group of investors formed the San Antonio Hotel Company. There were thirteen men in total, including rancher Jot Gunter, whose name would later be the hotel’s.
The Vance family relinquished ownership in 1907 when the newly formed San Antonio Hotel Company made its purchase.
The investors had a plan to tear down the hotel and replace it with a “palatial structure that would meet the demands of the state’s most progressive city.”
(Unfortunately, Joe Gunter did not live to see the day when his dream became a reality. He died soon after the purchase, but his co-investors decided to name the hotel in his honor.)
Upon completion in 1909, The Gunter was a gorgeous juxtaposition of luxury and modern amenities. Eight stories tall and 301 rooms in total—The Gunter Hotel blended steel, concrete, and tan brick to create a hotel that was one of the finest in the country. Also, The Gunter Hotel was the tallest building in San Antonio for many years to come.
By 1979, Josef Seiterle bought The Gunter Hotel and invested $20 million in its restoration. The Gunter found a new home with the Sheraton hotel chain ten years later. However, the Gunter underwent various new ownerships for the next ten years.
In 1999, after an $8 million renovation, it once more became a member of the Sheraton hotel family and remains so today.
While The Sheraton Gunter today is one of the most stayed in hotels in San Antonio, it is also a building where ghosts also reside.
The Ghosts of The Sheraton Gunter Hotel
Like many haunted locations in San Antonio, people staying at The Sheraton Gunter Hotel have seen the spirits of the fallen Alamo defenders. There are reports of dips in temperature, the kind where your hair stands up on end and a chill courses up your spine.
Others report the sensation of being watched, of glancing over your shoulder with the expectation that someone is there—but they never are. Sometimes the sense dissipates, and in others, it persists for a much more extended period. Then, that feeling begins anew.
These are everyday paranormal phenomena experienced at The Sheraton Gunter Hotel. But there are more.
Two flappers are said to haunt the halls of The Sheraton Gunter Hotel. Or, instead, they’re believed to be flappers from the 1920s. Others suggest that they were prostitutes of the same period.
The first spirit, given the name Ingrid, is often seen wearing a long white dress while she strolls the hotel’s upper floors. The second, alternatively, is nicknamed Peggy.
It seems these two ghostly figures do not like each other. Though the women are said to haunt opposing sections of the hotel, guests have reported hearing them argue. No one knows why they quarrel.
Whatever the case may be, it’s plain to see their fighting causes a lot of the paranormal activity at The Sheraton Gunter. Guests have taken photos with their ghostly forms caught on film, as though they too want to be part of the fun.
There are sounds, and evidence, of furniture moving in guest rooms as well as in the public areas of the hotel when no one is around.
Blues player, and one of the most notable celebrities to stay at The Sheraton Gunter, Robert Johnson, is said to haunt this hotel.
Johnson’s talent scout, H.C. Speir, had arranged for a recording session at the hotel on November 23, 1936, in Room 414. In a strange twist of fate, it would be only one of two recording sessions that Robert Johnson would ever have.
(An interesting note: Johnson was one of the most important (and influential) blues musicians of his day. He was so talented, many people thought Johnson made a bargain with the devil to earn all the success he had amassed in such a short time.)
In 1938, at the age of twenty-seven, Johnson was found dead near Greenwood, Mississippi. The cause of his death was unknown then and is still up for speculation today. Some believe the jealous husband of a woman he flirted with at a country dance club he’d played in for some weeks poisoned Johnson.
At The Sheraton Gunter Hotel, rumor is that Johnson’s spirit still lingers in Room 414, where he once held his first recording session. In 2009, musician John Mellencamp arrived at The Gunter to record a new album. He’d felt drawn to the hotel, Mellencamp once said, and Room 414 in particular.
Today, The Sheraton Gunter’s new bar is honored with the name Room 414, in reference to the room where Johnson stayed. If the ghost of Robert Johnson is at The Sheraton Gunter, it’s probably in Room 414.
In February of 1965, San Antonio’s most notorious mystery took place in Room 636.
Albert Knox checked in on February 6. He was a blonde man, said to be quite handsome and exceptionally charming.
For two days, guests of The Gunter saw Albert Knox come and go with a tall woman.
On February 8, one of the hotel’s housekeepers brought some items to Knox’s hotel room. The housekeeper pushed open the door, only to stop dead in her tracks. Albert Knox stood at the foot of the bed with a bloody bundle in his arms. Blood splattered every inch of the guest room. In the face of the housekeeper’s horrified expression, Knox lifted one finger to his mouth. “Shhh.”
The housekeeper’s mouth started to scream, and Knox dashed past her and out of the room. It took forty minutes for management to receive a report of the incident. By that time, Albert Knox had disappeared.
The room provided little evidence to explain what happened there. A lipstick-smeared cigarette, brown paper bags, luggage from the San Antonio Trunk and Gift Company. The purchase suitcase was by check from John J. McCarthy . . . who happened to be the stepfather of thirty-seven-year-old Walter Emerick, who had disappeared on one of his “drinking bents.”
The police were sure someone was murdered in Room 636 and scoured the city for the woman’s body. They checked construction sites and even sections of streets with newly laid cement. They found nothing.
On February 9, a blond man walked into The St. Anthony Hotel, just one block away from The Gunter. He came with no luggage. And when he requested to book a room, he made it known that he wanted Room 636. That particular room was not available, and after some arguing, he settled for Room 536. He checked in under the name Roger Ashley.
The front desk attendants became suspicious, and after tipping the San Antonio Police that the murderer might have just checked in to their hotel, the detectives rushed over.
They hurried to Room 536. Banging on the door, the police tried to apprehend Walter Emerick (aka Roger Ashley) for the crimes. As they struggled to open the door, they heard a single gunshot. Ashley was dead, and there were no concrete answers to the mystery.
Many people claim to have witnessed the murder replay in the years since. Staff and guests both have reported such paranormal phenomena–one guest even saw a ghostly woman who held her hands out and stared at the guest with a gaze that appeared almost soulless.
Housekeeping staff has reported that new employees often quit after being assigned to clean the room. Others have said the image of a blonde woman inexplicably appears in photographs. Strange sounds of hammering have also been reported coming from the unoccupied Room 636.
Since 2019, the carcasses of 332 gray whales have washed up on beaches in the Western United States. One-hundred-and-thirty-five deaths occurred in Alaska, prompting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to declare an “unusual mortality event.” However, there is good news this year. The gray whale deaths have tapered off, and biologists believe the population might be recovering.
During the summer of 2018, waters in the Bering Sea soared nine degrees warmer than average. These increasing seawater temperatures have reduced winter ice cover in the region, leading to reduced productivity. Primary productivity in the northern Bering Sea declined by 70% from 1988 to 2004. This previously ice-dominated, shallow ecosystem favored large communities of benthic amphipods (the favorite food of gray whales), but it has now been replaced by an ecosystem dominated by zooplankton, such as krill. Gray whales have responded by migrating further north to the Chukchi Sea, but amphipods might now be disappearing from this region as well, forcing gray whales to consume less nutritious krill, and krill might not contain the amount of fatty acids the whales need to build adequate blubber.
Biologists estimate that one-quarter to one-third of the West Coast’s gray whale population has died in recent years. The dead whales appeared extremely emaciated, and researchers think there were too many whales for the amount and type of food they could find to eat as the oceans warm and the environment changes. However, this die-off was not a novel situation. Gray whales suffered a previous mortality event over two decades ago and slowly recovered.
This year, researchers counted more gray whale calves than in the previous few years, and the whales looked healthier during their annual migration north. Only time will tell if the population is recovering, but it seems to be on the rebound.
Meanwhile, the news is not as good for humpback whales in Alaska. Four humpbacks have been found dead on Kodiak this year. The whales were extremely decomposed, leaving scientists with no clues as to the cause of their deaths.
Orca populations in Alaska appear healthy, but the endangered southern resident orcas near Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands continue to struggle. A research study in the Public Library of Science suggested that 99% of the orcas studied in the area had photographic evidence of skin lesions. Researchers evaluated photos from nearly 20,000 orca sightings from 2004 to 2016 and noted that the lesions became more prevalent.
The lesions usually appear as gray patches on the orca’s skin. Biologists don’t know what causes the lesions but fear they are a sign of continued declining health in the animals. While researchers cannot directly correlate the lesions with whale deaths, they think they are likely signs of an embattled immune system.
The southern orcas face several threats. A growing population of humans in the area where the whales live has caused more pollution. More sources of underwater noise have affected the ability of the orcas to hunt using echolocation. Increased water temperatures and solar radiation probably also stress the animals. One of the most significant factors leading to the decline of the southern orcas is the dramatic decrease in the number of Chinook salmon, the orca’s favorite food, in the area. Researchers documented a 75% drop in reported sightings of southern residents from 2004 to 2020, corresponding with a 50% decline in Chinook salmon from British Columbia’s Fraser River.
Changes in whale populations reflect the health of our oceans. Gray whales prefer to feed on benthic amphipods, but as sea ice diminishes and the environment of our northern oceans changes, benthic amphipods are on the decline. Humpback whales feed on zooplankton and small fish, but as the seas warm, zooplankton isn’t as plentiful as it once was. Orcas eat fish, but salmon and other species have declined in many areas.
The whales are telling us they don’t like their changing environment, but will we listen and do something about it?
My true crime book, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier, is a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for the best true-crime book of 2023. Thank you to the Readers and Writers Book Club for mentioning it in their August Newsletter.
Book signings are a cherished tradition that brings authors and readers together in a unique and intimate setting. These events offer an incredible opportunity for authors to connect with their audience, share their stories, and create lasting memories.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by and say hi at my two recent book signings in Anchorage at Barnes and Noble and Mosquito Books. Both events turned out great and exceeded my wildest expectations. For everyone who attended, your presence and kind words put me at ease, making the experience all the more memorable. Through the support and encouragement of readers like you, I find the inspiration to continue sharing my stories.
I was also thrilled at my Barnes and Noble signing to meet experts from the Anchorage Police Department and to discuss some of the true crimes I wrote about in my latest book, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier. I even met a woman who once dated one of the killers I’ve profiled.
May proved to be a good month for me. I sold three boxes of books to stores in Kodiak. For those interested in purchasing my books from a store, they are currently available in Kodiak at The Islander Bookshop, Cost Savers, Norman’s Fine Gifts, and Big Ray’s. In Anchorage, you can find my books at Barnes and Noble and Mosquito Books, while Black Birch Books in Wasilla also carries them. These partnerships with local establishments strengthen the bond between authors, readers, and independent businesses.
Book signings allow authors to connect with readers on a personal level, creating lasting memories and fostering a sense of community. The support and encouragement I received at my signings in Anchorage at Barnes and Noble and Mosquito Books have been invaluable in expanding the reach of my books. Additionally, the availability of my books in various stores, both in Kodiak and Anchorage, as well as online platforms, ensures that readers can easily access and purchase my work. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey, and I look forward to continuing to share my stories with you.
Was the Mafia involved in the 1972 disappearance of the plane carrying Congressmen Hale Boggs and Nick Begich, or was it just a simple case of bad weather? Who murdered the postmistress in Ruby? How did Alaska State Troopers use cutting-edge science to find Sophie Sergie’s killer? How does crime differ from one part of Alaska to another?
Alaska has always had a high rate of violent crime. From the gold rush to the building of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline to the heyday of king crab fishing, the state’s rich resources have attracted eager workers and criminals alike. Travel through time and space with true-crime writer Robin Barefield as she tells you about murder and mystery in Alaska from the early 1900s to the present day and from Juneau, Kiana, Nome, Anchorage, Kodiak, and places in between.
Learn about serial killers Ed Krause, Richard Bunday, Gary Zieger, Robert Hansen, and Israel Keyes, Why did Michael Silka suddenly start killing the residents of remote Manley Hot Springs, and what reason did Louis Hastings have for murdering his neighbors in McCarthy? Why was no one ever caught and convicted for the gruesome massacre on the fishing boat Investor?
Alaska is vast and beautiful, but it can also be deadly. Take a road trip and learn about Alaska’s past and present through its violent crime. Get a glimpse of murder and mystery in the Last Frontier.
Green sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) inhabit the Arctic regions of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On the east coast of the U.S., they range as far south as New Jersey, and they reach down to Puget Sound on the west coast. This species usually reside in the rocky intertidal area to 30 ft.(9 m), but they inhabit depths up to 3,770 ft. (1,150 m).
Like other echinoderms (such as the sea star and sand dollar), sea urchins are radially symmetrical and divided into five parts. Green sea urchins have a hard outer covering called a “test.” Tube feet and spines cover the surface of the test. The spines are jointed at the base, and the urchin moves by using its tube feet and lower spines. The green sea urchin’s spines are short and sharp, and they are more delicate than the spines of many other species.
Sea Urchin Test
An urchin’s mouth is centered on its underside surface, and it is surrounded by a complex feeding structure called Aristotle’s lantern. This structure boasts extensive musculature and five sets of triangular plates or teeth. These teeth allow the urchins to graze on tough algae, their favorite food. A sea urchin’s anus is located on the top of the animal.
Sea urchins are either male or female, and they mate by broadcasting their eggs and sperm into the water. They use environmental triggers such as temperature or daylight to time the release of their gametes and increase the chance of fertilization. The fertilized eggs develop into larvae and resemble tiny upside-down jellyfish. The larvae soon settle to the bottom and remain hidden to avoid predation.
Sea stars, crabs, wolf eels, other large fish, and sea otters are the main predators of green sea urchins.
Red Sea Urchin
Many cultures consider sea urchin eggs a delicacy, and both green and red sea urchins are commercially harvested in small fisheries in Alaska. Red sea urchins (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) grow larger and have a more southerly range than green sea urchins. Both species live near Kodiak, but the green urchins are more common. Harvesting sea urchins is both expensive and labor-intensive. Divers using either scuba gear or surface-supplied air handpick the urchins and place them in mesh bags. When the bags are full, they are lifted to the surface. The expense of harvesting, difficulties in marketing, and the uneven distribution of urchins limit the urchin fishery in Alaska.
Sea stars are the royalty of the echinoderm world, and I covered them a few years ago in this post. I am happy to note that the sea stars near us slowly seem to be recovering from sea-star wasting syndrome. You can read my post about the syndrome here.
In my next post, I will cover sand dollars. Various species of echinoderms species look very different from each other, but when you peel away the layers, you can see their similarities.
