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Government shutdown will close and limit activity on public lands across Alaska

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Government shutdown will close and limit activity on public lands across Alaska


Alaska’s public lands will be less accessible than usual during a government shutdown set to begin Sunday.

National parks are slated for closure starting Monday, and access to campgrounds and public-use cabins on federal lands could be impeded, according to contingency plans released by agencies Friday.

New leasing activities for oil and mining that also take place on federal lands in Alaska could be suspended during a lapse in funding. A meeting planned for Fairbanks on Monday, involving an oil and gas leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, will be canceled because of uncertainties related to the shutdown, an official said.

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The impacts of a shutdown will be felt in every state, but especially in Alaska, where the federal government owns over 220 million acres — vastly more than in any other state.

Many of those impacts will be felt within the Interior Department, which owns much of the land in the state. It’s home to more than 2,500 employees in Alaska and agencies that oversee an array of activities on federal lands, such as the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Their contingency plans show that most employees will be put on furlough, going without work and pay until the shutdown ends and they receive back pay. The plans show that critical services will continue, such as emergency response, law enforcement and fire suppression.

A current contingency plan for the U.S. Forest Service, part of the Agriculture Department, was not available Friday at the White House website. The Forest Service in Alaska operates the giant Chugach National Forest in Southcentral Alaska and the Tongass National Forest in Southeast Alaska, the largest national forest in the U.S.

[How the impending U.S. government shutdown might impact Alaska]

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Spokespeople with the agency did not respond to an email seeking information about the status of Forest Service public-use cabins during a shutdown.

National parks

The National Park Service oversees numerous parks, preserves, monuments and other areas across Alaska, including popular Denali National Park and Preserve, which sees visitors year-round.

But the nation’s parklands and offices will be closed during a shutdown, according to officials with the National Park Service.

“Beginning Monday, Oct. 2, all national parks would close and visitors should expect services to be unavailable,” a spokeswoman with the agency said in an email.

Gates will be locked, visitor centers will shut down and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed, the agency said in a statement.

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“Areas that, by their nature, are physically accessible to the public will face significantly reduced visitor services,” the statement said.

At such sites that can’t be closed, staffing levels and services such as restroom maintenance, trash collection and campground operations will vary, the agency says in a nine-page contingency plan. Those services aren’t guaranteed, the plan says.

Jim Adams, head of the National Parks Conservation Association office in Alaska, said the closures will hurt tourism, which will hurt small businesses that cater to tourists. With reduced or no staff, park lands could be damaged from vandalism or misuse, he said.

“A shutdown is bad for people, for Park Service employees and other employees, and it’s bad for local communities,” he said. “Every time there’s a shutdown, parks are injured. But at the same time I wouldn’t want to keep people who need food and subsistence resources out of those parks.”

[Fat Bear Week falls prey to looming government shutdown]

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Wildlife refuges

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is looking at closing national wildlife refuges, visitor centers and other operations nationally, its contingency plan shows.

In Alaska, the agency manages 16 refuges covering more than 76 million acres, an area the size of New Mexico.

Its holdings include the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge with its visitor center in Soldotna. That’s the most visited refuge in Alaska, with 14 public-use cabins on nearly 2 million acres.

A spokesman with the agency did not respond to a question Friday about whether public use cabins would be closed during a shutdown.

“No permits may be issued or reviewed; most visitor events will not take place; surveys and habitat restoration activities will be put on hold, and most of the normal work of the Service will be discontinued,” the plan says.

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Activities in refuges can continue if they don’t require the presence of a federal employee or contractor, the plan says.

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management, overseeing about 70 million acres in Alaska, said that campgrounds, boat ramps, and other recreation sites will be open during a shutdown, according to its contingency plan. But full services may not be, including restrooms and water systems, its contingency plan says.

“In cases where funds are not available to maintain such services, signs will be posted but visitors may remain at these sites at their own risk,” the agency says.

[Federal government starts notifying employees a shutdown may be imminent]

The agency in Alaska manages the 1-million-acre White Mountains National Recreation Area, an hour’s drive from Fairbanks, as well as several National Conservation Lands units, including the 420-mile Iditarod National Historic Trail.

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In Anchorage, the agency’s Campbell Creek Science Center off Elmore Road will be closed during a shutdown, but trails on the 730-acre BLM-managed tract will be open, an employee at the center said Friday.

The Bureau of Land Management warns that a shutdown, with its lapse in funding, could impact users’ reservations and plans associated with recreation.gov, the federal government’s travel reservation website where users can book cabins, campsites and other activities.

“If customers have an existing reservation during this lapse of funding period, and the location is not fully staffed, the reservation may not be honored,” the agency says.

Permitting activities such as oil and mineral leasing will take place in a limited manner, the agency says.

In some cases, “BLM would cease offering new oil and gas, geothermal, or renewable energy lease sales, processing new applications to drill (APDs), new Rights of Way applications and assessing new mine plans of operation,” the agency says.

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Emma Roach, a spokeswoman with the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska, said the agency has canceled one public meeting for an environmental review associated with potential oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The meeting was set for Monday in Fairbanks.

“It’s due to uncertainties in the congressional schedule,” she said Friday.





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Alaska

Sky Watch Alaska: planets align plus the aurora forecast

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Sky Watch Alaska: planets align plus the aurora forecast


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – This is a great time of year to do some star gazing. If you have clear skies in your part of Alaska, take the time to check out the night — and morning — sky.

After sunset, look toward the southwest. Saturn and Venus are snuggled up together (of course, they are more than 800 million miles apart) in the evening sky. They set at about 9:40 p.m. in Southcentral.

Before 9:40 p.m., you can see four planets with the naked eye — Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars. Jupiter and Mars stick around through the morning. Mars is very close to the moon right now.

The Aurora forecast is fairly weak for the next few weeks. That’s not to say there won’t be the occasional burst but overall, solar activity is expected to be fairly low until the beginning of February.

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If you get great pictures of the planets, the sky, or the aurora, don’t forget to send them to Alaska’s News Source.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com



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Short-lived cold snap, with another warming trend this weekend

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Short-lived cold snap, with another warming trend this weekend


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Temperatures across the state are cooling off, as our strong low from the weekend moves into the Chukchi Sea. This will set up for colder air to spread across the state this week, as another short-lived cold snap is expected. While some light snow is possible for the Interior, areas of the Slope and Western Alaska, Southcentral will stay on the drier side until the night. Meanwhile, Southeast will continue to hold onto moderate rain with gusty conditions.

SOUTHCENTRAL:

Temperatures this morning are 10 to 20 degrees colder than yesterday, as colder air has settled back into Southcentral. Clear skies and calm winds are evident this morning for parts of the region, with light snow falling through the Copper River Basin. We’ll see fairly quiet conditions today, outside of Kodiak which will see increasing snow and rain into the afternoon and evening hours. This comes as our next area of low pressure moves up the Alaska Peninsula.

We’ll see light snow spreading north across the Kenai overnight into Wednesday, with light snow expected through Prince William Sound. Several inches are likely through the Kenai and Chugach Mountains, with the pass expected to see a couple of inches of accumulation. Western parts of the Kenai will see the potential for a few inches, while inland areas of Southcentral largely stay dry. If Anchorage and surrounding locations see any accumulation, it’ll amount to less than half an inch.

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As snow tapers off Wednesday, we’ll see the return to colder and drier conditions into Thursday. Thursday may be the coldest day this week across the region, before another warming trend carries us into next week. Right now holding with snow through early next week, but areas of wintry mix are possible as highs warm above freezing.

SOUTHEAST:

The winter storm warning for Skagway and higher elevations expired at 6am this morning. While some light snow showers are still possible, little accumulation will occur the rest of the day. Scattered to periodic showers are occurring elsewhere across Southeast today, with less than half an inch of rainfall through the day. Any moisture available into the evening will see a transition to some wintry mix or snow into Wednesday morning. However, the better chance will come from another low lifting north into the panhandle. Any snow and wintry mix we see for Wednesday will primarily stay confined to the central and southern panhandle. We’ll see much cooler weather taking hold this week for Southeast.

INTERIOR:

Some areas of light snow are possible this morning, with less than half an inch to be expected. While temperatures are still warm for much of the Interior, highs will steadily fall throughout the day. Many areas will see lows bottom out near or below zero by tomorrow morning. We’ll see high pressure keep things dry and sunny through the next couple of days, with the coldest stretch of weather from Wednesday morning into Thursday morning. Much like the rest of the state will experience, a warming trend arrives this weekend. We’ll see the return to highs in the 20s, with some snow in the forecast. Be prepared for some gusty conditions through the Alaska Range by the close of this week.

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SLOPE/WESTERN ALASKA:

Areas of light snow and blowing winds will continue to impact the Slope, with a winter weather advisory remaining in place for the Central Brooks Range and the Beaufort Sea Coast. Both locations will see up to 1 inch of snow and gusty winds up to 35 mph. While the winter weather advisory will expire for the Central Brooks Range this afternoon, the Beaufort Sea Coast will see the alert continue into Tuesday evening. Snow and blowing snow will be the primary impact today, with a return to colder weather through the rest of this week, this comes as high pressure settles into the area.

The storm responsible for the damaging winds for Southcentral over the weekend, has pushed north into the Chukchi Sea. We’ll still see some light snow accumulations for Western Alaska, with 1 to 3 inches expected. Some fo the heaviest snow will fall across the Seward Peninsula and the Western Brooks Range.

An area of low pressure in the Bering Sea will keep gusty winds and snow in the forecast for Gambell/St. Lawrence. Be prepared for heavy snow at times and areas of reduced visibility. Overall, colder weather will settle into Western Alaska, with the possibility of morning fog in the valleys over the next few mornings.

ALEUTIANS:

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Some light areas of snow will occur for the Pribilof Islands and into parts of the Alaska Peninsula today, as a weak low moves up the Peninsula. This will be the main focus for snow into Wednesday for Southcentral. This low will bring heavy precipitation and gusty winds for the Eastern Aleutians and the Alaska Peninsula. Looking ahead through the rest of the week, we can expect to see more a ridge beginning to build into the region. This ridge will slowly shift east, keeping several upper level disturbances traversing the Aleutians. Temperatures will remain fairly warm in the 30s and 40s.

OUTLOOK AHEAD:

Model consensus continues to agree on another warming trend heading our way into next week. This stretch of warmth will likely lead to many spots cementing themselves within the top warmest January’s on record. While we’ll spend the rest of this week on the colder side, highs steadily climb this weekend into next week. We’ll see highs in Southcentral climbing back above freezing, with areas of the Interior climbing back into the 20s.

Have a safe and wonderful Tuesday!

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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Anchorage, Alaska hit by hurricane-force winds, structures damaged across city

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Anchorage, Alaska hit by hurricane-force winds, structures damaged across city


Associated Press

Hurricane-force winds cause widespread damage in Alaska’s largest city

Thousands of residents across Alaska’s largest city were still without power Monday, a day after a powerful storm brought hurricane-force winds that downed power lines, damaged trees, forced more than a dozen planes to divert, and caused a pedestrian bridge over a highway to partially collapse. A 132-mph (212-kph) wind gust was recorded at a mountain weather station south of Anchorage. A large low-pressure system in the Bering Sea brought the high winds, moisture and warmer than average temperatures — in the low 40s Fahrenheit (slightly over 4.4 degrees Celsius) — to Anchorage on Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Tracen Knopp.



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