Desiree Hagen

3 weeks ago | alaskapublic.org | Desiree Hagen

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation reported the spill of up to 400,000 gallons of water used at a large lead and zinc mine in Northern Alaska early Wednesday. According to the department, the spill of “process water” occurred at about 2:30 a.m. at the Red Dog Mine, located around 80 miles north of Kotzebue. “The spill of process water did land mostly in containment, but some of it did reach Red Dog Creek,” said Kathy Shea, a department spokesperson.

3 weeks ago | adn.com | Desiree Hagen

Along coastal regions in the Northwest Arctic, a staple fish may be expanding its habitat because of warming waters. That is a key finding from a two-year study that monitored sheefish movements using satellite transmitters. “These ones [in the Northwest Arctic] are generally considered to be the largest sheefish in the world,” said Kevin Fraley, a fisheries ecologist and lead on the study.

1 month ago | adn.com | Desiree Hagen

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game released its management outlook for the Kotzebue Sound commercial chum salmon season earlier this month. After the fishery’s record low return last year, state biologists expect this year’s season to be about average for the country’s northernmost commercial fishery. This year state biologists expect the harvest to fall within the range of 50,000 to 150,000 fish.

Mar 3, 2025 | adn.com | Desiree Hagen

Six months ago Siikauraq Whiting applied for her dream job as superintendent for the Western Arctic Parklands, managing a nearly 9 million acre area that includes three national parks: Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Noatak National Preserve and Kobuk Valley National Park. After a lengthy process, she was selected over more than 100 nationwide applicants in early January.

Mar 3, 2025 | adn.com | Desiree Hagen

On a cold February afternoon, a line of cars and snow machines idle in front of Maniilaq Health Center. Kotzebue residents wait to receive 5-pound bags of salmon. It’s sockeye salmon, cut and vacuum-sealed into individual portions. Employees hand out the bags to eager residents one at a time, in below zero temperatures, while others unload and open 30-pound boxes of the fish. The salmon is from SeaShare, a Washington state nonprofit.