Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Summary

Alaska News Nightly: Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Host: Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media
Date: May 13, 2026

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Overview

This episode of Alaska News Nightly provides a comprehensive update on Alaska's pressing news: disaster declarations in flood-stricken Interior communities, advancing legislation on legal aid and resource management, ongoing budget negotiations as the legislative session nears its end, substantial changes to Cook Inlet fishery management, wildfire preparedness in Anchorage, and an evocative cultural segment on Tsimshian canoe traditions in Metlakatla. The program features in-depth reporting from across the state, capturing the challenges, adaptation, and resilience of Alaskans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Flood Emergency in Interior Alaska

[00:19 – 02:17]

• Governor Mike Dunleavy declared a disaster for Chalquitsik (Black River) and Hughes (Koyukuk River) after severe ice jam flooding inundated nearly a dozen homes, especially devastating Hughes.
• Emergency efforts are hampered by a flooded Hughes runway, with the state seeking alternate landing sites and delivering relief supplies.
• Jeremy Zedek, Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesperson, warned:

  “We're still looking at other areas of the state that could be impacted by ice jam flooding.” ([00:19])

• Assistance programs for individuals, temporary housing, and infrastructure restoration have been activated. More information will be released soon.

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2. Alaska Legislature: Session’s Final Stretch

[02:17 – 08:51]

• Budget Bills:
  Eric Stone (state government reporter) discusses the House-Senate conference committee negotiating operating and capital budgets:

  • House version: $1,500 PFD, $160M for schools, expanded social programs, heating assistance, but big deficit reliance.
  • Senate version: $1,150 (split between PFD & energy aid), school funding depends on oil prices, generally more conservative.
  • Uncertainty over oil prices persists, but prices have recently been higher than forecast.
  • Capital and mental health budgets are progressing; the supplemental budget already passed.

• Alaska Gas Pipeline Tax Bill:

  • The major debate concerns replacing property taxes with a throughput tax on pipelines, potentially reducing revenue but encouraging investment.
  • Lawmakers are divided on implementation, with little consensus yet.
  • Governor Dunleavy may call a special session if no agreement is reached.
  • Eric Stone:

    “Senators seem reluctant to give up any state revenue to make the pipeline pencil out, and they're frustrated that they're being asked to make decisions without knowing key details...” ([06:03–07:33])

• Other Legislation:

  • A major crime bill would reset the age of consent to 18, criminalize AI-generated child sexual abuse material, and update sexual assault laws.
  • Bills pending: linking hunting/fishing license eligibility to PFD qualification, and a hotly debated pension bill.
  • The host jokes about the perennial “giant cabbage as state vegetable” bill, emphasizing legislative variety:

    “Hey, some of us are watching that cabbage bill pretty closely...” ([08:37])

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3. Crime Report: Fairbanks Domestic Homicide

[09:01 – 10:41]

• 36-year-old Audrey Sheldon charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of her boyfriend Jonathan Wright.
• Police initially informed that Wright had stabbed himself; Sheldon later admitted to stabbing him after a dispute.
• Police spokesperson Teal Soden notes prior domestic violence reports at the residence and the likelihood of additional charges.

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4. Boost for Legal Aid Funding

[10:41 – 13:01]

• House Bill 48, sponsored by Rep. Sarah Hannon, would increase earmarked court fee revenue for the Alaska Legal Services Corporation from 10% to 25%, providing an estimated $400,000 annually for free legal services.
• Hannon emphasizes the bill’s reach:

  “We are helping Alaskans. We are keeping them out of long litigation. We are keeping them housed, fed, health benefits intact for the disabled veterans they work with, for the women who need restraining orders.” ([11:29])

• The bill enjoys cross-party support but also opposition over budgetary concerns.
• Sen. Forrest Dunbar (Anchorage Democrat) states:

  “ALSC is often where other organizations send their most vulnerable clients when they can't get help they need or the services they require.” ([12:45])

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5. Cook Inlet Fisheries Management Shakeup

[13:01 – 18:05]

• Major Change:
  • The Board of Fisheries modifies the Kenai king salmon “special low abundance management plan,” prohibiting set netters from using traditional gear (set gillnets) when king returns are low. Instead, experimental beach seines will target sockeye while releasing live king salmon.
  • Chair Merrick Carlson Van Dort clarifies:

    “This is not a wholesale change of the fishery. In the underlying management plan, gillnets are still allowed.” ([14:06])

  • Members cited the Kenai as a critical case amidst salmon declines and pointed to promising results from recent experimental seine use (all 16 kings released alive from nearly 30,000 fish).
• Controversy & Dissent:
  • Critics argue the change disenfranchises set netters without shore leases and was rushed outside normal regulatory cycles.
  • Board member Mike Wood objects:

    "...you're just basically giving beach seines to about 35 or 45 fishermen and leaving 300, and some out there not even able to fish with one eighth of the amount of gear that they used to have." ([16:47])

  • Most public comments opposed; only the Kenai River Sport Fishing Association submitted support.
  • The board voted 4–2 in favor, effective this summer.

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6. Anchorage Wildfire Preparedness

[18:05 – 19:58]

• Wildfire season in Anchorage is projected to be “average” but with persistent risk due to dry, windy summers.
• John Glover (Chief, Wildfire Division):

  “We want to be really, really, really prepared as we get into those hotter and drier months, if we have them.” ([18:16])

• The division is clearing brush, thinning spruce, and scheduling ongoing mitigation in at-risk neighborhoods.
• Residents are urged to develop evacuation plans, ready emergency kits, and sign up for Smart911 alerts.
• Glover stresses:

  “Having your plan figured out, knowing what you're going to do, what your evacuation route's going to be, having your stuff ready to go...” ([19:43])

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7. Metlakatla: Canoe Traditions and Cultural Renewal

[19:58 – 25:47]

• Hunter Morrison follows a Tsimshian canoe “awakening” ceremony in Metlakatla, on Annette Island, marking the start of the paddling season.
• Ceremony Highlights:
  • Canoe (“Nahaigam Tlagetum”: “Spirit of our ancestors”) is ritually cleansed with cedar boughs and honored by song, reflecting beliefs that canoes are “living, breathing things.”
  • David Nelson (canoe steward):

    "We believe they're like a living, living, breathing thing, so we treat it as such and we say hello to it." ([22:08])

• Significance:
  • Canoeing re-connects residents with tribal heritage and the migration from British Columbia over 130 years ago.
  • Johan Atkinson (Louida nonprofit president) shares:

    “It's that feeling of we're going to be on the ocean, on the highways of our ancestors…” ([23:47])

  • Children join in, ensuring generational continuity.

    “Having them experience now is something that many of us adults have not experienced at their age. … There’s just no words on how amazing that is.” ([25:05])

• The tradition draws visitors nationally, helping sustain Tsimshian culture and community bonds.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We're still looking at other areas of the state that could be impacted by ice jam flooding.” (Jeremy Zedek, [00:19])
• “Any bill that doesn't pass before that May 20 deadline dies, lawmakers would have to, you know, start all over again next year…” (Eric Stone, [03:21])
• “We are helping Alaskans. We are keeping them out of long litigation. We are keeping them housed, fed, health benefits intact for the disabled veterans they work with, for the women who need restraining orders.” (Rep. Sarah Hannon, [11:29])
• “Why are we in such a hurry to get this wrong like this? Really, to me, seems like something that needs the deliberation necessary next fall to come up with some of these answers.” (Board member Mike Wood, [17:14])
• “The bottom line is we went for about 15 years, 15 to 20 years, with almost no mitigation actions within the municipality. It's pretty hard to make up that gap.” (John Glover, [18:57])
• “We believe they're like a living, living, breathing thing, so we treat it as such and we say hello to it.” (David Nelson, [22:08])
• “It's that feeling of we're going to be on the ocean, on the highways of our ancestors...” (Johan Atkinson, [23:47])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Flooding disaster declaration & response: [00:19 – 02:17]
• Legislative session/budget updates: [02:17 – 08:51]
• Fairbanks homicide case: [09:01 – 10:41]
• Legal aid bill details: [10:41 – 13:01]
• Cook Inlet fisheries changes: [13:01 – 18:05]
• Anchorage wildfire mitigation: [18:05 – 19:58]
• Metlakatla canoe ceremony & cultural segment: [19:58 – 25:47]

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Conclusion

This episode of Alaska News Nightly delivers an information-rich, nuanced look at the challenges Alaskans face across governance, social welfare, environmental conditions, and cultural heritage. It weaves breaking news with human stories and policy debates, offering a well-rounded snapshot of life across the state as spring 2026 unfolds.

Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

Support for Alaska Public Media on demand

[Casey Grove]

comes from alyeska Pipeline Service Company maintaining

[Narrator/Host]

and operating the 800 mile Trans Alaska Pipeline since 1977.

[Hunter Morrison]

More at alyescapipeline.com.

[Jeremy Zedek]

We're still looking at other areas of the state that could be impacted by ice jam flooding.

[Casey Grove]

Governor Dunleavy issues a disaster declaration for two interior communities hit by Springfield. From Alaska Public Media. This is statewide news on Alaska News nightly for Tuesday, May 12th. Good evening. I'm Casey Grove. Also tonight, state lawmakers pass a bill that would increase funding for free legal aid for vulnerable Alaskans.

[Sarah Hannon]

We are helping Alaskans. We are keeping them out of long litigation.

[Casey Grove]

Those stories and more tonight on Alaska News Nightly. Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration yesterday for two interior Alaska communities after they were inundated with severe ice jam flooding. The declaration covers the areas near Chalquitsik on the Black river and Hughes on the Koyukuk River. Almost a dozen homes became flooded in Chalquitsik, but the situation is especially dire in Hughes. The state is working to deliver emergency supplies to the community, but the water is still high. Jeremy Zedek is a spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

[Jeremy Zedek]

They had water and ice on their Runway. The water has gone down a little bit, but the Runway is not serviceable by fixed wing aircraft at this time. We're looking at an alternate Runway that is nearby.

[Casey Grove]

Zedek says when the flooding peaked on May 9, most of the community's nearly 80 residents had to shelter at the Hughes Tribal Hall. He says spring breakup is in full swing and the danger has not passed for many other riverside communities in the interior.

[Jeremy Zedek]

We're still looking at other areas of the state that could be impacted by ice jam flooding. And so if there is a necessity to add new areas, the governor will consider the information that we provide to him and then make that determination.

[Casey Grove]

In addition to activating the state's emergency response capabilities, the governor's disaster declaration also opens up several assistance programs for the affected areas. The state's public assistance program focuses on restoring essential infrastructure and can be accessed by local governments, tribes and nonprofits. And its individual assistance and temporary housing programs can help individuals and families recover from flood related property damage. Zedig says the state will release more information about those programs in the coming days. The Alaska Legislature's regular session ends in just over a week and lawmakers are racing to pass a wide range of bills and resolutions before the deadline. Alaska Public Media's Eric Stone has been at the Capitol tracking what lawmakers are up to as the end of the session approaches. And he joins us now. So, Eric, what's in store for the last week of the session?

[Eric Stone]

Well, Casey, it is going to be busy. This is the second year of a two year legislature. So any bill that doesn't pass before that May 20 deadline dies, lawmakers would have to, you know, start all over again next year or, or whenever the next session is. More on that ominous suggestion in just a minute. But there are a few things to watch here. There are the budget bills, of course, as are always a big deal because they encompass so much of what state government does. And the operating budget sets the amount of the permanent fund dividend. There's also the gas pipeline tax bill. Legislators are debating how much to subsidize the Alaska LNG project. And then there's what I'll call everything else.

[Casey Grove]

Right. Just the rest of all that. First, though, let's dig into the budget bills.

[Eric Stone]

Always a good place to start. So the operating budget, that's the big one. It's passed out of the House and out of the Senate. So now a conference committee is working out the differences. The House's budget has a 1500 dollars PFD and about $160 million in one time funding for public schools and also a deficit that would likely require spending more than 300 million DOL from the state's main savings account. It also includes the revival of a state funded heating assistance program, more money for child care, early learning programs and other social programs. The Senate's budget is far more conservative. It's built on a more modest forecast for oil prices for next year than the Department of Revenue predicted back in March. It includes $1,150 in payments to Alaskans. That is a $1,000 PFD and a $150 energy relief payment. It's enabled by high oil prices this year. It also includes up to $111 million for schools, plus another approximately $30 million specifically to help schools with high energy costs, though much of that depends on oil prices coming in higher than the forecast. And for now, prices have been a lot higher than the Forecast, which was $91 a barrel for the rest of the fiscal year when they issued it back in March. Alaska's oil has been selling at a weirdly high premium to global benchmarks, lingering well above $100 a barrel since mid March. And there's obviously a lot of uncertainty, though, around that given the chaos in the Middle East. But as far as the budget goes, we'll start seeing where things Land here pretty soon as the conference committee works out the final draft of it. And that's the operating budget. The capital budget, which funds longer term infrastructure projects, has seen less debate. Most of the state general purpose money in that budget is devoted to school and state facility maintenance and upgrades. And that bill should be up for a final house vote soon. One quick thing on the third budget bill, the mental health budget, Senators added funding for homeless assistance programs to match an agency request that eliminated a cut that was proposed by the Dunleavy administration. The fourth and final budget bill, the supplemental budget, actually passed earlier this year.

[Casey Grove]

Okay, so there we have all the budget bills. Let's talk about the gas line bill.

[Eric Stone]

Yeah, Casey, this is the big one. So to boil it down, there's a large statewide tax on the books for oil and gas properties. It's 2% of the assessed value per year. Back in March, Governor Mike Dunleavy proposed replacing that property tax with a tax on pipeline throughput, which would vastly reduce the amount of state and municipal revenue from the project, but would also make the risky and complex project more attractive to investors. Now, a month and a half later, everyone seems to be on board with that so called alternative volumetric tax as a concept, but what the tax rate should actually be and you know, what conditions should be attached to that tax relief, basically that's not something that is close to settled. The House Resources Committee approved a bill last week with a tax about two and a half times what Dunleavy proposed. Now it's onto the House Finance Committee. And I've been listening in on those hearings. And honestly, a lot of lawmakers there are starting from square one in the Senate. It's yet to pass out of its first committee, despite dozens of hearings. Senators seem reluctant to give up any state revenue to make the pipeline pencil out, and they're frustrated that they're being asked to make decisions without knowing key details, like, you know, the most recent estimates for the cost of the whole project. So for now, leaders in the state House and Senate are doubtful they can get the bill done before the regular session ends. Meanwhile, though, Governor Mike Dunleavy says he's willing to call a special session on the issue, though he does insist there's enough time to get the bill through both chambers. Dunleavy has an hour after adjournment to call lawmakers back into an immediate special session. Otherwise he'd have to wait 30 days. So this one is definitely one to watch as we get down to the wire.

[Casey Grove]

All right, now we're left with that third bucket. Everything else.

[Eric Stone]

Yeah, it's a big bucket, Casey, because this is bill passing season. There's a crime bill. There's a package of 10 proposals rolled into one moving through the Senate. Among other things, it would raise the state's age of consent to 18, criminalize AI generated child sexual abuse material, update laws on sexual assault by a health care worker, many others. That one is in the Senate Finance Committee right now and could head to the floor pretty soon. There's also a bill that would link eligibility for resident hunting and fishing licenses to PFD eligibility that's now awaiting a vote in the Senate after passing the House earlier this year. And then lots of folks are anticipating a veto of a bill that would allow the state to once again offer its employees a pension plan. Lawmakers passed that late last month and Dunlavey has to sign or veto it before lawmakers leave town or it'll go into effect automatically. So you can expect movement on that in the closing days of the session. And there is so much more I wish I could get into, including bill to make the giant cabbage the state vegetable. But I think we'll have to leave

[Narrator/Host]

it there for now.

[Casey Grove]

Hey, some of us are watching that cabbage bill pretty closely, but thank you for catching us up on all those other, arguably more important things. That was Alaska Public Media's state government reporter, Eric Stone. Eric, thanks for being here.

[Eric Stone]

Thank you for having me.

[Casey Grove]

Still to come on Alaska News nightly, canoes hit the water in Metlakahtla to mark the changing of the seasons.

[Hunter Morrison]

We're going to be on the ocean, on the highways of our ancestors.

[Casey Grove]

That's ahead. Stay with us. A Fairbanks woman has been charged with second degree murder in the fatal stabbing of her boyfriend over the weekend. 36 year old Audrey Sheldon is held at Fairbanks Correctional center after making an initial court appearance Monday on the murder charge. Her bail was set at $750,000, according to a Fairbanks Police Department news release. Sheldon was arrested Sunday. That was after officers responded to a report of a stabbing at a Midtown residence at around 10am the release said the 911 caller told a dispatcher that the victim stabbed himself after he cheated on his girlfriend. Police spokesperson Teal Soden said officers tried life saving efforts to revive the victim, identified as 42 year old Jonathan Wright. She said officers then talked with Sheldon, who appeared to be intoxicated.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

Her initial story was that the victim had stabbed himself. Later, she did change that story story to stating that they had argued and the victim stated that he had cheated on her.

[Casey Grove]

Soden said others at the scene gave a different account that contradicted Sheldon's version. And when the officers presented that information to her, she admitted she stabbed the victim.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

She stated that she did not mean to stab him in the heart. She had meant to just stab him in the shoulder.

[Casey Grove]

Soden said police had responded to previous reports of domestic violence at the residence.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

It does appear that there was prior domestic violence situations in the home, and through the course of this investigation, there are likely to be more charges pressed

[Casey Grove]

against Audrey, soden said. Anyone who knows anything about the incident is asked to contact Fairbanks police. A Juneau lawmakers bill to increase state funding for free legal aid to vulnerable Alaskans is headed to the governor Juneau's Democratic House Representative Sarah Hannon sponsored House Bill 48. She introduced it in late January. The Alaska House advanced the bill in late February and the Senate approved it last week. It now awaits governor Mike Dunleavy's signature. During the bill's final reading in the House earlier this year, Hannon said the bill would help provide urgent relief to low income Alaskans who need legal aid but can't afford it.

[Sarah Hannon]

We are helping Alaskans. We are keeping them out of long litigation. We are keeping them housed, fed, health benefits intact for the disabled veterans they work with, for the women who need restraining orders.

[Casey Grove]

The bill, if signed into law, would boost funding to the Alaska Legal Services Corporation. It's a nonprofit that provides free civil legal aid to low income Alaskans, targeting issues like housing disputes, domestic violence and tribal self government. Right now, state law sets aside 10% of the fees paid annually to the Alaska court system to go to the nonprofit. Hannan's bill would amend the state statute to increase that to 25%. That would provide an estimated $400,000 in additional funding to the nonprofit. Hannan says the funding increase is necessary as the number of vulnerable Alaskans in need of legal aid continues to grow. But the resources to help them haven't kept pace. The bill has received letters of support from organizations including the Alaska Children's Trust, the Southeast Alaska Independent Living Agency and the Alaska Federation of Natives. Ahead of the bill's final vote in the Senate, Anchorage Democrat Forrest Dunbar called the Alaska Legal Services Corporation, or alsc, a crucial piece of Alaska's social safety net.

[John Glover]

ALSC is often where other organizations send their most vulnerable clients when they can't get help they need or the services they require. Passage of this bill will help ensure that struggling Alaskans, particularly survivors of domestic violence, will have access to legal aid in times of crisis.

[Casey Grove]

The bill cleared the Senate in a 17. 3 vote and the House 27 to 13, with minority Republicans crossing over in support. Opponents said they were concerned about the cost as the state grapples with a long running structural deficit. A spokesperson for the governor declined to say whether he intends to sign the well Hundreds of commercial fishermen on Cook Inlet's east side will no longer be allowed to use their traditional fishing gear when local king salmon runs are poor. The state Board of Fisheries earlier this month approved changes to the special management plan under which the fishery currently operates. The changes came over the objections of settnetters and some board members. KDLL's Ashlyn O' Hara reports the changes

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

swap out settnets for beach seines in the state's special low abundance management plan for the Kenai River's late run king salmon fishery. The philosophy behind the change is that seine nets could allow fishermen to release king salmon by catch while they fish for their target species. The changes do not impact the fisheries basic management plan. The new rules only apply to the special low abundance management plan.

[Sarah Hannon]

This is not a wholesale change of the fishery.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

That's board chair Merrick Carlson Van Dort speaking at the Board of Fisheries special virtual meeting.

[Sarah Hannon]

In the underlying management plan, gillnets are still allowed.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

Carlson Van Dort says she supports the changes but knows the proposal isn't perfect. She says she's been frustrated by the board's inability to give more fishing opportunities to the setnet fleet during abundant sockeye salmon runs.

[Sarah Hannon]

My motivation is to try and figure out a path forward to provide opportunity on abundant sockeye in times of low key and and this is a way to do it. It's a baby step way to do that.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

It's been years since Cook Inlet's commercial east side set netters have fished a normal season. Alaska's Board of Fisheries has put restrictions on the fishery with the goal of letting dwindling king salmon runs in the Kenai and Kasiloff rivers rebuild. Board member Curtis Chamberlain helped bring the proposals forward. He says the board's actions on the Kenai river have statewide implications.

[Sarah Hannon]

This river is a poster child for the salmon crashes that a lot of the rivers are seeing in there, and that's something we very much have to take pay attention to.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

Restrictions in recent years have prompted east side fishermen to experiment with beach seines. Settnets catch fish by the gills. By the time the fish are pulled onto the beach, they're usually dead. But seines billow at the tide and scoop fish onto the shore still alive. Setnatters, hypothesized seines could enable them to harvest sockeye and release any kings back into Cook Inlet, and data gathered over the last two years suggests that mission was successful. Of almost 30,000 fish caught by beach seiners last year, all 16 king salmon were released back into the inlet last year. The state gave set netters a brief window to fish after the run hit the state's threshold. But board member Olivia Hinahi Irwin says that's evidence the state's management plan is working.

[Sarah Hannon]

What I don't want to see is us looking at this 2025 number that technically met the recovery goal and immediately start to go back on all the progress that's been made.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

The board made a few tweaks to the proposal before passing it last Friday. Members removed references to lease site requirements after the board's lawyers said that authority belongs to a different state department. The board signed off on up to 10 more experimental cost neutral beach seine permits for the summer, which are being reviewed by the department. And the board removed the word preseason from the king count that must be met before beach seines can be used. Now that gear may be allowed whenever the run hits that level, regardless of the time of season. Not all board members agree the changes are the best solution. Member Mike Wood says it's not as simple as swapping out one gear type for another. A requirement that beach seiners fish from shore, for example, will disenfranchise hundreds of permit holders who don't have shore leases,

[Sarah Hannon]

he said allocatively, you're just basically giving beach seines to about 35 or 45 fishermen and leaving 300, and some out there not even able to fish with one eighth of the amount of gear that they used to have.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

Multiple members also raised concerns about process. The changes were made outside of when the board would normally consider Cook Inlet issues. The board meets in three year cycles and isn't scheduled to take up Cook Inlet issues until next year. Wood says the changes should wait until then.

[Sarah Hannon]

Why are we in such a hurry to get this wrong like this? Really, to me, seems like something that needs the deliberation necessary next fall to come up with some of these answers.

[Ashlyn O'Hara]

But the board did not accept public testimony during its meeting, but it received hundreds of pages of public comments on the three proposals it considered. Nearly all addressing the beach seine proposal were against the changes. Groups opposed included the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen's association, the Pacific Seafood Processors association, the United Fishermen of Alaska, the North Pacific Fisheries association, the Kainaitse Indian Tribe and the Alaska Salmon alliance, among others. A letter of support came from the Kenai River Sport Fishing Association. The board voted 4 to 2 in favor of the changes, which go into effect for the upcoming summer fishing season. Reporting in Soldotna, I'm Ashlyn o'. Hara.

[Casey Grove]

The wildfire season in Anchorage is likely to be average, according to the Anchorage Fire Department. John Glover, chief of the department's Wildfire division, says the risk is still high even during an average year.

[John Glover]

We want to be really, really, really prepared as we get into those hotter and drier months, if we have them. In the summertime, long hours of sunlight

[Casey Grove]

and wind can dry out the forested areas that make up the vast majority of the city, increasing the potential for wildfires in cities like Anchorage, Glover says a small fire can create a big impact. Glover says the Wildfire Division will start clearing brush and thinning highly flammable spruce trees in July. The focus will be on areas where homes butt up against wild areas and residents have few evacuation routes. Last summer, the division worked on several similar projects in places like Campbell Airstrip Road and the Anchorage Hillside. But Glover says there's still a lot to do.

[John Glover]

The bottom line is we went for about 15 years, 15 to 20 years, with almost no mitigation actions within the municipality. It's pretty hard to make up that gap. Those eight to 12 projects that we're doing, that's just a start.

[Casey Grove]

The city founded the wildfire division in 2024, partly in response to disastrous fires in the Lower 48. The projects are funded with federal grants. Glover says the plan is to continue clearing out underbrush and other fuel sources in strategic areas and to create a schedule to maintain the work. The division also has grant money for public outreach projects. Residents can sign up for a program called firewise, which assesses the fire readiness of homes. Glover says having a plan is the most important thing to keep in mind.

[John Glover]

Having your plan figured out, knowing what you're going to do, what your evacuation route's going to be, having your stuff ready to go in case you're going to be displaced, having an action plan for your kids if you're at work, that kind of a deal, he says.

[Casey Grove]

The best way to get information about wildfires and other disasters is to sign up for the city's text alerts called Smart911. Wildlife across southern southeast Alaska is emerging from wintertime hibernation. But in Metlakahtla, on Anet island, animals are not the only things waking up. Canoes are hitting the water again, marking this year's start of a Tsimshian tradition that's tied to the village's history. KRBD's Hunter Morrison tagged along for a recent canoe journey and has this story.

[Hunter Morrison]

Nahaygam Nahaigam shlagigetum means spirit of her ancestors.

[Narrator/Host]

About a dozen people are holding cedar boughs in a driveway on the outskirts of town. Seated atop a nearby trailer is a long white canoe with a red and black form line design painted on the bow. David Nelson, whose native name translates to strong voice of the steersman, grabs his drum and begins singing. As the drum beats echo through the subdivision, the mixed aged crowd circles the canoe. They're cleansing and awakening the vessel by brushing the cedar along its sides. The song's lyrics honor the canoe and welcome its paddlers.

[David Nelson]

What I said is we travel from place to place. We come together to sing for you all. We hope we wish you all the best. The fire is lit and it is beautiful when you see it. It's good to see you all. We're from Mata Cattle and we're at Tsimsheon.

[Narrator/Host]

The song hasn't been performed in three years, but Nelson says this cloudy Saturday seemed like the right time to revive it. That's because the newly blessed canoe hasn't seen the water since the fall.

[David Nelson]

We believe they're like a living, living, breathing thing, so we treat it as such and we say hello to it. And when we put it away, we tell it it was good to be and we thank it for doing everything. We treat it just like we would a normal living thing.

[Narrator/Host]

The ceremony, part of the canoe's awakening, marks the start of its spring and summertime journey. The 40 foot long Nahaigam Tlagetum, or spirit of our ancestors, has navigated Metlakahtla's waters and traveled to neighboring islands for over a decade. It's one of three that is actively used in the community and can seat up to 18 people.

[Hunter Morrison]

So the whole reason why we got this canoe was to get our people in Metlakahtla out on the water.

[Narrator/Host]

That's Johan Atkinson, president of the non profit Louida. He says the organization's goal is to share Tsimshean culture and bring Metlakahtla back to its canoeing roots. The first canoes arrived in the village over 130 years ago when William Duncan, an Anglican missionary, moved with over 800 Tsimshean people from the original town site in British Columbia to Annette Island. They settled the new Metlakahtla, which is now part of the only native reservation in Alaska. At its founding, canoes were often utilized for traditional purposes like harvesting native plants. And while today's canoes are often used to educate people about Tsimshean culture, they're still important to traditional practices. Atkinson says the canoe takes care of the people of Metlakahtla, and in turn, the community takes care of the canoe.

[Hunter Morrison]

It's that feeling of we're going to be on the ocean, on the highways of our ancestors, you know, and that just that feeling is so comforting. I feel complete when it is canoe season. Okay, so let's see.

[Narrator/Host]

Minutes after its blessing, the spirit of our ancestors is towed to a boat launch in the heart of town. The group piles into the vessel one at a time. Atkinson disperses wood paddles. He sits in the stern and acts as the navigator.

[Hunter Morrison]

Paddles ready and pull. One, two.

[Narrator/Host]

The ocean is smooth as glass. Baby salmon are swimming near the water's surface. The canoe cruises past a boat harbor, then maneuvers around the city's cannery. A few curious sea otters pop their heads out of the water to investigate the commotion. Atkinson is singing. Within 20 minutes, the crew reaches nearby One Tree island, where they disembark and explore. Atkinson, who is joined by his son, niece, and nephew, hopes fun opportunities like these can help keep Tsimshean traditions alive for the next generation.

[Hunter Morrison]

Having them experience now is something that many of us adults have not experienced at their age. So the fact that they are here learning and leading is. There's just no words on how amazing that is.

[Narrator/Host]

Atkinson says. Folks from all over the country visit Metlakahtla each summer to experience the village's canoe journeys firsthand. Reporting in Metlakahatla, I'm Hunter Morrison.

[Casey Grove]

And that's all for this edition of Alaska News Nightly. We had reports tonight from Shelby Herbert in Fairbanks, Eric Stone and Clarice Larsen in Juneau, Tim Ellis in Delta Junction, Ashlyn o' Hara in Soldotna, Hannah Florin, Anchorage, and Hunter Morrison in Katchakan. Our audio engineer is Crystal Hyde. Kirsten Dobroth is our producer. And I'm Casey Grove. Good night. This is statewide news on Alaska Public Media.