“Let us tend to our own garden.” – Voltaire Large, red and shiny. There are no trees native to Alaska with leaves like that. The 8-inch sapling growing on the edge of a rural road not far from Eklutna Lake was a Canada red chokecherry, an introduced exotic plant. I reached down and pulled it out of the gravel. I am not a botanist, but … Continue reading Introduced and invasive plants of Eklutna Valley
Do nimble foreign roadsters have an advantage over larger, more muscular American sports cars on a narrow, winding, gravel road? On a cool and overcast evening in July 1958 the newly formed Alaska Sports Car Club held the first automotive hillclimb event in Alaska. We were about to find out. A hillclimb is a racing event where cars speed uphill one at a time. The … Continue reading Racing to oblivion: the Eklutna Hillclimb and the mysterious histories of three long-abandoned vehicles
Alaska has about 84 species of butterflies. There may be ten times as many moths, but many moth species remain undiscovered or unidentified. It’s not because they are rare, it’s because Alaska is large and lepidopterists are rare. Every species isn’t found in Eklutna Valley, of course. This is a list of the butterflies and moths I’ve found in the valley so far. But first … Continue reading Butterflies and moths of Eklutna Valley
A lonely headstone in a sunny birch forest advertises the grave of Zenia Shedell. Who was Zenia and how did she come to Eklutna Valley? The wooden headstone, once painted red, offers few clues. She appears to have been born in 1911. She died on May 25, 1928, only 16 or 17 years old. The grave’s location offers another clue. It’s not far from Eklutna … Continue reading Who was Zenia?
I’m a professional wildlife biologist and amateur historian. Alaska’s largest city – Anchorage – was my beat for 17 years. But I was also in charge of the wildlife and human interactions in the immense Chugach State Park, which is where I first stumbled into Eklutna Valley. I’m trying to uncover the little known natural and human history of the valley. The valley is dominated … Continue reading Who am I and what do I think I’m doing?
“A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” Henry David Thoreau I’m looking into the depths of Eklutna Lake and the surrounding valley. So little is known of its nature and history. I’m interested in the natural and human history of Eklutna Valley, Alaska. The valley, which … Continue reading Exploring Eklutna
The natural (and human) history of Eklutna Valley, Alaska 