The place to dicuss local topics and to meet others in your area.

Are there many Alaskans here? I have a question!

:hi: ME ME ME!!! :D

I used to live in alaska! for four years! it was great!!! i miss alaska... :(

Really? When? Where? Are you coming to visit soon? :D

Terra, do you remember hearing about a bill that govt wanted to pass about wolf culling...? I'm foggy on the details but the people spoke and the bill wasn't passed...? It was maybe a year or two ago?

Maybe I'll see if I can find the details...

Here one excerpt taken from the Anchorage Daily News ( http://adn.com ) on April 24th, just this year.

Some rural lawmakers have been upset about wildlife initiatives that made it on the ballot primarily because of signatures from urban voters.
For example, in 1996, voters banned land-and-shoot wolf hunting. After the Alaska Legislature tinkered with the law in early 2000 in an attempt to grow more moose by having more wolves killed, voters approved another ballot measure that reiterated opposition to same-day airborne hunting.
Supporters of the land-and-shoot ban say that Fairbanks Republican Sen. Ralph Seekins is now trying to overturn voter intent with a bill that would make it easier for the Alaska Board of Game to authorize airborne predator control programs. But, as a result of bills that passed after the original 1996 land-and-shoot initiative, state officials say the Game Board, with agreement of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, can already allow private airborne hunting under certain circumstances. Seekins' bill just streamlines the process, they say.
But Joel Bennett of Juneau, a representative of the Defenders of Wildlife and a former Game Board member, charges that the Seekins bill "is the latest in a pattern of legislative erosion of the ... initiative against land and shoot."
Meanwhile, the governor is seeking to repeal parts of a 1996 campaign finance reform law that was adopted by the Legislature as a result of citizens' ballot initiative. The bill, supported by the Alaska Public Offices Commission, would double the legal limits on individual campaign contributions -- from $500 to $1,000 -- and allow lobbyists to contribute to the election campaigns of candidates outside their districts. The Senate state affairs committee has passed the proposal, which the Alaska Public Interest Research group calls a betrayal of the citizens' wishes.
Another law adopted by the Legislature last year under pressure from a citizens' initiative spurred by the AFL-CIO was an increase in the state's minimum wage. There is now an effort, led by Anchorage Republican Rep. Norm Rokeberg to allow businesses to pay anyone younger than 20 less than the minimum wage for the first three months after an employee is hired. The AFL-CIO is fighting it.
Reporter Sean Cockerham can be reached at 1-907-586-1531 or scockerham@adn.com.

Here is a link to that story
http://www.adn.com/legislature/story/3004698p-3028807c.html

...and a link to a story in last Sunday's paper where our new Governer says NO! :)
http://www.adn.com/legislature/issues/wildlife/story/3102078p-3124664c.html

But, as you can see, it still is an issue here. :(

Thanks so much Terrafae!

ive always wanted to go to alaska wanted to move their too !
HOws the weather ?

Right now it's feeling warm and springy in the 50's/60's with cooler nights. This winter was really goofy, not enough snow and 60 degrees for almost a week in February! In general though, I find it to be alot like the midwest. Colder than MI, but warmer than MN. What's great here though, is that people don't slow down come winter, they just pull on the bunny boots and go play! I'd much rather have snow to go with the cold than just cold and yuck! Summer's are awesome. It gets hot, but not so much that your gasping for air after walking to your car! If you ever get up here for a visit, let me know, I'll give you the grand tour! :D

terrafae i don't think i'm visiting anytime soon :-( but i lived in kodiak for 4 years. after that i lived in MI and now i'm here in MA. i've been all over the place, in fact (before AK it was CT, then IN, then TX.)

I was in Kodiak in '89! My son was born there. :) I just moved here in '01 from MI and I grew up in MN.

I lived in Ketchikan for 3 summers. The first two summers I was there, I worked in a salmon cannery. Obviously, this was in the pre-veg days. It was pretty gruesome. The third summer I waited tables and made the same kind of money, without the stench. I loved it up there! the mountains, the trees, the oceans... I should dig up some photos....

TerraFae, where exactly are you?

I was just talking to a friend of mine a few minutes ago who lives in Nome but is attending school here. sounds like a nice balance to me!

I'm in Anchorage. I'm loving it!

ive always wanted to go to alaska wanted to move their too !
HOws the weather ?

Depends on what part you're interested in. A lot of people don't appreciate just how big the state is. Most U.S. maps show us in a little box, right next to Hawaii. Actually, if overlaid on a map of the lower 48, Alaska would stretch from the Minnesota to Georgia to California, with just as many distinct climates.

MAP (http://www.dced.state.ak.us/cbd/lga/Ak_on_US.htm)

I've lived in most of them in the last 20+ years.

I live in Anchorage. (Hi Terrafae). There are times I love living here and other times I daydream about packing up my son and my critters and driving as far away from here as my money will take me ;0) The winter and darkness gets to me, I suppose. Also, I miss being able to hop in the car and go to different places, like I could in the L48. Hello all :0)
We are having an amazing Spring, so far. Beautiful, beautiful weather. From what I have heard, it is warmer here than it is in many places on the East Coast! That is how the winter was, as well. Guess I shouldn't take off just yet ;0)

Hmm...yeah, I do miss being able to drive to the next state in an hour, although driving up here from MI was an awesome experience! :)

I guess the key is to work for the airline, so you can fly to other states when you need a little change of scenery. You get the buddy passes, too- so you can get your friends out. Strangely, though- all the people I know that work for the airlines never take advantage of their flying benefits....

I need a flight to Atlanta STAT!! :D Must...make it...to...gathering!
(sorry.....I need sleep too....TOO MUCH STRESS! Aaaagghh!)

WOW! I drove from alaska TO mi terrafae! how did you go, through Canada or through the states?

From MI, I went over to South Dakota (South instead of North so the kids could see Mt. Rushmore) Detoured to see Devils Tower in Wyoming (I don't know why, I was just drawn to it for some strange reason. :)) Then up through Shelby, Montana. We camped the whole way. I had myself 2 kids a cat and a bird in a big van. It was incredible! I'd love to do the Al-Can again. BC and the Yukon was beautiful! And I really want to go to the hot springs in Liard River again!

do you guys consider yourselves canadian ?
1 time was i talkin to this girl and shes like ya im canadian im like o cool me too where are ya from ?
and shes like alaska
im like but your canadian ! I MEAN IM LIKE YOU SAID YOUYR CANADAIN !
and shes like most peeps from alaska consider themselves canadian
so i was wondering what you guys thout about that
EDITED BCUZ OF MY RETATDEDNESS !!

Um....no. I don't know anyone here that considers themselves Canadian, with the exception of those that are originally from Canada. Not that I would mind being Canadian, but I don't live there! Of course there are many people in the lower 48 that think Alaska is a totally different country! My friend's wife was in a store in Ohio when a cashier, after looking at her driver's license, commented, "Alaska? Wow, you speak really good English! :)

umm, hi...i really don't belong here. never been to alaska, and probably never will. but i saw this posted elsewhere, and thought some of you might be interested:
"I'm from Anchorage, AK and I am in desperate need of finding some vegetarians where i live. me and a few others are setting up an alaska vegetarian society and we are in need of recruiting people!" dilate@eudoramail.com

:D I know her! :D Yup, we've converged and are starting the Vegetarian Society of Alaska, hooray!Unfortunatly that e-mail of hers isn't working,but anyone interested can let me know here too! We've had two meetings so far and we're planning some different events to gain some exposure and recruit people to join the band of AK vegheads! I'm really excited about this. I hope we can keep the momentum.