A $500,000 federal grant will help the University of Alaska Museum of the North preserve Bus 142, popularized by the book and movie “Into the Wild.”

The funding comes from the National Park Service and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, through the Save America’s Treasures program. Angela Linn, a museum collections manager, said the award will help cover the costs for preserving the 1940s-era Fairbanks public transit bus.

“Freeze it and document it in its current state, because the most famous part of it was from 1992 when Chris McCandless was there,” Linn said.

"UAF gets federal grant to preserve ‘Into the Wild’ bus" by Dan Bross, October 25, 2022. KTOO.org.

The town of Thorne Bay has rallied to bring their new library to life. It officially opened this summer, and now has one full-time employee and a squad of more than a dozen regular volunteers working to keep the doors open...

And Caitlyn Sawyer, the library’s director, is the only full-time employee. 

“And right now for me, for my vision, it’s making events and programs happen,” Sawyer told KRBD during an interview at the library last week.

"At Thorne Bay’s new library, it’s not just about the books" by Raegan Miller, October 21, 2022. KRBD.org.

Guided by oral stories of the local Tlingit People, [Alaska Director of the Smithsonian Institution's Arctic Studies Center, Aron] Crowell and his team uncovered the site of a 500-year-old village littered with arrow points and other artifacts in 2011. But this was far from a standard archeological excavation, where researchers usually travel to a site, dig up artifacts and then return to their museums or universities. Crowell and his colleagues were focused on partnering with the local Tlingit community. By listening to their stories, observing their language and being transparent, Crowell’s team formed a relationship built on mutual trust and understanding, helping the Tlingit People tell their own stories.

This excavation is an example of a larger archeological trend called community archaeology which is a form of research focused on collaborating with locals including community groups, descendants, elders, and local historians. Throughout history, archaeology has been tied more to physical artifacts rather than to people; including the people whose cultures are tied to the sites. One person who played a crucial role in fostering the Tlingit community’s participation in the Alaskan excavation was Judith Ramos, a citizen of the Yakutat Tlingit clan and anthropologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. As part of her PhD in Indigenous studies, Ramos worked with Crowell and helped facilitate open conversation and connection between her community and the Smithsonian researchers.

"Community Archeology Helps Bridge Gap Between Science and Tradition" by Lyric Aquino, October 28, 2022. Smithsonian Magazine.

From a book about the town’s history to a historic walking tour, the community of Moose Pass is getting a detailed view into its own past.

And this year, readers from all over the state got a glimpse, too. The team behind the book — called People, Paths and Places: The Frontier History of Moose Pass, Alaska — was invited to participate in the 2022 Alaska Book Week, a celebration of books written and published in the state and run by the nonprofit Alaska Center for the Book.

The book, published in 2021, started as a series of panels displayed in the Moose Pass Public Library. Each panel contained a few pictures and one paragraph of information.

"Moose Pass history book selected for Alaska Book Week" by Riley Board, November 1, 2022. KDLL.org.

Today, the Alutiiq Museum released instructions for making an Alutiiq-style beaded headdress. A paperback book and four accompanying video tutorials provide step-by-step directions for transforming beads, leather, and thread into the iconic Alutiiq woman’s garment. The instructions are part of the Museum’s Nacaq–Headdress project, a collaboration with expert Alutiiq beader Kayla McDermott to document and teach headdress construction. The project was generously funded by a grant to the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak from the US Bureau of Indian Affair...

The Nacaq project reflects the museum’s broader efforts to help Alutiiq artists live and practice their culture. Counceller explains. “Headdress making is a particularly meaningful activity. When you bead a headdress, you practice a cultural art, and you also create a garment that can be worn to express your heritage. Alutiiq women wear headdresses to cultural events and celebrations. This project makes it possible for many more people to both make a headdress and express themselves by wearing one. We look forward to seeing many unique and beautiful creations.”

The videos and a PDF version of the book are available for free on the beading page of the museum’s website. The museum will share print copies of the book with tribes, corporations, libraries, and schools. A limited supply of print copies will also be available for free to the public in the museum gallery.

More than 15 years after Ernestine Hayes’ published her memoir, “Blonde Indian” is becoming an audiobook.

Hayes says she clearly remembers when the book came out that a woman in Juneau told her that she couldn’t read it because of her eyesight.

“And I always kept that at the back of my mind,” Hayes said. “That an audiobook for people who weren’t able to read that size print or something like that, I would still love them to hear those stories.”

"‘Blonde Indian: An Alaska Native Memoir’ is about to be an audiobook" by Sheli DeLaney, October 30, 2022. KTOO.org.

The Alaska Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) serves as guide for outdoor recreation investment and management decisions on public lands statewide, including setting goals for use of $37 million in federal outdoor recreation funding. 

Now is your chance to help shape the future of outdoor recreation in Alaska!

Your feedback on the 2023-2027 SCORP Draft is welcome!

Public Comment period is open November 1-28, 2022.

Alaska DNR Press Release: Public Comment Sought on Statewide Outdoor Recreation Plan