Finally

Of all the years I have picked up and read the Redoubt Reporter I have finally.....finally seen two articles in the SAME issue (Vol.6, Issue 41) that actually touch on subjects that are important to me. Animals and nature. The Redoubt Reporter is a free weekly magazine that comes out here on the Peninsula. It only consists of a few pages, the last issue had 8 and it's mostly filled with one newsworthy story, meaning if there IS any newsworthy story around here that week and some other meaningless scribbles and ads for local businesses to fill up the rest of the space. I could think of SO MUCH they could fill that paper with and even contacted the editor once but she told me that they were not accepting any new writers at that time. Their loss, they really should. One local attorney writes a recurring long article about cameras that usually takes up a whole page, sometimes more. Every week facts about cameras and lenses, I mean every week for years now? He must be a major investor in the paper or something and of course there is an ad for his law firm in there as well. I enjoy taking pictures too but I think they can fill the paper with other real newsworthy stories besides cameras every week. So this past issue finally had something good in it! WOW! First of all, a lady from PETA wrote a letter to the editor titled, "Dogs not meant on chains."
Urging people of Alaska to stop leaving their dogs outside on chains after there was another mauling, this time in a village called Unalakleet, where a chained dog "mauled" a 7 year old. She informs that many states have banned or restricted dog tethering . And urges Alaska to join. Often people living outside of Alaska (outsiders) have this erroneous view of Alaskans as living as one with animals and nature. Far from the truth! I've been here since 2008 and the state of Alaska has plenty of uneducated morons living here with no clue on how to take care of anything besides the bottle of alcohol that keeps them constant company. I see people mistreating their dogs and children often. Dogs on chains are a normal occurrence here, in severe cold and heat they are chained up with little human interaction. Throw them a piece of salmon and they are happy......Driven around town in the bed of pickup trucks in pouring rain because some folks believe that dogs are not supposed to be inside a car, let alone inside a house. I am also completely against events unique to Alaska such as the Iditarod race (animal cruelty) and mushing (again animal cruelty). But you know how people are, they are slow to change.
Has Chhaya ever been in the bed of my pickup truck? Yes, when I wanted to give her a fun experience if I am driving slowly down a road with almost no traffic, like if we are driving to go hiking somewhere. She loves it. But would I ever throw her in the back of the truck and let her sit there while I drive to Anchorage for three or more hours? Of course not. And when I say mushing I don't mean a fun couple of hours of skijoring with your dog/s. I mean the people that keep a stable of dogs, chained outside, thrown food once a day, no human interaction besides when they are taken out on miles upon miles of running while pulling their handlers and tourists.
Now to the next article, more lengthy than the PETA reps letter to the editor. This one talks about ecovandalism around here. The destruction of wilderness areas by illegally cutting down live trees, carving into live trees, peeling bark off live trees and littering. All illegal.
YES, NEWSFLASH - it is illegal to litter! There is litter all over Alaska, more proof for you that this state is full of idiots with NO respect for the land. I never litter. And I can't stand people that litter. Throw your shit inside your apartment or house, not in nature. People that litter really show how uneducated and self centered they are. Here are some snippets from the article that resonated with me, "And each tree plays a part in the overall ecosystem, from nesting areas for birds, to escape spots for porcupine and climbing gyms for bear cubs".
Then this, " If you pack it in, you pack it out. There's no excuse to leave trash in the backcountry, even when it's difficult to carry out. It can harm wildlife, which we see all the time with this kind of thing, and it defaces the wild country for so long. Who wants to come to Alaska for a wilderness experience and see trash?"
If you that read this, YES YOU ......happen to litter than I hope you can make a change and stop. I find it so ironic that Americans loudly talk about how proud they are of the great US of A but then turn around and throw their trash into the same place they claim to love so much. Doesn't make sense, does it?