Month: July 2010

Wrangell's Dustin Johnson became the first winner of the Bearfest Marathon. It was his second victory of the year. The event was one of many that wrapped up the First Annual Alaska Bearfest over the weekend. KSTK' Tony Gorman has more.

During the first two days of Alaska Bearfest, symposiums concerning bears and their behavior were held where panelists from different entities shared their expertise to the public. One of the symposiums' panelists, Dr. Barrie Gilbert, is no stranger to bruins. Gilbert is a retired professor from Utah State University in Logan, Utah, and currently resides in Ontario. He has over 35 years of experience researching bears in the U.S. and Canada. KSTK's Tony Gorman spoke with Gilbert after Thursday's symposium about his experiences with different species of bears and thoughts about Alaska Bearfest.

The first-ever Alaska Bearfest kicked off this week. In Wrangell, you can't talk about bears without mentioning the Anan Bear Observatory. The Observatory is one of the Wrangell Ranger District's biggest attractions. KSTK's Tony Gorman went down to Anan last week and filed this report.

Locals flocked to Shoemaker Park over the weekend to participate in the Second Annual CAS Walk. The Walk was organized by the Hammer family in an effort to raise awareness about Childhood Apraxia of Speech also known as CAS. One of the Hammers' son, Carter, was diagnosed with the rare disorder several years ago. KSTK's Tony Gorman visited Carter and the Hammer family as well as attended the Walk and filed this report.

This week, Megan Clark returned to Wrangell to head up the museum at the James and Elsie Nolan Center. She is no stranger to the local museum. Clark had previous stints during her high school and college days with the Nolan Center before taking over as director/curator. KSTK's Tony Gorman has more.