Author: alaskaadmin

Last week’s assembly meeting delivered a certain poetic justice for those who want plastic shopping bags in town. 

The Haines Borough Assembly decided against a stricter plastic bag regulation, but only after hearing one last installment in weeks of public debate on the issue.

And while one generally expects the unexpected at assembly meetings, it might be a first, that the two sides of this debate opened in rhyme and verse. 

Opening the discussion was Haines Friends of Recycling board chair Melissa Aronson, who read a poem titled “My Life as a Plastic Bag,” discussing the path of a plastic bag from oil pipeline to litter. 

Rusty Compass owner Lee Robinson followed with what he said was a “lighthearted” contribution to the conversation: an AI-generated-on-the-spot poem that closed with the line, “from ground to gadget, a story so fine / from oil to plastic, a triumph divine.”

Like the unusual debate, the way the issue arrived at the assembly was somewhat convoluted: The assembly first passed legislation in 2018 intending to ban “single-use, non-compostable plastic shopping bags.” But the bags never disappeared, and in recent weeks many argued the Olerud’s bags could be reused for other purposes — as trash bags, for instance — and were therefore not covered by the ban. 

In response, the assembly’s commerce committee drafted new wording for the ban that would more definitively prohibit the plastic shopping bags. 

In spite of what the weeks of discussion might suggest, many said the plastic bag issue was not actually a top priority — including both Aronson and Robinson. 

Aronson said she felt it was important to weigh in, given what she saw as the negative impact of plastic pollution on the valley, but said she was far more focused on other local recycling projects, like Friends of Recycling’s new facility on Third Avenue.  

Robinson, for his part, said he attended the assembly meeting to follow a completely different issue. He decided to speak up on the plastic bags while there because of what he felt it said about broader questions about local governance. 

That was a consistent theme: the issue seemed to have just as much symbolic power as perceived on-the-ground impact. 

“I think it’s a small thing, and of course I don’t like seeing Rusty Compass cups floating around town,” Robinson said this week. “But I’m not in favor of ratcheting up government regulation in our small town.” 

A number of others were with Robinson, saying the litter problem would be better addressed with “personal responsibility,” rather than new restrictions. 

Assembly member Cheryl Stickler called the ban an “example of government overreach,” and Olerud’s part-owner Doug Olerud said it would “punish the responsible majority for the carelessness of the few.” 

Olerud also argued that when taking the entire production chain into account, thin plastic bags had no more environmental impact than popular alternatives. Plus, he said after the meeting, 

On the other end of things was assembly member Eben Sargent, who said the issue was a matter of enforcing government legislation and procedures in general beyond just the specific legislation at hand. 

“I’m sure all the business owners in this community are well aware of the process to change code when we don’t feel like our code is well serving us, and that’s to get the assembly or a board to suggest an ordinance, and then build support for that ordinance, and walk it through the steps,” Sargent said. “That step was not taken. A path of noncompliance was taken.”

“I thought this could have been resolved with a letter from the manager with enforcement of our existing ordinance,” he added. 

Then there was framing of the bag ban as an issue of accessibility, and respect for elders. 

“As people age and their abilities become more and more limited, honor, honor them,” Stickler said, forcefully repeating the word honor for emphasis. “Preserve the dignity of allowing them to carry out groceries in a bag with handles.”

Assembly member Craig Loomis had a counterpoint, saying he’d vote for the ban out of respect for the other end of the spectrum — the town’s youth.

The original 2018 ordinance had been an initiative from Haines’ then sixth-grade class. One of those sixth graders, Camelia Bell, now an environmental science student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, testified in favor of the ban last week. 

“I’m in favor of this just because of what Ms. Bell said,” Loomis said. “I’m tired of selling this planet to old people, when we got a young generation that wants to save this place, and we’re gonna tell them no? I’m going to give her a yes.” 

Loomis and Sargent ended up being the two votes in favor of tightening the ban. 

Out of the wide-ranging conversation, there may actually be common ground on the actual issue at hand. 

Key stakeholders said they’d be willing to work toward some middle ground, including Olerud and Aronson. After the meeting, Aronson proposed a borough initiative to give out or sell reusable shopping bags that might also appeal to tourists. 

“The overregulation question, it’s all a matter of philosophy,” she said. “That’s why I’d like to propose moving forward with something that would be positive, like these organic cloth bags.” 

“Rather than getting into an adversarial situation, if all the different stakeholders can work together, we can come to a positive solution,” Aronson said. 

Meanwhile, Moosehorn Laundry owner Taylor Ashton said she’d be willing to give out reusable bags in lieu of a ban, and potentially help ship plastic bags to out-of-town facilities where they could be recycled.

Preserving the plastic bag status quo might also be a business boon for some stores: Olerud said after the meeting that paper bags would be four times as expensive as the plastic bags currently used. 

Even so, and even with seemingly an allowance in borough policy for plastic bags, the IGA across Main Street looks like it will continue offering only paper. 

IGA manager Kevin Shove said the store got rid of plastic bags on Earth Day around 20 years ago because of concerns about litter. “If you got people to not litter it wouldn’t be a problem,” Shove said. “But that’s how it is, and it was unsightly, and it’s been that way ever since.”

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The Upper Lynn Canal is home to one of the best foraging resources for healthy eating: mushrooms. People are often surprised to learn that mushrooms are a nutrient-dense superfood, providing high levels of protein, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamins B and D, with very little fat. It is important to cook all mushrooms, both wild and cultivated. Heat breaks down the chitinous cell walls, making them easier to digest and their nutrients easier to absorb. 

Cooked mushrooms, especially some wild species, provide a savory, meat-like flavor.

Similar to how human skin produces vitamin D from sunlight, placing mushrooms in the sun before cooking increases their vitamin D content. Mushrooms contain ergosterol, which is converted to vitamin D when exposed to UV light, supporting bone and immune health. Our focus will be on two genera: morels (Morchella) and early morels (Verpa), the first edible mushrooms of the season.

Beware that these are not beginner species. Several look-alikes, including another spring fungus, the false morel (Gyromitra esculenta), are deadly. The hooded false morel (Gyromitra infula ), more common in the late summer and fall, also is poisonous. To the trained eye, these species differ. However, they have been confused by amateur mushroom hunters. Be sure to consult guidebooks, mushroom websites or with one of our local mushroom experts.

In the Interior and the Yukon — a few years after wildfires — morels fruit abundantly. Here, where forest fires are uncommon, our species, the gray morel (Morchella tomentosa), does not. It is found in unburned coniferous forests and along roads in the upper valley. The early morel (Verpa bohemica) though, is more common and widespread. Look for them under or near cottonwoods. 

Both species need to be cleaned, as their convoluted caps can hide soil and insects. Brushing is preferred to preserve texture and flavor. If a water rinse is used, it should be brief and done immediately before cooking to prevent the mushrooms from becoming waterlogged.

Pan-frying is my favorite way to prepare morels. Slice each one in half, and if you did soak or wash them, dry sauté (using no oil or butter) on high heat to evaporate the moisture. Then add oil (I prefer avocado oil), reduce the heat, stir and cook until the morels turn brown. At this point, you can add garlic, spices (fresh thyme, no salt seasoning, etc.), and continue to fry and stir. When they are almost ready to serve, add butter for flavor, although they are plenty tasty on their own. Adding butter too early can result in burning. Morels are prized for their intensely earthy and nutty flavor. Pair with steamed wild cucumber (Streptopus amplexifolius), salmon and a red wine such as a bordeaux or pinot noir.

Morels must be thoroughly cooked because they contain small amounts of hydrazine, which can cause gastrointestinal distress when eaten uncooked or undercooked. Cooking breaks down the toxin. It is best to first try a small amount, as some people may have an adverse reaction.

Finally, do not eat a mushroom if you are not 100% sure of your identification. When in doubt, throw it out.

Judy Hall Jacobson has lived in the Chilkat Valley for 27 years and in Southeast Alaska for 40. She is the author of “Native Plants of Southeast Alaska and Mushrooms and other Fungi of Alaska.” She enjoys gardening, fishing and foraging, wilderness exploration and music in her spare time. 

The post Eating Well in the Chilkat Valley: Mushroom season appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.

Buck Spender of Sweat, Florida, always considered himself in the ‘spirit of the pioneers’: “I love sunsets, Westerns, fishing, that stuff,” Spender said, “But I always dreamed of going West, like the pioneers. Maybe up to the new territory of Alaska. So that’s when I bought this RV. Just like the pioneers.”

The recreational vehicle that Spender bought was on 80-foot 2025 Boeing Road Whale, despite the fact that he had never driven anything bigger than a Honda Civic before. “It was the biggest,” he said proudly. “I’m a little surprised they let me drive it off the lot. But I only crushed two sedans. Florida has a three-sedan law.”

The 2025 model has satellite TV, Starlink, four push-outs, three push-ins, leather couches, a walk-in bathtub with spa jets, full kitchen, wine cellar and integrated AI assistant named Hal 9000. “It’s basically a Conestoga wagon.” 

Soon Spender was on his way: “From Florida, across the Appalachians and the Midwest. Almost got rolled over by the wind in Kansas. But the Whale prevailed, like any good horse.”

“There were other RVs on the road of course, but my Whale was the biggest by at least twenty feet. We rolled inexorably westward, like on the Oregon Trail, crossing the Mississippi, following the sunset. Gas stations scattered across the prairie like buffalo. Buffalo chicken, mmm. Wildfire smoke in the southwest like the smoke from one-horse towns with names like Tombstone and Shotgun. Phoenix. I think my RV was the biggest building in Tombstone.

“I drove her over the Rockies, up Highway 1 and into British Columbia. He patted the side of the Whale. “Now we’re in the Last Frontier and I feel like I’m the first to see this untouched wilderness and experience it like our forefathers did.”

The Whale’s many appliances whirred in agreement and a monotone voice spoke from a glowing red console. “Howdy, Sheriff. You are completely correct. Let’s git on down to the watering hole.”

Mr. Spender looked a bit embarrassed, “I asked Hal to call me sheriff.”

The post Haines Herring: RV’er First to Discover Alaska appeared first on Chilkat Valley News.