KCAW

Less than half of Alaska students go to a four-year college, and less than half of those complete their program, according to the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education. Mike Vieira, career and technical education instructor with the Sitka School District, joined the Morning Interview to discuss the evolving nature of vocational education, now called career and technical education (CTE). He discusses the district’s successful programs in trades like auto and diesel mechanics, and the new healthcare pathway developed with University of Alaska Southeast. Listen to the conversation here:

About 70 Sitkans lined the street downtown on Saturday in an act of ICE resistance, blowing whistles and holding signs that read, “Alaska is cold enough. We don’t need ICE” and “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” 

The demonstration came amid growing tensions nationwide, which continued to escalate two weeks ago following the killing of a Minnesota woman at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

“Whistles have become a symbol of resistance to ICE, with people whistling in order to alert vulnerable people and to alert one another about ICE presence,” said Cindy Litman, one of the organizers of Sitkans for Peace and Democracy, a group that holds a weekly vigil at Sitka’s main roundabout, protesting everything from the war in Gaza to the actions of the Trump administration.

She said a community member who doesn’t usually participate in the regular protests was disturbed by what happened in Minneapolis with the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Good, and with continuing ICE raids across the country, so he purchased 50 whistles to conduct the local whistle choir. 

“We wanted to show solidarity with the people in Minnesota, but also to bring home that it potentially could be us here in the future,” Litman said. 

It is already affecting Sitkans and their friends and family, according to Kh’asheechtlaa Louise Brady, who held a sign reading, “No ICE. Standing in solidarity with southern relatives.” She said her son and his family live in Olympia, Washington, and she’s terrified for their safety.

“When ICE started ramping up, I made sure that they had their tribal IDs, but I hear they’re not even respecting that, and it’s a really helpless feeling,” Brady said. “This is affecting people who live here, and there are those of us who actually have skin in the game. I’m obviously Native. I’m obviously a person of color. I travel with my passport, I travel with my birth certificate. I travel with my certificate of Indian blood and my tribal IDs, and I am really motivated to help our people.” 

Brady said locals should do as much as they can to raise awareness, including calling their representatives and mobilizing.  

“This is a good start, but I’m hoping that we can come together as a community more to see how we can help, because there’s so many people right now who are in need,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking. I have a hard time talking about it, because I’m scared to death for my son, [and] my grandchildren.” 

A group of eight counter-protesters lined the other side of the thoroughfare, holding the American and Israeli flags, a large Trump banner in the background. 

Sitka-resident Linda Marlin was born in Calexico, California, right along the U.S./Mexico border. She said what happened to Good in Minneapolis is sad, but that she supports law enforcement. 

“I support ICE 100%,” she said. “I support the Border Patrol because my family’s Border Patrol and I support the sheriff’s department. My family’s sheriff. and I support the police department, troopers and our wonderful military that we have that makes us safe.” 

After about an hour, the counter-protesters ended the demonstration with a prayer. On the other side of the street, an organizer collected the anti-ICE demonstrators’ whistles and the group dispersed for the day. But this wasn’t the last time they’ll be at the roundabout. They have been out here every Saturday for the past two years. Their focus isn’t always on ICE, but they’ll be here. 

Murder and dessert are on the menu at a Sitka Maritime Heritage Society fundraiser this weekend. Rebecca Poulson and author Betsy Longenbaugh joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss the event, which features sweet treats and a presentation from Longenbaugh on the “Birdman of Alcatraz.” Listen to the conversation here:

“Murder and Dessert” fundraiser is this Saturday, January 24, 7 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall

A pink octopus sits squeezed between two rocks in a glass tank, her tentacles unmoving as she watches me through her rectangular pupil. 

“Giant Pacific octopus are the biggest octopus in the world,” says Matt Wilson, the aquarist at the Sitka Sound Science Center.

Although this octopus is a member of the largest marine cephalopods, she’s currently the size of an orange. And that’s more than seven times the size she was when a resident of Tenakee Springs found her on the beach in August. 

“Currently, she is so small that she could easily fit in your hand,” Wilson says. “But she’ll get to the size that she would be wrapping around you several times with her arms, [with] an arm span of at least 15 to 16 feet, if not even larger.” 

But this octopus is a temporary resident, and will likely be a few years old by the time she gets that big. Right now, she’s in a small holding tank. She’ll gradually move to bigger and bigger ones until she gets so big that she needs the aquarium’s largest tank, which holds about 800 gallons of water. 

“Right now, none of the bigger tanks that I would normally keep an octopus in is suitable for her because she is so small and we have to be careful with octopus that they can’t climb out and get into trouble,” Wilson says. “We have to make sure that we can ‘octo-proof’ those tanks.” 

Wilson says giant Pacific octopus only have a lifespan of three to five years. They’re what’s called “semelparous,” which means they only reproduce once before dying.

“And then it’s over for them,” he says. “So that’s one of the reasons why it’s important that we’re not going to keep her for her entire life. She’s going to get too large for us and is going to exceed what would be good for her and good for us, and we want to make sure that she’ll be released so that she has the opportunity to go continue her life cycle and make babies.”

Wilson says her timeline at the aquarium is dependent on her growth rate and her temperament. He’s worked with a couple dozen octopuses over the years — although none as small as this one — and, he says, it’s a unique relationship with each one. 

Because they’re so smart, they need daily enrichment with toys and puzzles, creatures to hunt, and change-ups to their routines. Some love learning to open jars with treats inside. One of his octopuses, he says, would wave a jar at him every time she was hungry. Others don’t like the game, and tear the jars apart. Each octopus is unique. And Wilson says he has to constantly check in on their welfare and recognize when it’s time to let them go. 

“Sometimes they hit a point where they’re like, ‘I’m done here,’ and it’s time to release them earlier, and sometimes they’re like, ‘I don’t want to go,’” he says. “So it really depends on that animal and how well they’re doing in that environment, in that situation, and just generally, how quickly they’re going to put on that mass.”

Wilson says he expects this one will be at the Science Center for up to two years. And even though this tiny cephalopod will outgrow Sitka’s only aquarium soon, he says she still needs a name. 

“With octopus, it’s almost impossible not to give them some moniker of some kind, because they do have such personalities,” Wilson says.

And that’s where Sitkans come in. The Science Center is holding an octopus naming event where locals can enter names into a 32-seeded double elimination tournament. Participants will vote on the entries until just one name remains. 

For Wilson, this is about more than just naming one octopus. He says octopuses, with all their personality and charisma, are a great way to get people engaged.

“Even somebody that might not connect with an anemone the same way is going to see the animatedness of an octopus and go, ‘Oh, that’s something that’s really cool and really interesting,’ and can really serve as a gateway to getting and talking into all sorts of different things,” he says. “Their ways that they see the world is so fresh from what we see that it is just a really incredible way to introduce people to new ways of thought and open up all sorts of talk about how animals are perceiving and interacting with their environments around them.”

Wilson says he also hopes the octopus will inspire stewardship and a feeling of responsibility for local wildlife and their habitats.

While a few names have already been submitted to the Science Center, the only name officially on the bracket so far is Matilda. People can continue to submit names for the octopus through January by making a donation on the Science Center’s website. On Jan. 31, they will host an event to finalize brackets and teach the community about octopuses. The final name will be announced in March.

Lauren Bell, research director at the Sitka Sound Science Center, Lauren Wild, a professor of applied sciences, and Ellen Chenoweth, professor of marine biology, joined the Morning Interview to discuss the upcoming “State of the Sound” event in Sitka. The event, scheduled for Feb. 19-21, aims to foster community knowledge sharing among researchers, local residents, and traditional knowledge holders. The initiative, a year in the making, includes various sessions, including roundtable discussions, skill shares, and field trips, emphasizing the importance of integrating diverse perspectives. Listen to their conversation here:

A group of Sitkans will host a bonfire vigil next week. Organizer Pat Kehoe and musician Linny Simkin joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss the event, which will feature music, candle-lighting, a symbolic Lady Justice figure. The event is free and open to all, attendees are encouraged to bring their wishes for the future. Listen to the conversation here:

The vigil is scheduled for 4 p.m. on January 19 at Back Beach.

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and in Sitka a local group is getting the word out about how to protect youth from the dangers of trafficking and its many forms. The Sitka Human Trafficking Awareness Coalition, a grassroots organization involving community members and agencies, has been active for three years and meets monthly. Coalition members Kristin Martinez, of Youth Advocates of Sitka, and Police Chief Chad Goeden joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss the importance of prevention and the issue of sextortion, a form of trafficking that has occurred in Sitka, where individuals are coerced into sending sexually explicit images online.

Listen to the conversation here:

Learn more here: http://missingkids.org/

The new year marks the start of a lot of activities in Sitka, for students and the wider community. Sitka’s Department of Parks and Recreation is launching a number of programs at local schools in January and February, including the Blatchley Art Club, tabletop role playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons, and a new guitar club. For the wider community, Parks and Rec is relaunching the community choir, community orchestra, city league volleyball, a parent toddler swim class, and more. Kevin Knox, Parks and Recreation coordinator, Rachel Fox, aquatic supervisor, and Elle Campbell, recreation activities specialist, joined the Morning Interview to talk about the upcoming programming. You can also see a full list of activities here.

The Sitka Sound Science Center is hosting an octopus naming event and raffle for their new octopus, who was found last summer in Tenakee Springs. Sitkans can submit names by buying a raffle ticket on the center’s website. On Saturday, Jan. 31, each of the entered names will be written on a card and drawn from a bowl to fill in 16 spots of a 32 seeded double elimination bracket. Then, over the month of February, Sitkans will be able to vote on which name is the best until only one name remains. Maia Carter, STEAM Coordinator at SSSC, joined the Morning Interview to discuss the upcoming family-friendly event, where Sitkans can learn about octopus anatomy from specimens, meet the new octopus, and solve an eight-armed-mystery. Listen to the conversation here:

The IFPA Alaska State Pinball Championship is coming to Sitka again this year. Reigning state champions David Elrod (also Alaska’s IFPA Representative) and Kristin Bailey (the Women’s Division IFPA rep) joined KCAW for the Morning Interview to discuss the tournament, which includes an open public event on January 16, state tournament on January 17, and women’s division tournament on January 18 at Flipside Arcade in downtown Sitka. Listen here: