The bike race formerly known as the Fireweed 400 is back. Now simply called “The Fireweed,” this 200-mile race makes its comeback this weekend taking riders from Sheep Mountain Lodge to Valdez! This week on Outdoor Explorer, we talk with president of the board of directors, Sara Wendling about all things race details and catch up with the a few members of the 1wheel1ders, a unicycle team that will be participating in this years race.

HOST: Martha Rosenstein

GUESTS:

Sara Wendling, President, Fireweed Board of Directors

1wheel1ders, unicycle team

LINKS:

Fireweed race website

Facebook

Instagram

BROADCAST: Thursday, July 13th, 2023. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, July 13th, 2023. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

HOST: Martha Rosenstein

GUEST: Mark Kelly

LINKS:

Mark Kelly Photography

Facebook

Instagram

BROADCAST: Thursday, June 1st, 2023. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

On the this Outdoor Explorer, host Lisa Keller is joined by Tom Walker, author of the book "The Wanderer." In less than 6 months, Wolf 258 traversed almost 3000 miles in Alaska and Canada. His amazing journey, documented through his GPS tracking collar, is the subject of a story that mixes what we know about his movement with speculation on what he was doing during his travels.

HOST: Lisa Keller

GUEST: Tom Walker, author

LINK:

"The Wanderer: An Alaska Wolf’s Final Journey" at Mountaineers Books

BROADCAST: Thursday, May 25th, 2023. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, May 25th, 2023. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

In March, Ben Americus accomplished many firsts on the Linkup: the first late winter completion, the first to ski off the peaks and the first to complete the Linkup since Ptarmigan Peak was added as the 13th summit over 5000 feet. This week on Outdoor Explorer Ben joins host Lisa Keller to talk about how he added his name to Chugach Front Linkup history.

HOST: Lisa Keller

GUEST: Ben Americus

LINKS:

Chugach Front Linkup website

Alaska Public Media Outdoor Explorer, May 2018, “The 12-Peak Challenge and Chugach Trails.”

Alaska Public Media Outdoor Explorer, October 25, 2019, “Imagine hiking all the tallest summits of the Chugach Front Range in one trip. These people did it this year.”

Alaska Public Media Outdoor Explorer, March 10, 2020, “Sophia Tidler’s Winter Solstice Adventure.”

Summer in Alaska brings a plethora of outdoor adventure opportunities. Boating, hiking, climbing, fishing, wildlife viewing, fishing, and hunting ramp up and so do the calls for help. Southcentral Alaska is fortunate to have good search and rescue capabilities compared to most of the country. However much of it is provided by volunteer organizations. This Outdoor Explorer has representatives from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, the Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs, the Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol, and the Alaska Incident Management Team. With host Paul Twardock they will discuss their roles, how search and rescue works in Alaska, how to volunteer, and most importantly how avoid needing a rescue.

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

Erin Boklage, Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs

Mark Miraglia, Alaska Mountain Rescue Group

Amy Holman, Alaska Incident Management Team

Zach Liller, Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol

LINKS:

Alaska Incident Management Team

Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol

Alaska Mountain Rescue Group

Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs

Alaska Search and Rescue Association

BROADCAST: Thursday, May 11th, 2023. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, May 11th, 2023. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

What was it like to be a field scientist in Alaska during the 1970s and 80's? John Schoen spent 20 years working for Alaska's Department of Fish and Game as a scientist studying Sitka black-tailed deer, mountain goats and brown bears in the Tongass National Forest. John's research influenced the prevailing thoughts on the effects of clearcutting on deer habitat, and added to our understanding of Brown Bears importance to their ecosystem. His strong conservation ethic, influenced by Aldo Leopold and others, melded with science and advocacy continued after he left Fish and Game to work for Audubon Alaska. John is a wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in field science, the Tongass temperate rainforest, and conservation. John joins host Paul Twardock to discuss his fascinating career and memoir titled "Tongass Odyssey: Seeing the Forest Ecosystem Through the Politics of Trees, A Biologist's Memoir."

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUEST:

John Schoen, author, former Fish and Game field scientist

LINKS:

"Tongass Odyssey: Seeing the Forest Ecosystem Through the Politics of Trees: A

Biologists Memoir"

More information about John Schoen

Southeast Alaska Conservation Council

The Landmark Trees Project

Audubon Alaska

Prince William Sound Natural History Symposium

BROADCAST: Thursday, May 4th, 2023. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, May 4th, 2023. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

HOST: Paul Twardock

GUESTS:

Arlene Blum, mountaineer, scientist

Pam Miller, Alaska Community Action on Toxics

LINKS:

Arlene Blum website

Alaska Community Action on Toxics

Green Science Policy Institute

BROADCAST: Thursday, April 27th, 2023. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, April 27th, 2023. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

HOST: Lisa Keller

GUEST: Harlow Robinson, executive director of Healthy Futures and the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

LINKS:

Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

Healthy Futures 100 Miles in May

HOST: Lisa Keller

GUEST: Holly Brooks, two-time Olympian and licensed professional counselor

LINKS:

Holly Brooks’ website

Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance with link to “Winning at All Costs: Breaking the Silience on Athletes and Eating

Disorders”

Project Red-S

HOST: Lisa Keller

GUESTS:

Steve Cleary, Executive Director of Alaska Trails

Donnie Hayes, Director of Parks and Recreation for the Fairbanks North Star Borough

Mark Kimerer,