Talk of Alaska

First established to help Alaskans get mortgages, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation now has responsibility for a natural gas pipeline, and it may soon be in charge of a bridge. The next Talk of Alaska is your chance to talk to the man the Legislature trusts to handle all this, Dan Fauske, the Executive Director of the AHFC. Download Audio KSKA: Tuesday, 4/30 at 10:00am

The small local publisher VP and D House has published Jim Sweeney’s second book. Sweeney was a climber who was severely injured by an avalanche in the Alaska Range in 1989, and turned to writing. He became a regular contributor to the APRN program “AK,” and turned out a book of essays largely based on those radio pieces. Now he has written a highly-praised account of the accident that nearly cost him his life. KSKA: Tuesday, April 23 at 10:00am Download Audio

It’s time to find out what’s new in renewable Energy in Alaska. From wind farms to DC power-lines, from giant dams to mass produced solar cells, from tidal turbines to super-insulated homes, it comes up at the annual “Business of Clean Energy” conference, and we’ll get a preview on the next Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday, 4/16 at 10:00am Download Audio

The federal government has released a new “Integrated Management Plan for the Rapidly Changing Arctic,” which emphasizes the integrity of eco-systems, inter-agency co ordination, and working more closely with Native tribes and corporations. Science and Alaska Natives is the subject of the next Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday 4/9 at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

It’s not every scientist who decides to study a certain population of animals only to watch it go extinct. But for biologist and author Eval Saulitis, that’s what is apparently happening. A pod of Killer Whales in Prince William Sound it unlikely to be able to sustain itself after the Exxon Valdez oil spill of more than twenty years ago. She’ll tell her story next Tuesday, on Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday, April 2 at 10:00am Download Audio

Picture a child’s life in a place where death and dismemberment are routine, fields may be mined and at any moment there may be an explosion. That is the world Rukhsana Khan writes about. And she writes books for children. This renowned author and storyteller is in Alaska and will be on the radio on Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday, 3/26 at 10:00am Download Audio

The push for a pipeline to deliver natural gas from the North Slope to market has been a long one, and opinions differ on how soon it might become a reality. And now the need for gas is rising within the state of Alaska. The cost of any gas line would be enormous. We’ll be talking about the investment prospects for a natural gas pipeline on the next Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday 3/19 at 10:00 am Download Audio

Combining extreme geography with extreme temperature is the specialty of Alaska science writer Bill Streever. He has been on the North Slope when it was too cold to fly, and he has walked on fire. KSKA: Tuesday, March 12 at 10:00am

Last year the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded eleven billion-dollar weather events. That brought the total for the last two years to 25. The average up until then had been less than four. Climate change is already here and it’s not changing back any time soon. Communities are going to have to become more resilient, and for some that means a closer look at local food. One of the top experts on sustainable and climate-resilient “food-sheds” will be the guest on the next Talk of Alaska. KSKA: Tuesday, 3/5 at 10:00am

It started modestly enough with Joe Redington and a few others wanting the old mail trail to the gold mines retraced. Now the whole world watches the Iditarod. It’s Iditarod time again on the next Talk of Alaska. KSKA - Tuesday, 2/26 at 10:00am

The President called for action on domestic energy development, infrastructure upgrades and climate change during his state of the union address. What could it mean for Alaska? U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski will be on hand to discuss how her energy development plans may fit or clash with White House policies over the next four years. KSKA: Tuesday, 2/19 at 10:00am

The first successful climb of Mount McKinley took place in 1913. Walter Harper, Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens made history. Now, 100 years later, their family members plan to mark the centennial with a climb of their own. KSKA: Tuesday, 2/12 at 10:00am

The changing Arctic has become a resource frontier, and a military and economic one. But for much longer it has been a scientific one. We’ll take an international perspective on the Arctic with a leading polar scientist from Japan KSKA: Tuesday, 2/5 at 10:00am

Annie Leonard has gone all over the world discovering where the things you buy come from and where they go when you are done with them. It’s called “The Story of Stuff.” KSKA: Tuesday, 1/29 at 10:00am

An international think tank is looking at a new economic model for developing countries. It’s based on the Alaska Permanent Fund, and the Permanent Fund Dividend. A book written by former Alaska Governor Jay Hammond is being published by the Center for Global Development. KSKA: Tuesday, January 22 at 10:00am