A number of moose carcasses have been observed around the rail tracks in Talkeetna this month, and it’s got some locals wondering where the salvage crews are.

As with most high-snow years, moose killed on roadways and train tracks go up. According to the Anchorage Daily News, moose killed this year on Mat Su roadways are way above average. The numbers are up for the railroad, too.

Alaska Railroad manager of external affairs Tim Sullivan says when trains strike a moose, they notify the troopers and, in situations when the moose are struck in roadless areas, they make effort to get the kill to within reach of the road system. Sullivan says that the Railroad takes measures to help reduce moose kills, even going so far as to pack trail alongside the railroad tracks to give the moose an alternative place to walk.

According to Sullivan, 152 moose this winter have been struck by the railroad as of 5 a.m. (this morning / Tuesday January 24^th). Of those, more than half have been struck along the 66 miles of track in the Talkeetna-Willow area.

Voters at the Chase Community Council’s annual meeting voted unanimously in opposition to the construction of the Susitna Watana Dam. Chase is the first community downriver of the proposed 700 foot dam, and voters were asked if they were in favor of, or opposed to the construction of the dam. The vote was unanimous in opposition.

The Alaska Energy Authority filed the Pre-Application Document to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on December 29^th, and is currently preparing to report to the Alaska State Legislature’s 2012 session.

Also at the Chase Community Council meeting, which took place at the Roadhouse on Thursday night, two new board members were elected to the Community Council: Johnny Murdock and Kip Boers.

The Chase Community Council will write a letter in opposition to the Alaska Rail Road’s application to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for a permit to spray herbicides along the tracks from Gold Creek to Broad Pass this summer. The herbicide, Aquamaster, is a product designed by Monsanto for killing broadleaf plants and weeds where water is present. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the herbicide, and is rated as low toxicity by the Environmental Protection Agency. Voters in the Chase Community Council are concerned because exposure to even low levels of toxicity can cause respiratory illness in animals and humans and it has been shown in some cases to cause birth abnormalities to lab rats.

In conjunction with the herbicide spray, the Railroad plans to use a wetting agent called Agri-Dex, which is an oil-based surfactant intended to increase absorption of the pesticide into the leafy plants.

A public hearing in Talkeetna will be held on February 2, 4:30 at the Northern Susitna Institute.

Jennifer Probert competing in the 10 Dog Class

The two-days of dog-sled races at the Montana Creek Dogmusher’s Association’s Su-Valley Championships were cut a day short after high winds obliterated the trail on Saturday morning. Trail groomers worked around the clock to get the trail back in shape to race on Sunday, and all competitors were able to get one last day of racing in to close the Montana Creek season.

With temperatures around zero degrees for most of the day, the temperatures were just right for a sprint race. Kim Wells from Anchorage took first place in both the 4dog and 6dog class, while Rebecca Knight snatched first place from Becky Voris by a mere 1second.

10dog class saw Dori Hollingsworth take first place over Egil Ellis, and Salcha sprinter Arleigh Reynolds finished in front, winning the open class by 1minute and 51seconds over Nathan Sterling who took 2^nd  and then Egil Ellis took 3^rd.

Arleigh Reynolds says the Su valley Championships are the first step towards ending up where he wants to be in a season with two big races coming up in February: the Exxon Mobile Open, and the Fur Rendezvous.

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From the Anchorage Daily News

An agitated moose ran down and stomped a well-known Bush pilot from Willow, but he was saved when his wife grabbed a shovel from their pickup truck and whacked the big animal until it backed off.

According to the Anchorage Daily News, George Murphy, 82, and his wife, Dorothea Taylor, 85, were at the Willow Airport around 10:30 a.m. They were running their dogs when Murphy was charged by a moose. Without trees or cover to hide behind, Gorge dove in to deep snow, and the moose began to stomp and kick.

Taylor was sitting in her truck when she saw the moose rear up and strike at something on the ground with its front hooves. She didn’t know that her husband was down or that the moose was stomping him. Taylor got out of the truck, thinking the moose was stomping on of the dogs, and the moose charged her. She found a shovel in the back of the truck and managed to hit the moose, and kept swinging until the moose went away. She found her husband in the snow, bloody and unable to stand. Taylor returned to the Hangar to call 911, and the Willow volunteer fire department responded and stabilized him. Murphy was then rushed by medical helicopter to Providence Alaska Medical Center, where he is recovering from gashes to his head and left leg as well as seven broken ribs.

Waxing Crescent courtesy NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

In this week’s edition of StarDate Susitna, Kathleen Fleming talks about the waxing crescent Moon, the brilliant Evening Star, and Mars on the verge of going “retro.”  Among other astro-happenings…

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Hatfield playing his fiddle at Peace in the Park, 9/11/11 in Downtown Talkeetna. Image courtesy Holli Papasodora

Long-time Talkeetna resident Paul Hatfield has passed away, and many of Hatfield’s friends and fellow musicians are mourning the loss of a man who was known for his love of playing a fiddle, and his friendliness. A Memorial service for Paul Hatfield will be held at one o’clock on Saturday, January 28^th at the VFW Post. Many more stories are sure to be shared as people remember a good friend and member of the community.

Rick Shear has known Hatfield for most of his life, and shared some memories with KTNA

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Rick Shear talks about Paul Hatfield

Hatfield’s Obituary from the Durango Herald

KTNA’s morning news, weather forecast, Denali echoes, and announcements for January 23rd. Host is Trisha Costello. Headlines – Trapper Creek Revenue Share Proposals, Woman saves Husband from Moose, Talkeetna Resident Paul Hatfield is remembered.

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Proposals are in for the Trapper Creek Revenue Share grant program. A total of twenty-thousand, two hundred dollars is available to benefit the community of Trapper Creek through the revenue sharing program, and eleven proposals were submitted to the Community Council in advance of the January 19^th deadline.

Representatives for Seven out of the eleven proposals attended Thursday night’s Council meeting, and those proposals were discussed. No decisions were made at Thursday’s meeting, and the allocation of funds will be decided by the general public of Trapper Creek. The proposals are at the library in Trapper Creek, and residents can vote for the projects they prefer through February 8^th at the library.