The other day I posted a note about a Kaktovik resident saying it's been a "weird year for Nanooks" in the Barter Island village. But that doesn't mean there aren't bears outside of town.

Check out these photos from Perry de Graaf, 46, who visited the village in October, sampling beluga muktuk and caribou heart and snapping a series of great shots that can be found online here. Be sure to read de Graaf's behind-the-scenes account of the shoot after the jump:

Photo courtesy of P. de Graaf. Kaktovik, 10/20/10. "Headache from Parnell," de Graaf says.

...

Photo courtesy of P. de Graaf. Kaktovik, 10/18/10.

...

Photo courtesy of P. de Graaf. Kaktovik, 10/22/10.

...

Photo courtesy of P. de Graaf. Kaktovik, 10/18/10.

Surprisingly cranky?: A male musk ox at the Alaska Zoo on October 22, 2009. (BOB HALLINEN / Anchorage Daily News)

For an animal that looks like a hairy couch, it turns out that musk oxen can be bad news for mushers.

Bethel radio station KYUK reports on a Russian Mission man who encountered a musk ox that killed his main swing dog and leader. Ryan Housler climbed a nearby spruce tree and waited for three hours until a snowmachiner came along, he told the station.

"I had to move around just to stay warm. Every time I moved around, he would get all riled up and stomp his hooves and hit his horn on a little willow," Housler said.

The ox was shot and killed, with the meat donated to the Russian Mission tribal council and the Bethel senior center, according to this trooper report:

On 12/20/10 Russian Mission resident and dog musher Ryan Housler, 32, was mushing his team on the portage trail between Russian Mission and Kalskag when he encountered a musk ox. Two of Housler's dogs were killed and Housler had to climb a tree until another Russian Mission resident, Peter Minock 38, shot and killed the ox. The hide, head and meat of the ox were salvaged and the meat donated to the Russian Mission tribal council for distribution. Alaska Wildlife Troopers further donated some meat to the Bethel senior center. The head and hide will
be turned over to ADF&G.

Posted today:

The Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand Camp is calling on Gov. Sean Parnell to rethink his choice of Cora Campbell as Fish and Game commissioner and is urging the state to search for other candidates.

Here's the statement from ANB this afternoon:

The state’s oldest civil rights organization is urging Gov. Sean Parnell to rethink his top choice for commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand Camp also rejected the state’s second choice for the post, saying nominee Ron Somerville has a long and hostile history toward indigenous people of Alaska.
“We consider the forwarding of Ron Somerville by the joint boards of fisheries and game a direct slap in the face to the Native community,” said Grand President Richard Jackson. “His actions against indigenous people of Alaska are well documented and should disqualify him from leading the department for all Alaskans, including Native people.”
The boards approved both applicants this week, including Parnell’s top pick, Cora Campbell. The ANB Grand Camp urged the governor to reject her primarily because of her lack of experience.
“We have serious concerns that someone so young and inexperienced and who has such close ties to the commercial fishing industry will lack the maturity and judgment to negotiate the difficult issues facing Alaska and to serve the many constituents for Alaska's wildlife resources,” Jackson said.

The southwest Alaska village of Quinhagak wishes you this whopping dose of holiday cheer, posted courtesy of 5th-grade teacher Jim Barthelman:

UPDATE: How this video was made ...

Ten hours of filming. Four hours of editing. Dozens of shots. Countless takes.

Barthelman, 29, and his class began planning this clip late last week and filmed it over the weekend in a whirlwind trip around the village, the teacher said today.

Here he is in a phone interview, describing the community reaction:

Jim Barthelman

How was the Quinhagak premiere?

In some ways it’s been a rough winter for the village and the fifth-graders’ video has been a hoot for the town.

“Dude, it’s been insane … About half an hour ago, Lisa Murkowski called and congratulated us and the kids and everybody,” Barthelman said.

The students filmed about 70 shots on Saturday, when a thick fog covered the Yup’ik village, and another three dozen or so on Sunday. That shot in front of the windmill, in particular, was a cold one.

“I’d go ‘One, two, three hallelujah!’ and if (the kids) weren’t all lined up and flipping the cards at the right time, I’d say ‘One, two three’ and we’d just do that over and over until we got a good take,” Barthelman said. “Then we’d all jump back in the truck and warm up and go to the next spot.”

Originally from Nebraska, the teacher has worked in Quinhagak for about three years. Check out more of his photos and videos at his "Ah Alaska!" blog.

With a population of about 700, Quinhagak is 71 miles southwest of Bethel.

The Associated Press

JUNEAU — The trial date for a former state Fish and Game commissioner charged with driving under the influence has been moved.

Trial had been set for last week for Denby Lloyd, who also was charged with reckless driving stemming from an August traffic stop in Juneau.

Since the incident, he has retired as commissioner. Trial is now set for Feb. 14.

Lloyd's attorney, Louis Menendez, said Monday that he doesn't comment on pending cases.

A police sergeant has said Lloyd was stopped for expired tags but failed a field sobriety test administered after an officer saw "signs of possible intoxication."

According to the officer's report, Lloyd acknowledged "consuming two glasses of table wine." Police said Lloyd took a breath test that registered 0.143 percent. The legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.08.

Troopers:

Adak
Reckless Endangerment/MIW
On 12-15-2010, approximately 1753 hours, Isaac James Helmericks 32 y.o.a. of Adak reported he was setting out his duck decoys in the water off Sweeper Cove, Adak Island when a white SUV pulled up on Finger Bay Road approximately 300 yards away. An unknown person(s) used a rifle to shoot at his decoys that were tied up to his boat. Helmericks reported that he stood up on the boat and waved his arms to get their attention and the person in the SUV continued to shoot a couple more rounds. Helmericks then discharged a round from his shotgun into the air. The SUV then left driving off towards the town of Adak. On 12-16-10, AST identified the suspect SUV and the occupants. AST contacted all the occupants of the suspect SUV after they landed in Anchorage. The investigation revealed Tyler J. Andersen 20 y.o.a. of Anchorage had used his rifle to shoot from inside the vehicle at the duck decoys. He initially did not realize they were decoys and that Helmericks
was nearby.Andersen's rifle was seized. Fish and Wildlife Troopers collaborated on the case and charges will be forwarded to the DA for prosecution.

Introducing the western-most chapter of the Future Farmers of America. Photo courtesy of Tuluksak School.

Teacher Darcy Dixon sends this note from Tuluksak:

As most teachers and students are preparing for Christmas programs and day dreaming of sunny vacation spots, it’s all business at Tuluksak School in the YK Delta region.

"I think I’m the villain in the show, so I can scare off all the unwanted tourists that Sarah Palin is bringing in," says Ferno Tweto of Unalakleet. Her family stars in "Flying Wild Alaska," a Bush pilot reality show premiering next month on the Discovery Channel. (We stayed with the Twetos while covering the Iditarod, and she was actually quite nice.)

By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com

Behold the trailer for the new Discovery Channel show about Bush pilots, "Flying Wild Alaska:"

That’s Ferno Tweto of Unalakleet questioning the manhood of ice road truckers at the 25-second mark, and I'm guessing her Alaska will have a few more f-bombs per hour than Sarah Palin’s. More villages too, as her show follows the Tweto family and their pilots as they deliver everything from soda pop to sled dogs to coffins across the state.

It's the same series we hinted at last summer, with 10-episodes beginning Jan. 5. (Don’t tell anybody though. I’m still working on a story.)

Anyway, Ferno asked a favor today. She wants to get her daughter Ariel, 23, a sleeveless dress made out of musk ox wool for the show premiere. Anyone know how? Know anybody she can commission for a light qiviut gown?

Let me know.

And somebody in Unalakleet invite the Twetos over to watch the episodes. They only get one channel at their house.

"I’m really pushing to get (a) dish out here," Ferno said.

Ayla, Ariel, Jim and Ferno Tweto, from left. Discovery Channel photos

Which Alaska Native corporations have the highest dividends? How does yours compare?

The non-profit news organization ProPublica has released an easy-to-use database tallying how much the companies made and how much they gave to shareholders in 2009.

The info is based on annual reports and other financial information for the top Alaska Native corporations, and is part of a larger news package investigating Alaska firms.

UPDATE:

The Native American Contractors Association blasted the package today, calling it "one-sided." Native 8(a) Works, a coalition of Alaska Native corporations, just sent this response.

Below is their list of the companies with the highest dividends per share for 2009. Hint: The companies that make the most money aren’t necessarily at the top.

See the full chart here. Read annual reports for many of the companies here.

-- Afognak Native Corp.: $238.60.
-- Arctic Slope Regional Corp.: $57.12
-- Chugach Alaska Corp.: $40.72
-- CIRI (Cook Inlet Region Inc.): $35.24
-- Sealaska Corp.: $20.74 (Note: ProPublica reported that Sealaska distributed $2.15 per share in 2009, but the company says that's incorrect. This post has been updated with Sealaska's numbers.)
-- Bristol Bay Native Corp.: $12
-- NANA Regional Corp.: $12
-- Tyonek Native Corp. $10
-- Koniag Inc.: $8.73
-- Olgoonik Corp.: $7.50
-- Aleut Corp.: $6
-- Doyon Ltd.: $3.68
-- Sitnasuak Native Corp.: $3.32
-- Ahtna Inc.: $2.79
-- Goldbelt Inc.: $2.75
-- Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corp.: $2
-- Calista: $1.75
-- The Kuskokwim Corp. $1.75
-- Bering Straits Native Corp. $1

(Note: Alaska Native corporations with fewer than 500 shareholders don’t have to file annual reports with the state, so some records for smaller companies were unavailable, ProPublica says.)

Here's the related ProPublica story: Revenues for ANCs Skyrocket, but Not Payouts to Natives

Outside the newsroom Wednesday morning:

Location: Outside home in Wainwright, Nov. 25. "Thanksgiving Day wolverine. Huge male. My dad said he seen a lot of wolverine in his lifetime, but this was the biggest he had ever seen in his life!" Photo courtesy of Linda Lee Agnasagga.

...

The next day: "My wife Linda Lee Agnasagga working on wolverine." Photo courtesy of Ransom Agnasagga.

Students test drive heavy equipment simulators at the Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center in Nome. The eight machines, replicating scrapers, mining trucks and other equipment, cost a total of $170,000. Photo by Nathan Pitt.

By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com

The foosball table is gone from the Nome vocational school dorms. The ping-pong table tucked away. Air hockey too.

2:55 = wow.

Our neighbors, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, are having a craft sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Check it out if you're in East Anchorage.

Julia O'Malley & I picked up a couple jars of this rhubarb jam today during a Coho Cup coffee run:

Bam! Here's some jam.

A polar bear feeds on a whale carcass on the beach near Kaktovik in the fall of 2009. Photo by Angel VanHatten

Where are the bears in the Barter Island village of Kaktovik? The town usually relies on a polar bear patrol to keep bears from wandering through town. But this year the animals are missing, said Angel VanHatten.

“There has been no nanooks. Even right after whaling there was hardly any," said VanHatten, who took the picture above and whose daughter is a former polar bear patrol officer. "It’s been a really, really weird year for nanooks.”

Possible explanations: A beached whale may have lured the bears away from town, VanHatten said. And the ice took longer to go out than usual, which may have disrupted their regular habits.

Can't be good for Kaktovik's bear-viewing business:

The price of a bottle of R&R whiskey in Bethel has dropped from $80 in 2009 to roughly $50 a bottle last week, says an undercover state trooper.

The investigator –- a member of the Western Alaska Alcohol and Narcotics Team -- was in town this month during a troopers and U.S. Marshals sweep of southwestern Alaska. He'd visited Bethel last year as part of the undercover drug sting revealed in this episode of National Geographic’s “Alaska State Troopers:" (That's him with the blurry face and Darth Vader voice.)

So what’s changed in the past year that might account for lower prices? Bethel voters chose to remove limits on the amount of alcohol people can ship to the hub city each month.

While no liquor stores or bars have opened in Bethel, I'd like to hear more about what the new rules have meant for surrounding villages.

“One of the things I observed when I was there this week: There is a lot of snowmachine traffic to and from Bethel from villages,” the trooper said.

Investigators caught one couple who bought six bottles of alcohol for about $50 each and planned to bring them to a dry village to sell for as much as $250 a piece, he said.

.

Filmed in Hooper Bay, "The Yup'ik Way" screens 2:45 p.m. Saturday at Bear Tooth Theatrepub and 1 p.m. Sunday at Out North Theatre. (Via our Play blog.)

The News-Miner reports:

The tribal government in the Yukon River village of Fort Yukon has refused to cooperate with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for a study about the declining number of king salmon in the river, citing what it says is “a continued assault on traditional aboriginal hunting and fishing rights.”

Read more here.

Among the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government concerns? A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation into the sale of salmon strips by subsistence fishermen along Yukon River, the paper reports.

Searchers in Western Alaska are looking for the body of a 33-year-old Grayling man who disappeared Dec. 1 on a short snowmachine trip between villages, troopers say.

Alvin Maillelle Jr. left the Yukon River village of Grayling at about 10 p.m., headed to nearby Anvik. No one has seen him since, troopers said.

Searchers – at first hampered by a blizzard and open water on the Yukon – found Maillelle’s helmet Friday near an open lead in the river, according to a trooper report.