Susitna Glacier
Susitna Glacier is an alpine or valley glacier in the Alaska Range. Susitna Glacier flows over a seismically active area; the 7.9-magnitude 2002 Denali earthquake struck the region in November 2002. The earthquake initiated with thrust movement on the unrecognized Susitna Glacier fault. Susitna River Matanuska-Susitna Valley 2002 Denali earthquake
Matanuska-Susitna Valley
Matanuska-Susitna Valley is an area in Southcentral Alaska south of the Alaska Range about 35 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska. It is known for the world record sized cabbages and other vegetables displayed annually in Palmer at the Alaska State Fair, it includes the valleys of the Matanuska and Susitna Rivers. 11,000 of Mat-Su Valley residents commute to Anchorage for work. It is the fastest growing region in Alaska and includes the towns of Palmer, Big Lake, Houston and Talkeetna; the valleys are shaped by three mountain ranges: the Alaska Range, the Talkeetna Mountains and the Chugach Mountains. The Matanuska-Susitna Valley was carved by glaciers leaving thousands of lakes; the Mat-Su rivers and lakes are home to the spawning grounds of chinook, sockeye and chum salmon. The area campgrounds; the 23,000-square-mile Matanuska-Susitna Borough governs the Mat-Su Valley. According to the 2010 Census, the borough's population is 88,995, a 50% increase since 2000; the area now known as Palmer was inhabited by Athabaskan Indians.
Wasilla was inhabited by the Dena'ina Indians. The city was founded when the Alaska Railroad was constructed in 1917. Knik, the first boom-town in the valley, predates Wasilla. In 1893 the Alaska Commercial Company was built at Knik, in 1898 Knik was settled by trappers and gold miners. Talkeetna began in the late 1890s, with the construction of a trading station and the Alaska Railroad. Today, Talkeetna serves as the starting point for mountaineers; the Mat-Su Valley was explored by Russians in 1818. In 1935, as part of the New Deal 203 families from the Midwest travelled to Alaska and started the Matanuska Valley Colony. Families were chosen from the states of Minnesota and Michigan, due to their cold winter climates; the 1939 Slattery Report on Alaskan development identified the region as one of the areas where new settlements would be established through Jewish immigration. This plan was never implemented; the region is home to the Matanuska-Susitna College and the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper.
Anchorage metropolitan area Goose Bay Airport Matanuska Formation Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Alaska Census data Matanuska-Susitna Borough website
Coho salmon
The coho salmon is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family, one of the several species of Pacific salmon. Coho salmon are known as silver salmon or "silvers"; the scientific species name is based on the Russian common name kizhuch. During their ocean phase, coho salmon have dark-blue backs. During their spawning phase, their jaws and teeth become hooked. After entering fresh water, they develop bright-red sides, bluish-green heads and backs, dark bellies and dark spots on their backs. Sexually maturing fish develop a light-pink or rose shading along the belly, the males may show a slight arching of the back. Mature adults have a pronounced red skin color with darker backs and average 28 inches and 7 to 11 pounds reaching up to 36 pounds, they develop a large kype during spawning. Mature females may be darker with both showing a pronounced hook on the nose; the eggs hatch in early spring after six to seven weeks in the redd. Once hatched, they remain immobile in the redd during the alevin life stage, which lasts for 6–7 weeks.
Alevin no longer have the protective egg shell, or chorion, rely on their yolk sacs for nourishment during growth. The alevin life stage is sensitive to aquatic and sedimental contaminants; when the yolk sac is resorbed, the alevin leaves the redd. Young coho spend one to two years in their freshwater natal streams spending the first winter in off-channel sloughs, before transforming to the smolt stage. Smolts are 100–150 mm and as their parr marks fade and the adult's characteristic silver scales start to dominate. Smolts migrate to the ocean from late March through July; some fish leave fresh water in the spring, spend summer in brackish estuarine ponds, return to fresh water in the fall. Coho salmon live in salt water for one to three years before returning to spawn; some precocious males, known as "jacks", return as two-year-old spawners. Spawning males develop kypes, which are hooked snouts and large teeth; the traditional range of the coho salmon runs along both sides of the North Pacific Ocean, from Hokkaidō, Japan and eastern Russia, around the Bering Sea to mainland Alaska, south to Monterey Bay, California.
Coho salmon have been introduced in all the Great Lakes, as well as many landlocked reservoirs throughout the United States. A number of specimens, were caught in waters surrounding Denmark and Norway in 2017, their source is unknown, but the salmon species is farmed at several locations in Europe, making it probable that the animal has slipped the net at such a farm. The total North Pacific harvest of coho salmon in 2010 exceeded 6.3 million fish, of which 4.5 million were taken in the United States and 1.7 million in Russia. This corresponds to some 21,000 tonnes in all. Coho salmon are the backbone of the Alaskan troll fishery. Coho salmon average 3.5 % by 5.9 % by weight of the annual Alaska salmon harvest. The total North Pacific yields of the pink salmon, chum salmon and sockeye salmon are some 10–20 fold larger by weight. In North America, coho salmon is a game fish in fresh and salt water from July to December with light fishing tackle, it is one of the most popular sport fish in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada.
Its popularity is due in part to the reckless abandon which it displays chasing bait and lure while in salt water, the large number of coastal streams it ascends during its spawning runs. Its habit of schooling in shallow water, near beaches, makes it accessible to anglers on the banks, as well as in boats. Ocean-caught coho is regarded as excellent table fare, it has a moderate to high amount of fat, considered to be essential when judging taste. Only spring chinook and sockeye salmon have higher levels of fat in their meat. Due to the lower fat content of coho, when smoking, it is best to use a cold-smoking rather than hot-smoking process. Coho, along with other species, has been a staple in the diet of several indigenous peoples, who would use it to trade with other tribes farther inland; the coho salmon is a symbol of several tribes, representing life and sustenance. In their freshwater stages, coho feed on plankton and insects switch to a diet of small fish upon entering the ocean as adults.
Spawning habitats are small. Salmonid species on the west coast of the United States have experienced dramatic declines in abundance during the past several decades as a result of human-induced and natural factors; the U. S. National Marine Fisheries Service has identified seven populations, called Evolutionary Significant Units, of coho salmon in Washington and California. Four of these ESUs are listed under the U. S. Endangered Species Act; these are the Lower Columbia River, Oregon Coast, Southern Oregon and Northern California Coasts, Central California Coast. The long-term trend for the listed populations is still downward, though there was one recent good year with an increasing trend in 2001; the Puget Sound/Strait of Georgia ESU in Washington is an NMFS "Species of Concern". Species of Concern are those species for which insufficient information prevents resolving the U. S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's concerns regarding status and threats and whether to list the species under the ESA.
On May 6, 1997, NMFS, on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, listed as threatened the Southern Oregon/Northern California Coast coho salmon ESU
Southcentral Alaska
Southcentral Alaska is the portion of the U. S. state of Alaska consisting of the shorelines and uplands of the central Gulf of Alaska. Most of the population of the state lives in this region, concentrated in and around the city of Anchorage; the area includes Cook Inlet, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, the Copper River Valley. Tourism and petroleum production are important economic activities; the major city is Anchorage. Other towns include Palmer, Kenai, Homer, Seward and Cordova; the climate of Southcentral Alaska is subarctic. Temperatures range from an average high of 65°F in July to an average low of 10°F in December; the hours of daylight per day varies from 20 hours in June and July to 6 hours in December and January. The coastal areas consist of temperate rainforests and alder shrublands; the interior areas are covered by boreal forests. The terrain of Southcentral Alaska is shaped by six mountain ranges: Alaska Range Talkeetna Mountains Wrangell Mountains Chugach Mountains Kenai Mountains Tordrillo Mountains Aleutian RangeSouthcentral Alaska contains several dormant and active volcanoes.
The Wrangell Volcanoes are older, lie in the East, include Mount Blackburn, Mount Bona, Mount Churchill, Mount Drum, Mount Gordon, Mount Jarvis, Mount Sanford, Mount Wrangell. The Cook Inlet volcanoes, located in the Tordrillo Mountains and in the north end of the Aleutian Range, are newer, lie in the West, include Mount Redoubt, Mount Iliamna, Hayes Volcano, Mount Augustine, Fourpeaked Mountain and Mount Spurr. Most Augustine and Fourpeaked erupted in 2006, Mount Redoubt erupted in March 2009, resulting in airplane flight cancellations. Anchorage Metropolitan Area Matanuska-Susitna Valley Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
Matanuska-Susitna Borough is a borough located in the U. S. state of Alaska. The borough is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area, along with the municipality of Anchorage on its south; the Mat-Su Borough is so designated because it contains the entire Susitna rivers. These rivers empty into Cook Inlet, the southern border of the Mat-Su Borough; this area is one of the few agricultural areas of Alaska. The borough seat is Palmer, the largest city is Wasilla; as of the 2010 census, the population was 88,995. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 25,258 square miles, of which 24,608 square miles is land and 650 square miles is water. Denali Borough, Alaska - north Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska - northeast Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska - east Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska - south Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska - south Bethel Census Area, Alaska - west Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska - west Chugach National Forest Denali National Park and Preserve Denali Wilderness Lake Clark National Park and Preserve Lake Clark Wilderness As of the census of 2000, there were 59,322 people, 20,556 households, 15,046 families residing in the borough.
The population density was 2 people per square mile. There were 27,329 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile; the racial makeup of the borough was 87.55% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 5.50% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, 4.57% from two or more races. 2.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 20,556 households out of which 42.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.80% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.10% had someone living alone, 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.29. In the borough the population was spread out with 32.20% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, 5.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years.
For every 100 females, there were 108.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.10 males. Schools in the borough are administered by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Matanuska-Susitna Borough was the largest of fifteen county-equivalents in America carried by Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election. Vern Halter is the mayor of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough; the borough has a strong manager form of government. John Moosey is the borough manager. Long-time Manager John Duffy retired in 2010. Houston Palmer Wasilla Alexander Creek Dinglishna Hills In July 2018, the borough's computer systems, including the library and animal shelter, were hit by a ransomware attack, forcing employees to do without computers, using electric typewriters where available; the borough incurred over $2 million in costs. The method is thought to have been a targeted phishing e-mail. Matanuska-Susitna Valley List of Airports in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Matanuska Formation official government website Borough Facebook Borough newsroom Borough map, 2000 census: Alaska Department of Labor Borough map, 2010 census: Alaska Department of Labor
United States
The United States of America known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U. S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D. C. and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico; the State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean; the U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The diverse geography and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.
Paleo-Indians migrated from Siberia to the North American mainland at least 12,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century; the United States emerged from the thirteen British colonies established along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies following the French and Indian War led to the American Revolution, which began in 1775, the subsequent Declaration of Independence in 1776; the war ended in 1783 with the United States becoming the first country to gain independence from a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, with the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791 to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties; the United States embarked on a vigorous expansion across North America throughout the 19th century, acquiring new territories, displacing Native American tribes, admitting new states until it spanned the continent by 1848. During the second half of the 19th century, the Civil War led to the abolition of slavery.
By the end of the century, the United States had extended into the Pacific Ocean, its economy, driven in large part by the Industrial Revolution, began to soar. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the country's status as a global military power; the United States emerged from World War II as a global superpower, the first country to develop nuclear weapons, the only country to use them in warfare, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Sweeping civil rights legislation, notably the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, outlawed discrimination based on race or color. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in the Space Race, culminating with the 1969 U. S. Moon landing; the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the world's sole superpower. The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation, it is a representative democracy.
The United States is a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States, other international organizations. The United States is a developed country, with the world's largest economy by nominal GDP and second-largest economy by PPP, accounting for a quarter of global GDP; the U. S. economy is post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge-based activities, although the manufacturing sector remains the second-largest in the world. The United States is the world's largest importer and the second largest exporter of goods, by value. Although its population is only 4.3% of the world total, the U. S. holds 31% of the total wealth in the world, the largest share of global wealth concentrated in a single country. Despite wide income and wealth disparities, the United States continues to rank high in measures of socioeconomic performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP, worker productivity.
The United States is the foremost military power in the world, making up a third of global military spending, is a leading political and scientific force internationally. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America in honor of the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci; the first documentary evidence of the phrase "United States of America" is from a letter dated January 2, 1776, written by Stephen Moylan, Esq. to George Washington's aide-de-camp and Muster-Master General of the Continental Army, Lt. Col. Joseph Reed. Moylan expressed his wish to go "with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain" to seek assistance in the revolutionary war effort; the first known publication of the phrase "United States of America" was in an anonymous essay in The Virginia Gazette newspaper in Williamsburg, Virginia, on April 6, 1776. The second draft of the Articles of Confederation, prepared by John Dickinson and completed by June 17, 1776, at the latest, declared "The name of this Confederation shall be the'United States of America'".
The final version of the Articles sent to the states for ratification in late 1777 contains the sentence "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be'The United States of America'". In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the phrase "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in all capitalized letters in the headline of his "original Rough draught" of the Declaration of Independence; this draft of the document did not surface unti
