Online Observer

Iver Malutin, Kodiak advocate, passes away at 82

Iver Malutin
Iver Malutin

Iver Malutin, former council board member representing the Kodiak Village Mayors Association, passed away June 25 at the age of 82.

Malutin was on the council board from May 2008 until he resigned from the board in January 2013.

In addition to the citizens’ council, Malutin volunteered on a number of other boards and commissions, including an appointment by Governor Frank Murkowski to the Alaska Commission on Aging, where he worked to promote collaboration between stakeholder agencies to improve health care services for Alaska’s elderly. Other volunteer positions included advisory boards and committees for fisheries, subsistence lifestyle, Kodiak, and Native Alaskan traditions.

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New Zealanders visit Alaska in search of Exxon Valdez lessons

This past June brought visitors to Alaska to learn about the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Raewyn Bennett and Elaine Tapsell, elders of the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand, came to look for information and best practices or guidance that might be useful to them in the aftermath of their own oil spill off the coast of New Zealand in 2011.

The cargo tanker Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef in October 2011, releasing over 350 tonnes (approximately 110,000 gallons) of fuel oil and shipping containers into New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. The Astrolabe Reef, known to the Maori as “Otaiti,” is considered sacred by the Maori, and they are concerned about a potential plan to leave the submerged portion of the wreckage on the reef.

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Let’s not write off mechanical oil recovery in Prince William Sound spill response

From the Executive Director: The council has often written and commented about the significant difficulty of responding to an oil spill in the frequently challenging Alaskan environment. Typically, these observations drive home the point that, given this difficulty of response, extra spill prevention measures are merited and frankly cost effective. All this remains accurate and … Read more

Employee training increases safety, saves lives

From Alyeska: Life and death situations arise in an instant, at any location, in any environment. Remote field sites, urban settings, even on a casual drive home. Ask Cindy Keuler, Alyeska Environment Program Specialist. On April 4, Keuler and her sister were returning from Wasilla to Anchorage when they noticed a vehicle pulled off to … Read more

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