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            The resident registration hunt for mountain goats in two areas on Kodiak Island have been closed by emergency order – even before they start.
            Fish and Game biologist Larry Van Daele issued the order Tuesday, closing the Crown Mountain and the Hidden Basin-East Terror Lake areas. The closure was implemented because four goats have been taken in each of those areas during the lottery drawing hunt, when the target harvest is three in each area.
            The Hidden Basin-East Terror Lake has a herd of about 60 goats, while the Crown Mountain herd is estimated at 25. Van Daele says any additional harvest would be excessive and jeopardize the future productivity of the herds.
            The remaining areas of Game Management Unit 18 will open as scheduled.

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            A Coast Guard helicopter crew from Air Station Kodiak medevac’d a diver from a 48-foot fishing vessel in Alitak (AL-attack) Bay late last (Monday) night. The unidentified 24-year-old was suffering from shortness of breath and was in and out of consciousness when he was lifted from the fishing vessel Patricia Kay at about 10:30 p.m.
            The crewman reportedly had been diving for sea cucumbers when he apparently ran out of air and was forced to surface quickly. The crew of the vessel performed CPR while the master of the Patricia Kay called for assistance.
            The Coast Guard was notified at about 8:30 of the emergency. The man was flown to Kodiak and transferred to local EMTs in stable condition.
            There were 17 mph winds at the time of the medevac, with calm seas and an air temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit. The Patricia Kay is homeported in Kodiak. Alitak Bay is about 90 miles southwest of Kodiak City.

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            The makers of Alaskan’s favorite rubber boot have responded to calls from Alaska’s junior senator to improve their product and consider moving back to the United States. Currently, Xtra Tufs are made in China, where production was moved last year by Honeywell Corporation. Earlier this year fishermen started noticing a decrease in quality and an increase in failure of the boot.

            Senator Mark Begich said Honeywell responded last week to his suggestion about the corporate tax structure in America, which suggested said might be driving jobs overseas. At first, Honeywell said the tax regime was not an issue, but has since said they would like to discuss the topic with Begich.

            The company also said they have improved training in their workforce and have recalled or replaced all defective boots shipped to America. Begich says there’s one way to find out if that’s true: ship some to Alaska for testing.

            As for moving production back to America, where about 500 jobs were lost when Xtra Tufs went to China, Honeywell was non-committal, but Begich said it’s not unheard of for a company to do so.

            In his letter to Honeywell, Begich also suggested the company put back into production the Xtra Tuf beer koozie, which is made out of the same material as the famous boots and reportedly do an excellent job in keeping a cold beverage cold. Honeywell has not yet responded to that request.

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            The Kodiak Arts Council is getting a new director in the coming months, and it’s someone many Kodiak residents already know. Katie Oliver is currently the executive director of the Baranov Museum and will say her goodbyes to the organization in late November when she’ll join the Kodiak Arts Council as executive director.
           Oliver has worked at the Baranov Museum for about ten years and said the change is definitely bittersweet, but she is excited for new challenges