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             Alaska has a long history of inspiring the rest world. Books and films have been written about the Last Frontier and more recently a slew of television shows boasting tremendous success have depicted various aspects of the state. Companies have marketed products around their performance in the Alaska wilderness, and others have simply branded them with an Alaskan name. So is the case with the KODIAK bracelet. KMXT’s Brianna Gibbs has more.

            Entrepreneurs Jonathan Price and Michael Mojica have never been to Alaska, but their passion for the outdoors and desire to one day visit played a big part in naming the KODIAK bracelet.

           “So basically what we wanted to do was really create a survival bracelet that pretty much encompassed everything that you really need if you really need to survive," said Jonathan Price, who co-owns Outdoor Elements with Mojica. The pair designed and created the KODIAK after seeing a simple paracord survival bracelet, which have grown in popularity and allow wearers to carry several feet of paracord with them at all times.

            Price said he and Mojica wanted to recreate the bracelet, but incorporate their own elements of survival, like a fishing hook. The hook is woven into the bracelet, beneath the paracord. But they didn’t stop there. Price said they engineered a Ferro rod and steel striker into the bracelet’s buckle so someone could start a fire whenever they wanted.

          “Then we decided to take it to another level and that’s when we created the survival cord with integrated braided fishing line actually inside the rope itself and a material that you could pull out and use as tinder as well,” Price said.

            And what about the name? 

           “We really wanted to give it like a raw, rugged name. So I was thinking, well, Alaska’s probably one of the most beautiful places on the planet, just the vast wilderness up there. That’s really where we came up with the name Kodiak, basing it off of a love of the outdoors and just how beautiful the state of Alaska is.”

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            Navy SEAL training could expand on Kodiak Island. The state is currently taking public comment through the end of May on a permit application to use state-owned lands as part of a U.S. Navy winter weather training program.
            Clark Cox is a natural resource manager for the State Department of Natural Resources and said the Navy didn’t provide any specific dates, but rather wanted the ability to use the land when needed for trainings.     According to the application submitted to the state, Navy SEAL trainings occur about six times per year and typically involve groups of up to 12 people for two days.  
           Cox said a portion of the state land in question is located in Chiniak and Pasagshak.
           “There’s lots of things out there. So, you know public lands are generally open for use. So we’ve got hunting that takes place, whether it’s personal or subsistence or commercial. We’ve got agricultural grazing leases in and around the area.  We’ve got the rocket launch facility, obviously. We’ve got the roads, we’ve got private residences there, we’ve got material sites, and we’ve got all kinds of activities taking place,” Cox said.

          The state isn’t the only entity the Navy has contacted. Duane Dvorak works in the community development department for the Kodiak Island Borough and said the borough land is also part of the area the Navy is looking at for training.  

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            For the past five months Tiffany Brunson has been serving as the interim executive director for the Baranov Museum, but now she can finally drop one of the words in her job title. Brunson has officially been hired as the executive director and began working in that capacity on May 1.
             “I’m really actually honored to get this position, I think it’s a great opportunity and I really love the history of Kodiak. I think it’s got a really fantastic history.”
              The museum, which is operated in part by the Kodiak Historical Society, began its search for a new director back in early December, when former director Katie Oliver left to take a similar role with the Kodiak Arts Council.
At the time, Brunson was working as a gallery host at the museum. She had the education and experience for the position, and knew it was something she wanted to pursue.
               While the Erskine House, the building that houses the museum, has a rich history in Kodiak, Brunson is relatively new to the island. She moved here from Idaho a year ago and has spent majority of her time here with the museum. She said the past year has definitely been a great experience, and she has certainly learned a lot.

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            Despite both being islands with decent surfing, there’s not much that Puerto Rico and Kodiak have in common. Both, however, do have U.S. Post Offices and need postmasters. And in this case, Cabo Rojo’s gain will be Kodiak’s loss, as Postmaster Bill Kersh leaves here for there next month.
            Kersh, who’s been postmaster in Kodiak for about seven years, recently accepted a similar job just about as far away from Kodiak one can get and still be in the United States.
            Cabo Rojo, on the southwest corner of the island, has a population of 50,000 in the city, with several other towns surrounding it. Kersh has never been there, but plans a visit soon.
            In Kersh’s time as the Kodiak postmaster, there have been a lot of changes, both in staff and infrastructure. Though the size of the staff is a fraction of what it was when he arrived, due to the Postal Service’s well-publicized financial troubles, Kersh said the people he worked with here were top-notch.
           Kersh also involved himself actively with the community, serving five years on the Planning and Zoning Commission and participating with several groups around town, including the Lions, Elks and Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Kersh and his family will be leaving for Puerto Rico in mid June.