Alaska Land EXploration, LLC

10/01/2026

09/19/2026

You may not know that an ADF&G fishery biologist played a key role in the rescue of the surviving fisherman from Savoonga who with his cousin and brother went missing for three days on the Bering Sea in an 18-foot skiff. The teenager, who was the sole survivor, was hoisted off the hull of the overturned skiff by the crew of The Northwest Explorer fishing vessel.
"I’m not alone in the Department when I say how proud I am of Mike Parker’s role in helping the 15-year-old fisherman," said ADF&G Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang.
In this KTUU shared video you can hear Mike yelling “stay on your boat” for safety reasons as the vessel approached.
https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/09/10/through-chattering-teeth-15-year-old-tells-rescue-crew-about-surviving-days-sea-skiff-ships-captain-recalls/
Mike was onboard the vessel working alongside NOAA scientists on the Northern Bering Sea juvenile salmon survey as part of the important work of ADF&G’s Salmon Ocean Ecology program.
On Sept. 7, the crew of a U.S. Coast Guard’s HC-130 spotted the teen, Derek Parker Aghnaanga, and deployed safety rafts and survival gear. However, they needed to refuel, so they dropped marine smoke flares and relayed coordinates to Northwest Explorer. The fishing vessel immediately headed toward the coordinates, which were four stressful hours away.
“Once we had him onboard there was a surge of relief, sadness, and utter disbelief in the tenacity of this young man.” Each member contributed to giving the young fisherman proper care. Mike provided Derek dry clothes and laid near him to help keep him conscious and to monitor and warm his temperature with heated blankets and rice bags as he was moderately hypothermic. Some serendipity here, just before the call from the Coast Guard, Mike had been reviewing his notes on hypothermia from a recent cold water immersion training that took place right before the trip.
The first photo shows Mike engaging and distracting Derek as the teen shared stories of Eskimo dances on St. Lawrence Island. The second shows Derek after a warm meal. He said it was the best steak he’s ever eaten.

08/15/2026

The signal from the GPS collar of a healthy adult Dall sheep ram indicated it was dead. The next day, when biologists flew from Fairbanks into the foothills of the Alaska Range, they found a kill site full of clues. Mike Taras details the discovery in Alaska Fish and Wildlife News. Link to the story is in the comments

04/10/2026

On April 2nd, we produced the first vacuum insulated glass hybrid ever made.

If you've ever sat next to a window at -40° and felt the cold radiating through, you know why this matters. VIG dramatically reduces heat transfer through glass.

Proud to be working alongside Jason Scharfstein and Kevin Tennant on this milestone. This is what innovation looks like when it's built for the places that need it most.

12/06/2025

Two related major tectonic processes that occurred simultaneously 75 million to 50 million years ago created the grand arc on which three Alaska mountain ranges sit today, according to new research by a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist and others.

12/05/2025