Obama administration declares polar bear habitat 'critical'

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The Obama administration is setting aside 200,000 square miles in Alaska and off its coast as critical habitat for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Alaska Image Library

The Obama administration is setting aside 200,000 square miles in Alaska and off its coast as "critical habitat" for polar bears, an action that could add restrictions to future offshore drilling for oil and gas.

Reader-submitted

Alaska cabins

Share photos of what you love most about your cabin; bonus for any outhouses that make it into your submissions.

Post your cabin photo

Reader-submitted: 2012 Bicycling

Location: Anchorage, 04/18/2011 Three-wheeling Bud!

Share photos of your races, rides, tricks or even your favorite bike.

Share your biking photos

READER-SUBMITTED

Alaska birds

Location: Parks Hwy Northern Hawk Owl

Alaska is home to hundreds of different migrating bird species and readers have posted hundreds of their bird-watching finds. Share your photos.

RSVP: May 2012

Location: Bagram, Afghanistan, 05/01/2012 CW2 Clinton K. Brown III of the Alaska Army National Guard with President Obama 1 May 2012 in Bagram, Afghanistan

Submit your photos from community projects and social occasions around town in May, 2012.

Submit your RSVP photo

Reader-submitted: Alaska Gardens 2012

Location: 05/21/2012, Indian The beginning of summer!

Alaska-themed Tattoos

Location: Our home in Anchorage, 01-29-2011 This photo was taken when our baby Jameson (who was born 16 days late on his Daddy's birthday, Jan 24) was 5 days old. The arm on the left is mine, and the arm on the right is my Husband, Aaron. We have matching arm bands that are the same design as our wedding rings, which are Alaska Soul Catcher design by Alaskan Jewelry maker Jerry Hill, which we got from the Rusty Harpoon here in Anchorage. The Arm bands were done by Jake at Body Piercing Unlimited here in Anchorage, who did a great job with the tribal design and replicating the design on the ring.

A collection of Alaska-themed tattoos pulled from our reader-submitted tattoo gallery.

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Bike Hill Climb

The Arctic Bicycle Club's Clark's Road Hill Climb on Friday, May 25, 2012. Racers started at Potter Marsh and the new riders finished at the fire station and experienced riders continued up Clark's Road.

The Arctic Bicycle Club's Clark's Road Hill Climb.

Sled Dog Rides

Manny and Freddie two of Raymie Redington's sled dog puppies at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla, AK. The pups are named after boxer Manny Pacquiao and his trainer. Raymie and Barb Redington give sled dog rides at the Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla, AK on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. The Redington's are at the headquarters 7 days a week from 9 am to 5 p.m. weather permitting.

Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla, Sled Dog Rides.

PHOTO GALLERY

Twinisms

Bridget Rainey holds her five-year-old twins, Reese, left, and Jackson at her home in east Anchorage on Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Rainey keeps a blog called Twinisms, in which she writes about her life as a mom of two sets of twins and being an Army wife.

Bridget Rainey keeps a blog called Twinisms, in which she writes about her life as a mom of two sets of twins and being an Army wife.

State Soccer

South's Taylor Zietlow advances the ball past Wasilla defender Ethan Keenan during South 2-1 overtime victory during the state soccer championships at Chugiak High on Thursday, May 24, 2012.

State soccer championships at Chugiak High on Thursday, May 24, 2012.

Mirror Lake Rainbow Trout

A rainbow trout from last year's eggtake flows out an Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game truck into Mirror Lake on Thursday, May 24, 2012. About 5,000 catchable rainbow trout, of the 340,000 trout raised this past year at the new William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery off Post Road in Anchorage, were released into Mirror Lake. The remaining fish will be used to stock lakes throughout Alaska to enhance the sport fishing experience.

About 5,000 catchable rainbow trout from last year's eggtake were released into Mirror Lake by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game on Thursday, May 24, 2012.

PHOTO GALLERY

Best of May

The Alaska Aces battled to a 3-2 loss against the Las Vegas Wranglers in Game 4 of the ECHL Western Conference Finals at the Sullivan Arena on Tuesday, May 1, 2012. The Wranglers own a 3-1 lead the best-of-7 series.

See the best May 2012 photos from the Anchorage Daily News.

PHOTO GALLERY

Egyptian elections

An Egyptian woman inks her finger after casting her vote during the first day of the presidential election in polling center in Alexandria, Egypt, Wednesday, May 23, 2012. Egyptians went to the polls on Wednesday morning to elect a new president after the fall of ex-President Hosni Mubarak last year.

PHOTO GALLERY

Frozen Ground

Brian Adams / Georgia Film Fund Five, LLCFrozen Ground, starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, 50 Cent and Vanessa Hudgens was filmed in and around Anchorage, Alaska in 2011.ONLY USE THESE IMAGES FOR PRINT WITH PERMISSION / KNOWLEDGE OF RAUP OR HOPKINS.

Frozen Ground, starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, 50 Cent and Vanessa Hudgens was filmed in and around Anchorage, Alaska in 2011.