It’s finally looking like summer on the Harding Icefield Trail! The lower reaches of the trail are snow-free and the meltwater is drying up. Wildflowers are blooming and the birds are singing. This week several
hikers were treated to the sights and frolics of a mother black bear with a single cub of the year. Today the duo was seen several times as they made their way along the Harding Icefield Trail from the Top of the Cliffs down to the middle section of the trail. Other black bears have also been
observed in the avalanche paths above the trail.

Beyond the Top of the Cliffs Overlook (at 2.25 miles) the trail is covered with snow (except for some areas where it has melted out and is muddy). The snow-covered portion of the trail is marked with orange flags. Please resist the temptation to follow other, seemingly more direct routes and follow the orange flags that mark the trail. As the snow melts, staying on the trail will help prevent fragile alpine vegetation from being trampled.

Enjoy your hike on the Harding Icefield Trail!

The 1^st Annual Carol Eads Memorial Peace Alliance Garden Tour will be held on Saturday, July 12, 2008 from 10:00-4:00.  This is an opportunity to see some of the local gardens in our community and remember Carol, friend, neighbor, and avid gardener.  Meet at 10:00 at the Wells Fargo Community Garden to check in and pick up a map for the self-guided tour.  Tickets for the event are $20.00 and are available at Resurrection Art Coffee House and Wells Fargo Bank.  Tickets will also be available at check-in. Funds from the tour will be used to help support the campaign to establish a U. S. Department of Peace.   To learn more about the Department of Peace Campaign check out the website at www.thepeacealliance.org.

The Seward Ranger District (SRD) of the Chugach National Forest (CNF) has education and interpretation programs.  Two visitor services or interpretive rangers work with the Vantastic Program.  Services provided through this program include a mobile environmental education interpretation display, event visits, and Saturday evening campfire programs. 

Saturday evening campfire programs will take place throughout the summer on Saturdays from 7:30 pm until 8:30 pm alternating between Trail River (TRCG) and Quartz Creek Campgrounds (QCCG).  The next campfire program will be June 28th at Trail River Campground about ‘Getting to know Brown and Black’. 

If one of these programs interests you or you are in the area, please feel free to stop by!  We’re here to help provide environmental education and interpretation for all to enjoy their CNF.  For more information on these SRD programs please contact Carolyn or Ben at (907) 288-7717 or the CNF SRD Office in Seward at (907) 224-3374.

Please Join Our Community Weed Pull

Thursday, June 26th, from 1 to 7 pm.

Volunteers can help at any time during these hours. We will concentrate our efforts on the area around the Resurrection River Trail Head and along the road across the bridge as well as towards town. Please check in with organizers at the trail-head parking lot to get your weeding assignment. RBCA will provide refreshments from 4 to 5 pm.

Volunteers should bring bright clothing for working along the road shoulder. Working gloves are highly recommended. We have a limited number of weed pullers. If you have a weed puller please bring it. Remember to dress for the conditions.

If you have any question please call RBCA at 224-4621 or email Matt Gray at mgrayrbca@gmail.com.

Come out and help keep this special place free of invasive species!

Sponsored by:
Alaska SeaLife Center
Forest Service
Park Service
Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance (RBCA)kurtz_kefj_2008_weed_pull_day_poster.pdf

Local businesses have been kind enough to help make getting a BRGC more convenient. Terry’s Tires will be selling BRGCs during regular business hours (224-5505), as will R&R Boarding Kennel on Nash Road (224-7607). Lowell Point residents can get one at Cottage on the Bay (224-8237). Special pick up arrangements may also be made by calling Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance (RBCA) at 224-4621. Three sizes of cans are available, 32, 65 and 95-gallons. All are $50.00 each, regardless of size. Full retail cost is over $200 (including shipping). These containers are a very high quality product. Please buy one and help to make your neighborhood safer and help reduce bear “in defense of life and property” shootings.

Have you ever wondered why harbor seals haul out on the ice, or how ships are able to navigate through ice-covered waters to conduct research? Join us and find out as the Alaska SeaLife Center celebrates our 10^th anniversary by offering an “Ocean Science Lecture Series.” These informative lectures are free to the public and will be hosted at the Alaska SeaLife Center Tuesdays at 4 pm through the end of July.

June 24: “Harbor Seals on Ice” by Anne Hoover-Miller, Harbor Seal Program Manager, Alaska SeaLife Center - Dive into this cool topic and learn how harbor seals are responding to changing ice conditions and increasing human presence in these unique habitats.

July 8: “Breaking the Ice on Arctic Research” by Dan Oliver, Director of the Seward Marine Center, UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences - The Arctic Region is a challenging place to conduct shipboard research, making it one of the least studied areas among the world’s oceans. Learn from former Coast Guard Captain Dan Oliver about the specially designed ships used to explore the region and get the inside scoop on an incredible new ice-capable research ship, the Alaska Region Research Vessel.

July 15: “On Thin Ice: Marine Mammals Challenged by Climate Change” by Mike Castellini, Associate Dean, UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences - The effects of climate change on ice caps has greatly impacted polar bears, seals, and penguins that live on, near or are associated with the polar ice in both the north and south regions of the planet. Through a combination of video and still photographs, examine how marine species use ice for breeding, hunting, resting and social systems, and learn about research being conducted on these animals.

July 22: “Stranded: the Marine Mammal Rescue Program” by Tim Lebling, Stranding Coordinator, Alaska SeaLife Center - What do you do with an orphaned otter? Learn about the round-the-clock care that goes into the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Program, and how this program assists scientists in learning and preventing threats to the marine ecosystem.

July 29: “Long-term Ecological Change in the Gulf of Alaska” by Bob Spies, Director of Conservation Science, Alaska SeaLife Center - Dramatic global climate and ecological changes over the last 50 years and in the future will increasingly affect the biological populations in the Gulf of Alaska. Rising levels of greenhouse gases, changing heat and pressure distribution patterns, harvesting of marine animals, changes in predation, and other factors contribute to these changes through complex interactions between the physical and chemical properties of the atmosphere, oceans and marine organisms that we do not fully understand.

Please call 224-7908 for more information.

June is Adopt a Cat Month and do we have cats here at the animal shelter! Please consider adopting one of our feline residents and please do your part in being part of the solution. Don’t litter! Please spay and neuter your pets! A $30 voucher for spay and neuter surgury is available at the shelter.

Also going on in our local pet world is the Pet photo calendar contest. Voting is ongoing at the shelter, The Seward Ale house and at the Breeze Inn. Photos can still be submitted to the shelter or emailed to petscalendar@gmail.com. $5 entry fee can be mailed to SOS Pets POB 2594, Seward, or dropped off at the shelter. Votes are $1. All Proceeds go to the SOS Pets Spay and Neuter Program.

And Our Animal Shelter Pet of the Week:

“Phoebe” is a medium haired spayed female who is playful, curious and loads of fun to be around. She is looking for a loving home with out other cats.

Please visit www.sewardanimals.com for all pets available for adoption at the shelter or check out www.petfinder.com

Huge Community Effort put forth for the 2008 Resurrection Bay Beach & Watershed Cleanup:

RBCA (Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance) would like to extend a big thank you to all the community members who helped pull off the biggest group cleanup to date for the Resurrection Bay Beaches and Watershed on May 17.

Local volunteers and Royal Celebrity Tour employees, totaling 132 people, worked diligently to take on the watershed component of the cleanup. The areas cleaned up included the 4th of July Beach area, the Spring Creek beach area, all of the Exit Glacier pull-offs, along the bike path (from the harbor turn off out to Bear Creek Fire Dept.), the Grouse lake pull-off, all the highway pull-offs up to the Primrose trailhead, and a major effort on the Snow River at the Mile 14 “shooting range”.

Items found in the watershed included:

• Eleven 5 gal. buckets of nails (left from pallet fires)

• Over 1500 brass shells left at the “shooting range”

• Over 1500 shotgun casings left at the “shooting range”

  

• 115 large garbage bags of assorted trash (including “shot up” outdated fire extinguishers and television sets)

   

  

A total of 18 volunteers went out on the Bay in three boats to reach the Fox Island Spit, Thumb cove, and Day harbor (Driftwood bay) areas. Fortunately, the group found a much lower volume of trash this year compared to the previous years. We’re hoping this will be a continued trend with future cleanups. They were able to dispose of items such as:

• Large commercial poly fishing nets

• Mooring buoys

• Over 30 large garbage bags of assorted trash - mostly various plastics

  

In addition to all the local volunteers RBCA would like to thank these partners for their commendable efforts:

• Royal Celebrity Tours for volunteering three coaches and many employee hours.

• AK Sea Life Center for volunteering two landing crafts and many helping hands.

• John Maniscalco for volunteering his vessel.

• Matt Gray for volunteering his vessel.

• Aquatec water taxi for volunteering to haul excess trash off the beaches.

• Christo’s Pizza Palace for donating all the pizzas at the after clean-up dinner.

• Resurrection Bay Coffee House for hosting the dinner.

• Alaska Brewing Company for its generous support through the coastal CODE grant.

The huge expanse of area covered this year would not have been possible without the efforts all of these partners.

We hope to see you next May at the 2009 Cleanup!

Tim Johnson- cleanup coordinator with RBCA

As of this morning (6/5/08), 18 Steller sea lion pups have been born on Chiswell Island. The first pup of the season was lost to high surf conditions; fortunately, that is the only loss so far. The number of Steller sea lion pups born to date is above average compared to the previous nine years. Researchers predict a good season in terms of the total number of pups born this year.

The Alaska SeaLife Center has monitored Steller sea lions on the island since October 1998 using remote video cameras. It is the only live feed of Steller sea lions in their natural habitat currently running in the world.

http://www.alaskasealife.org/New/research/index.php?page=chiswell.php

Researchers at the Alaska SeaLife Center are collecting the otoliths (ear bones) of chinook (king) and coho (silver) salmon for a study on the ocean survivorship of these salmon species.

The Alaska SeaLife Center, in conjunction with a private research company, has been working on a program to help speed the process of transition for salmon from fresh water to salt water in the early stages of their life cycle. This transition period is the time of high mortality rates for salmon smolt, as they linger in shallow areas with many predators. The hope is that with a faster transition, more salmon will survive to adulthood and return to their spawning grounds.

The first SeaReady salmon were released by the Alaska SeaLife Center in 2004, and are expected to begin returning this season. A marker on the otoliths will identify the fish as part of the ASLC project.

Be on the lookout for ASLC researchers on the beaches and docks of Seward and the surrounding areas throughout the salmon season, as they collect otoliths to help determine if the SeaReady process has affected the ocean survivorship and return rate. A higher rate of return means more fish to catch!

We thank you for your support and for participating in this important research.

Wednesday, June 4^th from 5 to 6 pm; located behind the small pond just north of the airport: turn at the road to the airport, cross railroad tracks, zigzag north onto gravel road and head back behind connex storage containers. Look for our BRGC signs. Come pick up your can. For more information call Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance at 224-4621, email Matt Gray at mgrayrbca@gmail.com or visit http://www.rbca-alaska.org/.

For those who cannot make the 5 to 6 pm on Wednesday, they can stop by Terry’s Tires (224-5505) who is selling them for RBCA. RBCA extends a big “thank you” for this business support of our Wildlife Conservation Community Program (WCCP).

The Seward area WCCP has been 2 years in the making and is finally coming to fruition. 650 bear-resistant garbage cans (BRGC) are now in Seward awaiting distribution to all Seward and Moose Pass area residents. BRGCs are being sold for $50 each (for 32, 65, and 95 gallon sizes), which is a fraction of their retail value. This reduced price is made possible by generous grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ($108,150) and ConocoPhillips ($35,000). All proceeds will go towards buying more bear resistant garbage containers.

The Seward public works department will soon install signs around town announcing Seward as a Wildlife Conservation Community. The WCCP is sponsored by RBCA, the City of Seward, Kenai Fjords N.P., Chugach N.F., the Alaska SeaLife Center, ADFG, US Fish & Wildlife Service, ConocoPhillips, Alaska Waste Inc., Glacier Towing, and Terry’s Tires.

Using a BRGC will make your neighborhood safer for your families, pets, and for area bears!

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday evening.

Use your creativity and artistic talent to express the importance of our oceans and and coasts to you and the world! Winning artwork will be displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. The contest is open to all students enrolled in grade K-12 and college and university students. Deadline for submission is Wednesday, June 4, 2008 at the Alaska SeaLife Center - hand deliver “Attn: Darin Trobaugh, Art Contest”. More information available online at http://www.coastalamerica.gov/2008artcontest.html 

Twenty Four, unmarked 55 gallon drums were discovered last week on City property.  Some of the barrels were tipped over and others were upright.  The location of the dumping took place at mile 3.3 of Nash Road on the west side of the road.  The contaminated materials may include used oils and/or transmission fluid.  These drums appear to have been dumped within the past year.  The City of Seward is soliciting community input to help us gather more information and offering a $5000 award for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the responsible individual(s).  If you have any information, please contact Tom Clemons, Chief of Police (907) 224-4023.

Reminder!  Dr. Jack Hickel will be in Seward to share his experiences while working in one of the darkest and most remote corners in Africa.  His compelling story focuses on projects to dig wells and build a health center in an extremely remote and impoverished village in southern Sudan.   The village is suffering the effects of 20 years of civil war, malnutrition, and infectious diseases.  There is no clean water, sanitation, roads, electricity or infrastructure.  Join us to learn about Dr. Hickel’s challenging work to help this village. 

 Friday, May 30, 2008

7 pm

Rae Building, Third Ave. across from Seaview Call 224-2836 for more information

Early reports are, the road to Exit Glacier is now open up to the parking and visitors center. Thank you to the Park Service for getting this done for us.

Mrs. Zabala’s 3^rd grade class took first place in a plastics recycling challenge sponsored by Alaska SeaLife Center AmeriCorps members.

The competition, held among nine classrooms of Seward Elementary Students, kicked off at the end March. Five AmeriCorps members taught students the basics of recycling plastic and other recyclable materials, then sent them on their way to collect as many plastic bottles as possible by Earth Day, April 22. A total of 6,249 bottles were collected - 1,244 of them belonged to Mrs. Zabala’s students. The grand prize? A trip to the Alaska SeaLife Center, a pizza party with the AmeriCorps members, and the satisfaction of a job well done for Mother Nature. For more information about recycling plastics, go to www.greenstarinc.org/downloads/plasticsflyer.pdf

- May 17 & 18, 2008

Schedule of Events

Saturday, May 17th

8:30am–10am Sailors’ Breakfast – Open to Public - Sailing, Inc.

8am-6pm Open House aboard the USCG Cutter Mustang

10am – 2pm Sailors Swap Meet - Sponsored by Kenai Fjords Yacht Club - Sailing, Inc. parking lot

10am – 3pm Open House aboard Yachts - Check in at Sailing, Inc . to pick up Boarding Pass

and list of open boats.

10am – 2pm Open House at Wm H Seward Yacht Club - Club tours available with member

guides

10:30am Mural Society Dedication & Reception - Dedication of new mural - AVTEC Gym

All Day “Take a Ride on a Boulton Powerboat” - Storm Chasers Marine Services in Seward

Harbor - Call 224.3536 for details.

All Day Volunteer to build the new Seward Community Playground - drop by and sign up!

11:30am Military Appreciation Day Picnic - BBQ & Music - Harbor Plaza

Noon to 6pm Resurrection Bay Under Sail to Benefit Seward Mariner’s Memorial - Sail aboard a classic, topsail schooner - S/V Alaskan Rover at F-3

4pm Boat Parade & Blessing of the Fleet - Boats will sail from harbor along beachfront to the SeaLife Center and back. Includes USCG Cutters, tugs, tour boats and recreational boats!

5pm-7pm Music by the Elite 9 - Sailing, Inc. - Music, Wine, Hors d’oevres

Sunday, May 18th

8am Pancake Breakfast - Wm. H Seward Yacht Club

8am – 6pm Open house aboard the USCG Cutter Mustang

10am – 3pm Open House Aboard Yachts - Seward Small Boat Harbor - Check in at Sailing, Inc. for Boarding Pass and list of open boats

All Day Volunteer to build the new Seward Community Playground - drop by and sign up!

Noon to 6pm Resurrection Bay Under Sail to Benefit Seward Mariner’s Memorial - Sail aboard a classic, topsail schooner - S/V Alaskan Rover at F-3

6pm Seward Community Playground ribbon cutting, grand opening for children, and a luau style community potluck complete with pig roast and entertainment for P.A.R.K.S. volunteers!

Please call 224-3160 for further information

The Seward Wildlife Conservation Community Program (WCCP) has been 2 years in the making and is finally coming to fruition. 650 bear-resistant garbage cans (BRGC) are being delivered to Seward for distribution to all Seward and Moose Pass area residents. BRGCs are being sold for $50 each (for 32, 65, and 95 gallon sizes), which is a fraction of their retail value. This reduced price is made possible by generous grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ($108,150) and ConocoPhillips ($35,000).

Come on out and join our BRGC Barbecue, Monday, May 19^th from 4 to 7 pm at Leif Olson’s camp- ground; located behind the small pond just north of the airport. Look for the BRGC signs. Burgers and refreshments will be served, and possibly live music too. For more information call Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance at 224-4621 or visit http://www.rbca-alaska.org/.

The Seward public works department will soon install signs around town announcing Seward as a Wildlife Conservation Community. The WCCP is sponsored by Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance, the City of Seward, Kenai Fjords N.P., Chugach N.F., the Alaska SeaLife Center, ADFG, US Fish & Wildlife Service, ConocoPhillips, Alaska Waste Inc. and Glacier Towing.

Using a BRGC will make your neighborhood safer for your families, pets, and for area bears! We look forward to seeing you on Monday evening.

May 7, 2008; @ the IMS Rae Bldg. Auditorium, 9 am to 5 pm
Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance is developing a Resurrection Bay Watershed Program and will host a one-day Resurrection Bay Watershed Workshop. The mission of the Watershed Program is to protect and enhance the Resurrection Bay watershed through habitat assessment, monitoring, public education and advocacy of science-based resource management. Goals of this public workshop are to:

• Assemble scientists, land managers, university researchers, and other specialists to provide presentations on the ecology and status of the Resurrection Bay watershed.

• Provide a forum for residents and agencies to consider innovative approaches for achieving a diverse economy and a healthy watershed.

• Build partners in the Resurrection Bay Watershed Program and give RBCA input on projects that will lead to improved watershed health while encouraging sustainable economic development.

Please join us for an important day of information sharing and to initiate a long-term, science-based effort to protect the ecological and economic health of the Resurrection Bay watershed. This information is important for Seward’s future, we hope to see you there. For questions contact Matt Gray at 224-4621 or at info@rbca-alaska.org. For more information visit our website: www.rbca-alaska.org.

The Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program (MAP) is offering the
Business of Fish workshop in Seward, April 28 (Tuesday) from 6:30 – 9:30pm
at the KM Rae Building Auditorium.  The Business of Fish provides
essential information for running a fishing business.  The course is
designed as an introduction to commercial fishing for new entrants to the
industry.  Subjects will include evaluating fishing investments,
financing, income taxes, safety at sea, planning for retirement, vessel
insurance, seafood processing overview, seafood marketing overview and
other subjects.

There is no charge for the workshop.  Please register in advance with
Beverly Bradley at 888-788-6333 or Beverly.bradley@uaf.edu.

April 22, 2008 Happy Earth Day!

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 6:18 am, sunset 9:35 pm, length of day 15 hours, 17 minutes; tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 22 seconds longer.

Weather: Wow! Spring is finally here as the temperature pushed into the mid-50s! The north wind has lost its bite and the lingering snow is fast disappearing. The lagoon is totally open. Time to replace the seed feeders with hummingbird feeders. Note: no need for red food coloring that may harm them. Add one cup white sugar (NOT honey) to 4 cups boiling water and let cool. Be sure to keep the feeders clean.

Today: First of Season GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE with five CANADA GEESE in the partially open pond at the salt marsh-with-an-airport-in-it. Twenty-one Greater White-fronted Geese flew over at about 4:30 pm heading north. One TRUMPETER SWAN lingers; three were seen last night. NORTHERN PINTAILS and MALLARDS are now the most common dabbling duck, with growing numbers of GADWALL, AMERICAN WIGEON, and the tiny GREEN-WING TEAL. The late afternoon sun lit up the head of the male teal, turning the usual green color to a rich purple stripe against his chocolate brown head. A statuesque GREAT BLUE HERON fished stealthily in the small but productive pond adjacent to abandoned industrial-sized trash.

Read More>

It sounds like this picture has been passed around a bit already, but thought I’d send it out for those of you that haven’t yet seen it. We first saw this fellow on April 12th up the creek just beside our house, but had seen tracks the day before. The picture was taken from our deck in Old Mill Sub. on the 13th when he hung around out house for a good 20 minutes. He appeared very interested in us; not wary at all. Good to be aware of his presence; we’re keeping our bear spray closer than normal!

April 17, 2008 Pacific Golden Plovers!

Seward, Alaska Sporadic Bird Report

Sunrise 6:32 am, sunset 9:23 pm, length of day 14 hours, 50 minutes; tomorrow will be 5 minutes and 25 seconds longer.
Weather: Sunny skies with high overcast continue, temperatures up to the mid 40s but the strong north wind makes it seem like a blustery day in mid-March.

I was looking for a swan at the tidelands at noon, but instead found two male and one female PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS!! These amazing and beautiful long-legged golden-backed shorebirds have likely flown over 2200 miles in less than 2 days, non-stop from Hawaii. After they refuel on intertidal invertebrates, they will head north to their breeding grounds in the tundra of western Alaska. Look for the white stripe sweeping from the bill all down the side to their flanks. The American Golden Plover is very similar but with a black undertail and black flanks. Like the other plovers, they run a bit, then stop, look and listen, pick up something tasty, and repeat.

Read More>

AMERICAN RED CROSS OF ALASKA

We’re coming to your community to offer disaster response training! These three courses will provide the knowledge and skills necessary to provide food, clothing, and shelter at the scene of a disaster. The disaster may be a single family fire, a wildfire or major flood. We will bring all information for becoming a Red Cross volunteer also. You will be trained, empowered, and prepared to respond, so mark your calendars!

Seward: AVTEC Student Service Ctr Auditorium, 519 Fourth Ave, Seward, AK

Friday, April 18th, 6:00-9:00p Fulfilling Our Mission

Saturday, April 19th, 9:00-5:00p Client Casework

Sunday, April 20th, 9:00-5:00p Shelter Operations & Simulation

To Register: Call us at 907-646-5401

Visit our website! www.alaska.redcross.org