Minus Temperature Doesn't Stop Girdwood Rally Against Trump

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Just over two dozen souls braved subzero temperatures in Girdwood Saturday to register dissatisfaction with the way Donald Trump is handling federal affairs.

Bundled against the wind and passing "Hot Hands" around, protesters received overwhelming support from motorists—thumbs ups, waves, and honks.

Organizer Emma Kramer said she was disturbed by news that the United States and Israel attacked Iran, but didn't have time to make a sign specific to that issue.

So she grabbed one of about 20 she had prepared. 

This one read, "Love thy neighbor and love thy Constitution".

"We're keeping opposition to the Trump regime going," Kramer said of the monthly rallies. "We like catching folks as they're coming into town. It's good to see Girdwood's got soul."

Paul Crews brought yellow and blue flags to show support for Ukraine. 

"Someone's gotta show support for Ukraine and it's not the government," he said.

Despite a biting cold, protesters stood at the corner of Alyeska and Hightower for more than an hour. Jacky Graham held out for most of that time before bundling up her sign to leave.

"It's fogging cold," she said under a halo of breath.

See more pictures at the link below:

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

A group of residents in the tiny, end-of-the-road community of Hope are taking their complaints about a popular music venue to a state agency in charge of alcohol permits. The group, Friends of Hope, says noise, traffic and public inebriation have gone too far.

The group, founded to challenge the festival operator's liquor license, has organized a non-profit and enlisted the help of an attorney. 

The move has elicited an email alert by the company, Creekbend, which runs a restaurant and holds concerts and weddings on its property.

Creekbend has become a popular destination for weekend music fans, hosting bands from Alaska as well as national artists. 

"We're not trying to close down his business at all. We want a few concessions from him to not have as many venues," said Jim Skogstad, who lives down the road from Creekbend and helped  organize the group.

He said Friends of Hope seeks limits on Creekbend's noise level and that music from weekend festivals, which last year amounted to 44 events, can be heard throughout the small, historic town and goes as late as midnight on some days.

Efforts to convince Creekbend owner, Steve Thomas, to "slow down" by restricting noise levels and the number of events have been ignored, Skogstad said.

"[Thomas] has no intention of cutting back and is only moving forward," he said.

Thomas, reached via text Saturday, is on vacation and did not reply to a request for an interview. In email and social media posts, Creekbend went on the defensive.

In a post on its Facebook page, "Team Creekbend" said with "misinformation circulating, we feel it's important to share some context" and changes it has made to "reduce impacts", including increased on-site parking, additional signs, sound buffering, security, dumpsters and reusable cups. 

In its post, Creekbend admitted "parking has been a recurring concern" and blamed "a town organization" for resisting efforts to "pursue infrastructure that supported our business".

Among documents on Friends of Hope's webpage is a Nov. 26 "Notice of Violation" by the state's Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board for unauthorized changes to Creekbend's establishment.

Of around 600 properties in Hope's valley only about 125 are occupied year round. The town center has only a dozen streets and is a popular visitor destination for hiking, fishing, rafting and mountain biking, as well as for the town's isolated, romantic and mining-era appeal.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/hope-residents-take-action-against-popular-music-venue-creekbend

By Skogen Swygman

TNews Contributor

When local middle schooler Aria Rice's art class gave an assignment last fall to make peace posters for the 2025 Lions International Peace Poster Contest, Aria took up the challenge. 

Aria found out last Friday that she won the statewide competition and will find out in February whether she won the international competition. 

Going with this year's theme of "Together As One", Aria designed a poster that included flags as well as people of many cultures together in one image. 

Aria's poster was among 600,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual peace poster contest. 

¨It started as something simple but then I found myself working for hours on it at home,¨ said Aria. 

When asked how her poster might symbolize a need for world peace, Aria said, ¨I feel the world is really divided. I think if we come together, we can really accomplish some really awesome things,¨ she said. 

¨I never thought I would get a chance,¨ Aria said after being asked about her reaction when the news was broken to her. ¨I was, like, super excited and ran up the stairs and was, like, freaking out!¨

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-7th-graders-peace-poster-rises-up

(Cub Reporter Skogen Swygman is a 7th grade student who authored the article about fellow 7th grade student Aria Rice’s Peace Poster award)

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

Chugach Electric, the electric utility that serves the Turnagain Arm, is continuing work on the replacement of the Girdwood to Indian transmission line.  This work is happening in the wetlands between the Seward Highway and the Alaska Railroad track and intersects Toadstool Drive.

The Girdwood to Indian transmission line covers approximately 12 miles of the utility’s Quartz Creek Transmission Line, a 90.4-mile line that runs from Cooper Landing to Anchorage.  This line was built 64 years ago and is reaching its end of life, and Chugach has been replacing the line in sections.  Approximately 36 miles of the line had already been replaced prior to the start of the Girdwood to Indian section, and this is the sixth section to be replaced.  Once completed, this piece of critical infrastructure will ensure reliability between hydroelectric plants on the Kenai Peninsula and power plants in the Anchorage area.

Because the transmission line is fed by power sources to the north in the Anchorage area and the south on the Kenai, the flow of power into the Turnagain Arm communities largely won’t be directly impacted; while the line is being replaced, Girdwood will still receive power from the south while Bird Creek and Indian will still receive power from the north.  The only exceptions to this are two scheduled power outages for Girdwood, one on Thursday, January 29th, from 12AM-4AM and a second on Tuesday, February 10th, from 12AM-4AM.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/chugach-electric-project-underway-in-girdwood

By Chase Berenson

TNews Staffwriter

The Alaska Railroad is currently receiving bids for work to perform repairs on the timber trestle at the Whittier Barge Slip berthing area.  This work is part of the Railroad’s Whittier Terminal Master Plan, which the Railroad said is designed, “[t]o renew the Whittier Terminal as an efficient, resilient, and balanced facility that safety meets customer needs and empowers economic growth for the State of Alaska.”

Whittier is a unique city, in that most of the city’s land is owned by the Alaska Railroad, which is a corporation owned by the State of Alaska.  In Whittier, the Railroad owns 291 acres, including a barge slip, uplands container handling/storage area, rail yard, and support facilities.  This terminal was designed and built by the military during World War II and then acquired by the Railroad in 1960 when the military withdrew from Whittier.

The railroad says that the “barge area [is] showing [its] age” and is an example of “aging waterfront infrastructure,” leading to these repairs.  The Railroad is looking to hire a contractor to perform all phases of the repair work, which includes mobilization/demobilization; installation of new timber diagonal and horizontal cross bracing; installation of pile straps and pile – cap strap connections; and site clean-up.  The contractor will be providing all their own equipment and facilities, which the Railroad will not provide utilities, marine access equipment, or support facilities.

Read the entire story and more photos at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/akrr-receiving-bids-for-timber-trestle-repairs-in-whittier

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

At the edge of Alyeska Highway Saturday afternoon a man inside a truck jutted his head from the window and yelled, "F***k immigrants" at a group of a dozen protesters. 

One of a long line of vehicles heading toward the Alyeska mountain Saturday, the man's invective was not lost on demonstrator Indavady Sopraseuth, who wore a thin, lace white headscarf above a fleece jacket.

"I'm a direct product of U.S. imperialism," Sopraseuth said as cars passed, many honking support. She said her parents are refugees from Laos who fled to the United States to escape nearly continual bombing during the Vietnam War.

"Before the conflict started, the US was bombing every day, 24-seven," said Sopraseuth who moved recently to Girdwood from Utah. "Two million tons of ordinance was dropped on Laos before and after the war. Thirty percent of unexploded ordinance is still in the ground."

Her father left his country for Thailand before immigrating to the United States. Her mother was born in a refugee camp.

Saturday's rally was organized by Emma Kramer, who said she was in Zoom meetings with nationwide organizers "pacing my cabin, wondering what to do."

"I was going to quit when others said they were going," Kramer said. With winds whipping fresh slush over ice, Kramer drove the unmaintained, perilous Crow Creek Road to hold a sign, "Defund ICE".

Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/protestors-brave-cold-and-slush-in-saturday-demonstration

By Allison Sayer

TNews Staffwriter

 Longtime Girdwood resident Jackie Collins, former resident Mereidi Liebner, and I, a Girdwood moonlighter, met up at the Wyndham Garden Anchorage Airport Hotel on November 18 to help serve meals to people who were forced to evacuate their homes in Western Alaska.

 The Wyndham Hotel is one of the hotels across the city housing people whose homes were destroyed by Ex-Typhoon Halong. Bean’s Cafe, already tirelessly serving Anchorage’s homeless population, has answered the call to provide hot meals for hundreds of people living in hotel rooms.

 Volunteering was extremely easy, and I’m including some tips in this article in case others would like to volunteer in the future.

 We signed up to volunteer using the portal on the Bean’s Cafe website: https://beanscafe.org/volunteer/. Bean’s Cafe discourages people from “just showing up,” so registering is the way to go. They accept volunteers 16 and older, but 16 and 17-year-olds need an adult supervisor. There are many locations and time slots throughout the city, so it’s important to communicate clearly with people you’re hoping to volunteer with about where and when you want to go.

 We washed our hands, donned plastic aprons, gloves, and head coverings, and got to know our supervisor. Hot tip: You can escape a hairnet if you pull up your hair and wear a beanie. Unless you have a long beard.

 The serving trays were already set up when we arrived, with a large warmer holding back ups. Our job was to make plates or to-go boxes and to help people bag up snacks. In addition to hot meals, guests were encouraged to take back snacks including crackers and fruit. The fresh fruit was definitely a hit.

 We’ve all had the experience of showing up to volunteer somewhere, only to find ourselves hunting down some tool for half our shift.

This was absolutely not the case here. Serving utensils, back up fuel for the chafing dishes, bags, boxes, etc. were all available and easy to find.

 Things were fairly slow. Sometimes twenty minutes would go by without a customer. Then one or two people would come in, each requesting a number of meals for their families.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-ladies-help-serve-storm-evacuees-and-you-can-too

By Brooks Chandler,

TNews Board of Directors

Clark Griswold himself would have smiled as the Girdwood/Turnagain Arm Lions Club flipped the switch at 6 p.m. Friday signaling the advent of the 2025 holiday season.    

Lights artfully arrayed amongst the branches of a stately spruce gleamed through a light fog in downtown Girdwood.   

The lighting ceremony followed a robust round of Christmas carols accompanied by pounds of cookies and hot chocolate.  The sugar consumption season has also begun!

Lions Club president Heather Durtschi said the tree lighting was coordinated by a club committee including, Seth and Wendy Beaubien, Heather. Durtschi and Kathy Trautner. 

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/yes-girdwood-there-is-a-christmas-tree

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The Flexible Flyer, a retro runner-sled and called the "Chevy" of steerable runners, has a sticker for $30. Tempting. 

Then there is the blue foam roller near the register. Taken. 

The light-blue Norwegian Lobben boots? A tad too tight. 

Saturday's Ski and Sport Swap had much more than skis (though there were plenty). Patrons roamed through rows of outdoor clothing, tried on boots, and picked through hats at the annual local exchange, a fundraiser for Four Valleys Community Schools.

There was a flashy rainbow-dayglow vest, kids bikes with training wheels, headlamps, Thermarests and neon pink pants. 

"Someone was selling mini Power Wheels," said Four Valleys Director Julie Johnson, referring to packages of Matchbox. "That (name) might be from the 80s but that's what I call them."

Johnson said a new digital system of registration and payment eased the process of selling and buying gear.

Johnson said all the hallmarks were in place for a successful event. "There were lots of people, lots of stuff and all the technology worked," she said.

As she roamed the Daylodge in an orange volunteer vest, Johnson said she noticed how some items, like children nordic ski boots, were essentially passing from family to family in the fashion of a true community exchange. 

She said people sell things on Facebook, but "it's fun when it goes through the swap because Community Schools benefits." Proceeds, including those from vendors such as the local Powder Hound Ski Shop, help the organization "hit our mission of serving the community," Johnson said.

Read the entire story and more photos at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/more-than-just-skis-swap-brings-the-community-out

‘Mushrooms of Alaska’ To Be Published This Month

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

The humble mushroom crouches on a tuft of neon green lichen, its purple cap resplendent in a shard of light cutting through the forest. 

Along comes a stampede of teenagers, rushing, pushing and jostling. Then, one sees it. 

"Look!" says a girl with a top hat over black bangs. She squats to meet the humble mushroom eye level.

"Don't touch it," her friend warns. "It might be poisonous."

A quick text and photo to an amateur mycologist reveals its title: Russula emitica, "The Sickener". And another fact: "No mushrooms are poisonous to the touch."

The girl opens a journal to sketch the Russula. 

"Is it edible?" a friend asks.

"Well. It is called 'The Sickener'."

A few days later, she's on the trail with a mushroom book. 

The young naturalist's fascination reflects what conservationist Rachel Carson wrote 70 years ago—a "sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years."

When a sense of wonder took hold of local fungi expert and author Kate Mohatt 30 years ago, as she collected mushrooms near her home in rural Wyoming, it didn't let up.

Mohatt began collecting mushrooms when she was 15. She didn't care to eat them. In fact, she thought they tasted "disgusting".

Mushrooms were mysterious because she couldn't identify them. Then again, she would soon learn no one else could identify them. Her field guide didn't cover her Wyoming countryside. A sense of wonder was activated.

"It was just, what are all these things and why doesn't anybody know anything about them? I just kind of got obsessed," Mohatt said. "I think that's a common story. I mean, when mushrooms are fruiting, when you see a bunch of them out, it's really eye-catching and you want to know what the hell they are." 

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-mushroom-expert-co-authors-alaska-guide-book

By Deb Essex

Girdwood Trails Marathon Race Director

The Girdwood Nordic Ski Club held the 10th annual Girdwood Trails Marathon on Sat, Oct. 4, from the Alyeska Resort Daylodge.  This event has grown considerably as we added Half Marathon and 5K Race options for participants. The sold out event showcased the varied trails throughout the Girdwood Valley including the popular Winner Creek and Iditarod Trails. This year, 331 runners from all around Alaska, seven U.S. states, and Canada, braved the 39 degree temps and rain to run the connected trails in Girdwood. This event was created by Girdwood trail enthusiast, Brian Burnett, who is constantly cruising along trails for a fun day outside and who currently serves as the Chief of Stoke for all things trail related in Girdwood.  

The marathon and half marathon race switch direction every year, and this year ran in a counter-clockwise loop. The participants start at the Alyeska Resort Daylodge and follow pink flags along the trail route set by one the 60 volunteers of this event. The trails were in excellent condition, and Glacier Creek had a low flowrate so the marathon runners could cross without incident. This trail race would simply not be possible without the funding dedication of the Anchorage Parks and Recreation - Girdwood Staff, Kyle Kelley and Margaret Tyler, who annually apply for grant funding and hire trail crews to repair and maintain the valley’s trails.  They also coordinate with the Friends of Girdwood Trails to host trail work parties for smaller maintenance tasks.  Moreover, the USFS perennially sends a crew up Winner Creek Trail with the enormous task of hardening the trail surface.  The combination of these trail maintenance efforts mean that Girdwood trails can handle year-round visitors and participants of this race.

Read the story, pictures and results at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-trails-marathon-continues-to-grow

By James Brooks

Alaska Beacon

Reporters and editors at the Homer News and Peninsula Clarion announced their resignations on Monday, citing a decision by the papers’ corporate owners to bow to political pressure to amend an article about a vigil for the slain far-right activist Charlie Kirk.

The resignations, which include two editors and two reporters based in Homer and Kenai, were scheduled to take effect in two weeks, but managers at Carpenter Media Group fired all four immediately. 

Carpenter Media Group, an international chain, owns the News, Clarion and the Juneau Empire, as well as the Yukon News and hundreds of other newspapers in the Lower 48 and Canada.

The resignations follow a similar mass resignation at the Juneau Empire earlier this summer. 

When combined, both actions leave Carpenter Media Group with a single in-state Alaska reporter among its three newspapers.

Mary Kemmis, senior vice president of Carpenter’s publications in Alaska and Canada, did not return phone calls seeking comment on Tuesday, nor did Chloe Pleznac, the reporter who authored the original article.

Jake Dye, a former reporter for the Peninsula Clarion and one of the people who resigned this week, said by phone that Carpenter’s handling of the story was “problematic in a lot of ways.”

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/mass-resignations-at-two-alaska-newspapers-after-out-of-state-owners-bow-to-political-pressure

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

When city planners and the developer of a contentious "Holtan Hills" subdivision come to town Tuesday they will likely face questions on a construction project plagued with mishaps.

From the beginning, construction of an access road off Hightower and near the school saw issues. A worker on site said a water main, installed decades ago, was not identified. Then, the construction company, GMC, ran into refuse from a forgotten dump.

The finding, testing and disposal of decades-old garbage set the project behind by at least a week.

And, recently, local police have been called to monitor the road after close calls and fears of pedestrian accidents by construction vehicles.

Girdwood Fire Chief Michelle Weston wrote on Facebook that she raised concerns at a Girdwood Board of Supervisors meeting about "commercial vehicles traveling down the center line and swinging into opposing lanes of traffic." She and others said they personally witnessed dangerous situations near the school involving children and construction vehicles. 

There have been no flaggers and few safety precautions sought by municipal officials, nor GMC despite calls by local officials. 

A spokesperson for the Municipality said in late July a traffic study was determined by the planning department to be unnecessary and that a traffic control plan would be "submitted and available for public review prior to disturbance and reconstruction of (affected) portions of Hightower Rd."  So far, no such plan has emerged.

And even though contractors have worked extensively near the road and bike path to patch in gas, sewer and electric utilities, the municipality has not followed through on its commitment for safety measures on the bike path, a section of which was partially torn up and diverted. 

"A traffic control plan will be further developed once the construction schedule gets closer to (the) bike path and road demolition so utilities may be connected to mains along Hightower Rd. Temporary chain-link fencing is currently onsite to delineate the active construction zone," the Muni's spokesperson wrote in July.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/tuesday-holtan-hills-meeting-comes-on-heels-of-construction-complications

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Local ski patroller Kyle Beckler rides shotgun in a van as it rattles along a dusty strip near the Ukrainian frontline in its war against Russia.

A bridge comes into view, pieces missing, one span tilted into a river. 

The white van, a rented jalopy with a window missing from a shrapnel blast, carries cans of meat and packages. Its glove compartment is duct-taped shut.

The van passes buildings with skeletal roofs and crumbled walls. It passes a rusted, wheel-less transport truck slumped on the side of a road with a door hanging open.

What looks like a school has blackened, pocketed walls and its windows are punched out. 

Read the entire story at the below link: 

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/local-ski-patroller-finds-fear-loathing-and-adventure-in-war-zones

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

A dump uncovered during construction of a road to "Holtan Hills" was determined to have a low amount of toxic pollutants, according to an official with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

Six soil samples taken from material dumped decades ago near Girdwood's school revealed petroleum and other chemicals well below a threshold mandating an extensive clean up, said Jade Gamble, who works in the DEC's "Rapid Response" division.

DEC received a report August 6 and the agency closed the case six days later after testing samples from the site.

A consultant screening for "volatile organic compounds" found that "nothing was deemed a threat to groundwater or surface water or to the general public," Gamble said. "And now they're just running into garbage." She said that "several hundred cubic yards" of trash-strewn dirt have been removed.

In early August workers excavating an access road and sewer line for the controversial "Holtan Hills" project turned up refuse—from oil drums to trash-filled plastic bags to car axles—of a dump closed in 1979. A portion of the garbage was removed in 2002 after children at the school complained of bad smells and orange sludge coming from the playground. The remediated playground area was unlisted as a contaminated site, according to the DEC.

But while garbage uncovered this month is part of the same dump and also had an odor, soil samples from recent excavations had "diesel-range organics" in the 30s parts-per-million and the threshold triggering more stringent regulations is 230 ppm, Gamble said. Tests for heavier oils, like engine oils, showed no amounts of the hazardous waste, she said.

Read the entire story st the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/dump-found-shows-little-trace-of-oil

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Workers constructing a municipal access road for a planned subdivision encountered tons of garbage from a landfill that was only partially excavated decades ago. 

Crews piled old car parts, crushed propane tanks and other debris into a 20-foot high mound and covered it with a white tarp. The clean up has caused construction delays for road and sewer line access for the 60-acre "Holtan Hills" development, according to a municipal official.

Refuse was uncovered at least two weeks ago. Questions sent to a municipal point-person were answered in a brief response Friday that verified the finding.

"Material needed to be excavated, sorted and tested prior to disposal which has caused a short delay in construction," wrote public involvement coordinator Kenny Friendly. "However, the project is still scheduled to be completed by September 30."

As of Saturday, the material remained on site. Calls and emails sent to a state agency that oversees contaminated sites did not respond to questions as of Friday, so whether the rubbish containes dangerous and toxic contaminates is still unknown.

Though Friendly's email suggested landfill material has been excavated, he wrote in another part of the message that "additional garbage/debris needs to be removed" before paving a road and bike path. 

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/holtan-hills-construction-unearths-decades-old-landfill

By Yereth Rosen

Alaska Beacon

The secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, visiting Alaska this week, said he hopes to learn about challenges facing both the state’s urban centers and remote rural communities.

“I came here to be a great listener, to understand the needs of the people of Alaska, to understand the challenges of the people of Alaska and particularly when it comes to homelessness and affordable housing,” Scott Turner, the Trump administration’s HUD secretary, said at a news conference Tuesday in Anchorage.

Turner is among several Trump administration cabinet members touring Alaska this summer.

He spent part of Tuesday meeting with Anchorage municipal officials who discussed the challenges of homelessness in the state’s largest city.

It is a national issue, Turner said.

That 770,000 people identified as homeless in the nation “is unacceptable to me, it’s unacceptable to my colleagues and I know it’s unacceptable to you,” he said.

Read the entire story at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/us-housing-secretary-visits-alaska-to-gather-insights-into-urban-and-rural-challenges

By Brooks Chandler

​TNews Board of Directors

 Girdwood’s Land Use Committee and Housing and Economic Committee have approved asking the Heritage Land Bank to survey and subdivide HLB property at the intersection of Ruane and Alyeska Highway.  Subdivision would be an initial step in potential development of  half of the property for work force housing.  

The concept originated with the Girdwood Community Land Trust.  A public-private partnership for development between HLB and a Girdwood non-profit (not necessarily GCLT) is envisioned.  

The concept presented to the LUC and GHEC identifies an initial phase consisting of 28-32 apartments, 10 townhouses and 16 “tiny” (750 sq. ft) bungalows.  Half of these units would be developed as “market rate” housing by a private developer.  

Half of the units would be managed by the Girdwood non-profit for workforce housing.  Profits from selling market rate units would be shared equally between the Girdwood non-profit, the Girdwood Valley Service Area, the Anchorage General Fund and HLB.

According to GCLT Board member Krystal Hoke, GCLT sought LUC and GHEC approval as a show of community support for the concept.   The Land Use Committee approved recommending the Girdwood Board of Supervisors ask HLB to subdivide the parcel by a vote of 8-0 with 4 abstentions on July 14.  GHEC also unanimously approved the concept at its Aug. 4 meeting.

A draft resolution of support will be considered bythe Girdwood Board of Supervisors at its Aug. 18 meeting.

Read the entire at the link below:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/land-use-committee-and-housing-committee-recommend-seeking-ruane-alyeska-highway-land-for-housing-project

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

Enabled by a young, sturdy trail crew, local volunteers and a $110,000 grant Girdwood's network of trails became more deliberate this summer—with particular focus on a trail that crosses through an impending subdivision development.

Three new bridges, gravel, brushing and drainage have altered slightly the character of local trails, especially the middle portion of the Iditarod Trail from Girdwood School to the out-of-service hand tram.

"Trails play an important aspect in community. They should be available and, historically, they've been there," said Kyle Kelly, Girdwood's service area manager. 

Facing continual pressure from development of local lands, Girdwood's trails committee worked to get a trails plan adopted by the Anchorage Assembly in March. 

"It was a tough process, but we got through it and now we can refer to it all the time," Kelly said. 

The addition of a bridge and gravel to a 2-mile section of the Middle Iditarod Trail, between the school and Crow Creek Rd., adds permanence to a path whose fate has been called to question due to a competing plan for a "Holtan Hills" subdivision. 

With looming development, trail crews have put a "focus" on the trail, which runs along a bluff overlooking Glacier Creek, Kelly said. 

"Nobody has officially told me it's going to change, so I'm going to keep working on it and making it better. What I'm trying to show also is that the community is investing in this and they have been for a long time. If it's a broken down trail that doesn't look very useable, then it's like, 'you guys don't really care about this trail'. But we're showing that we care. Showing that investment puts us in a stronger position," he said.

Read the entire story here:

https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/summer-trail-maintenance-includes-path-through-contested-holtan-hills-development