Summer Trail Maintenance Includes Path Through Contested ‘Holtan Hills’ Development
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:
2026 Non-Profit Recreation Grant Announcement
Bh Margaret Tyler
Girdwood Parks and Recreation Contributor
Applications will be available Aug. 1 to Sept. 12, 2025 for non-profit and those formally sponsored by qualifying non-profit organizations seeking grant funding for recreation related projects to be offered in 2026.
Qualifying organizations must operate within the Girdwood Valley Service Area (GVSA). Funding is contingent on municipal approval of the GBOS 2025Operating Budget.
GBOS is setting aside $65,000 in grant funding to be split among those requesting and qualifying for non-profit recreation grants.
Information & applications are available at the Girdwood Post Office, Gerrish Library, Girdwood Parks and Rec Office bulletin boards and on-line at www.muni.org/gbos August 1 thru September 12.
The deadline for submission is Friday, September 12, 2025 by 3pm. Late applications will not be accepted.
If you have questions, please contact Margaret Tyler, 907-343-8373, tylerms@muni.org.
Crow Pass Crossing Race held Saturday
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The Alaskan Backcountry Marathon was held Saturday where athletes began the 23-mile race from Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center.
Male winner, Coby Marvin, became the youngest-ever winner of the trail race in his first attempt and Shauna Severson was the women’s division winner and sixth overall finisher.
One-hundred and thirty eight runners crossed Crow Pass this morning on their way to Eagle River in the 40th annual race.
The leader ran from the trailhead parking lot to the pass in 37 minutes and had a couple minutes lead over rivals.
The route changed slightly for last year's race due to new mandates by the Forest Service, according the race website, so runners now have to take a high traverse to get to the pass.
The change adds around 10 minutes to the 22 mile course. The first runners make it to the Eagle River Nature Center in under three hours.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
See more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/crow-pass-crossing-race-held-saturday
MOA responds to TNews Inquiry on current ‘Holtan Hills’ construction
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The Municipality of Anchorage responded late Friday to a slew of questions by Turnagain News regarding the so-called "Holtan Hills" subdivision development currently underway off Hightower Rd. near the school.
The project is a joint effort by Anchorage developer Connie Yoshimura and the city's Heritage Land Bank, which manages most of the land in Girdwood's valley. "Holtan Hills", so named by a small group acting without community consent, has little local support. It was nevertheless approved by the Anchorage Assembly in January, 2024.
The HLB recently signed an agreement for $2 million with Anchorage-based GMC Contracting for "off-site" development of a road and sewer connection, impacting approximately 2.5 acres, according to the city and Yoshimura. The project is expected to last into August when children return to school.
GMC began tearing a swath to the toe of the 60-plus acre housing development on July 7.
Responses, provided through an email from the muni's public affairs office, are in italics.
Has a traffic study been conducted to determine existing traffic patterns, densities, and vehicle traffic amount on Hightower Road?
During the early planning stages of this project, both the [Municipality of Anchorage] Planning Department and Traffic Engineering Department reviewed the potential density within the development and concurred that the road improvements would be built to local residential street standards which would not require a (traffic study) traffic impact analysis prior to construction.
Where can we view the traffic plan?
See previous response regarding the traffic study. A traffic control plan will be submitted and available for public review prior to disturbance and reconstruction of affectioned portions of Hightower Rd.
Read the entire response from the Municipality of Anchorage at the link:
US Senate GOP under pressure on Trump demand to defund NPR, PBS, foreign aid
By Jennifer Shutt
Alaska Beacon, States Newsroom
WASHINGTON — Congress has just one week left to approve the Trump administration’s request to cancel $9.4 billion in previously approved funding for public media and foreign aid, setting up yet another tight deadline for lawmakers.
The Senate must pass the bill before July 18, otherwise the White House budget office will be required to spend the funding and be barred from sending up the same proposal again for what are called rescissions.
But objections from several GOP senators could stop the legislation in its tracks, or change it substantially, requiring another House vote in a very short time frame. Rejecting the plan would represent a loss for the Trump administration after passage of the “big, beautiful” tax and spending cut law earlier this month.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., appears optimistic he can secure the votes needed to begin debate, though he hasn’t said publicly if he thinks the bill can actually pass.
“We’ll have it up on the floor next week. Hopefully, we get on it and then we’ll have an amendment process,” Thune said during a Wednesday press conference. “And kind of like a budget reconciliation bill, it’s an open amendment process, a vote-a-rama type process, which I’m sure you’re very excited about.”
Read the entire story at the link below:
Update: ‘Holtan Hills’ Road Construction Begins
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
In a slight drizzle of rain Monday morning a group of concerned citizens stood outside a gate to the contentious "Holtan Hills" development.
Then trucks began to roll in, first white trucks with men who jumped into "Hydro-Ax" mulchers. After a couple hours, the protesters left.
Then a gym-length tractor hauling an enormous excavator arrived. Later more machines rumbled through town down Hightower Rd.
The first day of the city's 75-day contract with a major construction company—GMC Contracting—to drive a road, sewer, gas and electric into the forested hills behind Girdwood's school began with the staging of heavy equipment.
Construction delays on the Seward Highway slowed traffic on the opening day foray.
Meanwhile, responses from municipal public officials to questions emailed last week regarding the project have not been answered as of late afternoon.
"Thank you for reaching out. We haven’t forgotten about you," wrote Kenny Friendly, a public involvement coordinator for the Municipality, said in an email Monday.
"We are currently fielding all public inquiries surrounding the project including yours. When we have the answers, we’ll get back to you as soon as possible," he wrote.
This is a developing story. Check back with TNews for updates.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/update-holtan-hills-road-construction-begins
Forest Fair at 50: Still Growing Strong
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Tents yawned open, music trickled from a stage, and bubbles and cottonwood drifted among crowds as Girdwood's Forest Fair began its 50th year under blue skies Friday.
Throughout the day and into Saturday, they came—patrons wearing face paint, summer skirts, muscle shirts, rainbow tie-dyes, sunglasses or ball caps painted with mountain reliefs.
They endured long lines of traffic along Alyeska highway, lines for merchandise and even lines for spinach bread without complaint or even notice. "The line goes fast and it's worth it," remarked a fair-goer holding a paper tray of cheese-slathered bread.
Over five decades, the event has grown from a small "arts and craft" fair with a half dozen booths into a busy festival with more than 200 vendors, 52 music acts, and 24 food booths.
There is no way to count the number of people who attend the three-day weekend, but, by 10 a.m. Friday every available parking spot in downtown Girdwood was taken.
"When people ask how many showed up, we say, 'a forest full'," said Terri Adkins, the event's vice president.
The fair has unmistakably grown. Its formerly 10-member nonprofit board now has 30 people. Its red-shirt clad volunteer force has grown into a 200-strong small army of "keg pushers" (beer servers), "age discriminators", "earth maintenance" crew, merch slingers and security. The beer garden alone requires 40 volunteers.
The Forest Fair is a project so consuming, its core committee call themselves the "commit me", Adkins said.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-at-50-still-growing-strong
2025 Forest Fair Festival photos
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
This is a photo essay captured by Journalist Soren Wuerth of Forest Fair festivities Saturday which started with a parade and continued throughout the day.
See all the photos at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-saturday-festivities
Forest Fair Signs Down, Up Again
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
Dozens of colorful, quicky and instructive signs that line Alyeska highway every Forest Fair weekend were suddenly removed yesterday by transportation officials.
But, following a slew of angry comments and negotiations with DOT officials, the signs were back up Friday.
The signs have been a hallmark prelude for the summer festival, in its 50th year, and their disappearance caught many by surprise.
Longtime local resident Drew Motsinger, who retired from DOT, wrote on Girdwood's Facebook page that the state transportation department personnel removed the signs over right-of-way concerns, though DOT officials could not be reached during the holiday.
DOT took the signs down "due to the pedestrian crossing being painted by someone other than DOT", according to Motsinger, who later said he still keeps in touch with friends from the department.
Pedestrian lines at the intersection of Hightower and Alyeska Highway were painted in different colors this year and that triggered an inspection which led to the removal of nearby signs.
Motsinger said in his post the DOT is trying to be proactive, but he also understood the complaints of Forest Fair volunteers about the abrupt, unannounced removal of the signs.
"There's so much jay walking in town. That's obviously a problem and then there are so many people on their phones not paying attention and driving," he said Friday.
In the past few years, the number of accidents involving pedestrians in Southcentral Alaska has grown significantly.
As a DOT employee, Motsinger was asked to take down crosses along the highway (he refused). "My motto was, 'You got friends and family on the road, you do the best you can," said Motsinger of his work to keep highways safe.
He decried the speed of traffic through Girdwood.
Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/forest-fair-signs-down-up-again
‘Brushing’ Gets Underway at ‘Holtan Hills’ Site
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
As she has for nearly 30 years, Jody Carlsen set out for a walk along a favorite trail Wednesday.
It was a warm sunny afternoon, and she was joined by her friend, Loey Stayden, and two energetic dogs, Paco and Ebi.
The outing would be abruptly upset.
Three white pickup trucks, lights flashing, were parked at the trailhead, one bearing the license plate "AXXXX". A cacaphone of clanging metal and crunching trees erupted from a utility path.
The group skirted construction on Girdwood School's trail system then stopped on the Middle Iditarod Trail where a red excavator clawed at tree roots.
"I thought they were going to start Monday," Carlsen said.
Two Hydro-ax mulchers, the excavator, and a worker with a chainsaw, Caden Bevegni, had cleared a wide swath of vegetation and ancient hemlock trees past the trailhead. The Iditarod Trail's informational post stood naked amid a field of wood chips.
"It hurts my heart," Carlsen said. "It feels like this (project) was punched down our throats."
Read the entire story ad more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/brushing-gets-underway-at-holtan-hills-site
Girdwood Giants Cap Off Historic Season as Citywide Tournament Runner-Up
By Kyle Kelley
Girdwood Giants Head Coach
The Girdwood Giants Majors Little League baseball team wrapped up an unforgettable 2025 season with a thrilling run to the City Wide Championship game, ultimately finishing as runner-up after a hard-fought 4–2 loss to the Dodgers. With an overall record of 12–4, the Giants secured second place in the league and recorded one of the most successful seasons in Girdwood baseball history.
Throughout the season, the Giants showed exceptional growth, teamwork and resilience. From opening day to the championship game, the team steadily improved in every aspect of the game—developing sharper defense, smarter base running and confident bats. Their progress was evident with each game and culminated in a memorable postseason performance that energized the entire Girdwood community.
With a strong group of eight to 11-year-olds returning next season, the Giants’ future looks promising. They’ll be joined by a talented wave of players moving up from the Minors, setting the stage for another exciting year of baseball and team growth.
As the Giants celebrate their achievements, the team also honors four outstanding players who are aging out of the league and closing the chapter on their Little League careers: Carver Sieling, Skogen Swygman, Lane Stinson, and Wes Kelley. These players have been pillars of the team, showing leadership, dedication and heart on and off the field. Their contributions to Girdwood baseball will be remembered for years to come.
The success of the Giants wouldn’t be possible without the support of dedicated volunteers. Head Coach Chris Stinson, who has led the team for many years, deserves special recognition for his unwavering commitment to Girdwood baseball. As a volunteer coach, Chris has made a lasting positive impact on his players and the entire community—teaching not just the fundamentals of the game, but the values of sportsmanship, perseverance and teamwork.
Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:
Girdwood Artists create Stained Glass Mosaic
Girdwood’s latest stained glass mosaic has just been completed.
Named “the Cozmic Culvert” and done in the style of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, the mosaic depicts the night sky in Girdwood. The new mosaic was designed by Thalia Wilkinson and Tommy O’Malley and was installed by volunteers.
Local astronomer John Gallup sited the design so that the stars of the Big Dipper will align with the North Star up in the night sky at winter solstice.
The new mosaic is on Timberline Drive near Gstaad street.
See more pictures of the mosaic at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/girdwood-artists-create-stained-glass-mosaic
Confusion and Few Answers Mark July 7 ‘Holtan Hills’ Construction
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
With development of a controversial "Holtan Hills" subdivision project less than a week away, government agencies have so far given few answers on environmental, traffic, safety and other questions.
The Municipality of Anchorage has failed to assign a liaison for the project. No one responded to its first bid for the position and a subsequent bid had only one prospect, who was denied the job.
Since then, the city's Heritage Land Bank, the municipality's partner in the sprawling 60-acre venture, has directed questions to developer CY Investments and the company's website.
The site's contact email, however, led to a broken link.
In an email last week, company owner Connie Yoshimura directed questions to George Passantino, but provided no contact or other information.
Passantino works as a consultant for a national lobbying and media relations firm and has represented such companies as Walmart, Lowes, and GE Energy on development projects.
For its part, the Anchorage School District, which owns land adjacent to the development, has been unable "to connect with" people managing the project and the District is closed this week, according to M.J. Thim, ASD's public relations officer.j
“We haven’t been able to get answers," Thim wrote in an email.
Read the entire story at the link below:
Editorial: ‘Action’ is the Antidote to Despair
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
On July 7, SHOW UP
A fundamental purpose of a free press is to serve as a watchdog on power. It's right there in the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law ... prohibiting ... the freedom ... of the press..."
Even our nation's founders knew they—and their projects—needed to be watched.
"Bearing witness" is also a form of nonviolent resistance. It often takes courage to not look away from injustice.
Witness is one of the quietest, yet most powerful forms of nonviolent resistance. To witness is to stand present—to injustice, to suffering, to oppression—and refuse to look away. It is an act of moral courage that declares: “I see, I will not be silent, and I will not allow harm to happen unnoticed.” In a world where denial and distraction often shield systems of power from accountability, the simple act of being present becomes radical, writes Kate Laverty of a Belfast, Ireland intercommunity fellowship.
On Monday, July 7, clearcutting, digging and filling of a beloved Girdwood rainforest will commence.
Monday brings development of a subdivision no one in town went on record to support.
Everyone locally, that is to say, dislikes "Holtan HIlls".
What is insidious about the "Holtan Hills" affair is the way it was approved: Anchorage Assembly members slipped it through on a winter day after first postponing it indefinitely and after ignoring countless community comments, testimony, letters, local votes and even resolutions from sympathetic councils in town
Read the entire editorial at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/editorial-action-is-the-antidote-to-despair
History of Girdwood’s Past: Alyeska Hotel and Community —working together
By Larry Daniels
TNews Contributor
Thought from the past…
When the hotel was in the permit phase, it became obvious that wetlands would be impacted and the project would need a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit. Both the Arlberg crossing of the moose meadows and the parking lot across from the hotel would require filling a wetland permit. Corp regs require replacing habitat or preservation of other habitat.
Early in concept development, a pond was depicted in front and it appeared to be an enhancement to the site. We decided to propose the development of the pond as an offset for impact to other habitat.
There was also a small stream adjacent to the building. So, the pond had a source of water and a connection to a stream that had a small, silver salmon run. The pond was designed as an over-winter shelter for young salmon fry.
30 years later, did the pond perform as designed? Little fish jumping after insects and a small flock of geese with little goslings, occasional moose visits are evidence that it has performed as intended.
Baby Goats? No Kidding! Girdwood's Library Hosts Goat Fest
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The most popular Gerrish Library event possibly ever?
Baby goats, of course.
Eleven baby goats, 1-month to 3-months-old, cuddled, butted heads, and trotted in a knee-high fenced enclosure outside the library Wednesday while scores of two-legged kids petted, chased or separated—as in the case of the head-buttters—the four-legged kids.
Cries of "can we bring him home?" were met with only a frown by a mom. Only one Girdwoodian bought a kid and quickly named it, "Fireweed."
Chugiak-based The Tiny Homestead brought the goats as part of Anchorage Public Library's Summer Discovery series. Besides "meet and greets" with goats, The Tiny Homestead sells goats and raw milk from an Eagle River farm managing 50 goats—milkers, bucks and babies.
Read the entire story at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/baby-goats-no-kidding-girdwoods-library-hosts-goat-fest
Girdwood Giants Advance to Championship with thrilling 1-0 victory over Angels in Semifinals
By Kyle Kelley
Girdwood Giants Head Coach
In an exhilarating semifinal showdown at the City Wide Tournament, the Girdwood Giants Little League Baseball Team clinched a nail-biting 1-0 victory against the Angelson Monday night. The Giants’ success was fueled by outstanding pitching and stellar field defense, showcasing their determination and teamwork as they edge closer to claiming the championship title.
The game, held at the Anchorage Abbott O’Rabbit Fields, was a true testament to the talent and hard work of the young athletes. The Giants' pitcher delivered an impressive performance, striking out fourteen batters, allowing only four walks, and keeping the Angels to zero runs. Meanwhile, the team’s defense was impenetrable, turning potential threats into easy outs and ensuring the scoreboard remained untouched by their opponents.
Read the entire story at the link below:
New Outdoor Concert Series Brings Out Girdwood's Finest
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
For many years, between the late 90s and early aughts, a music scene percolated alongside Holmgren Place in downtown Girdwood.
In a slumping one-room cabin called Studio B, the legendary Photon Band(later just "Photonz") rehearsed original jams, bluegrass staples and, occasionally, funky disco hits.
As the space fell into disrepair and the Photonz drifted into different orbits, the crumpled shed and adjacent yard became an itinerant open mic—sans mic, que fire—for guitar pickers, jam sessions and sing-alongs.
A winter evening might bear a footpath leading to stumps and rickety lawn chairs with dark, hunched figures and Old Crow Medicine Show renditions in gravelly voices.
Bordering the smoke-drifted yard stood a ramshackle second-hand store, "Thriftwood", and farther in back the building housed the offices of building contractor Ralph Brodin.
Some of those musical magicians have passed onto the cosmos like sparks from their fires: Sean, Jonas, Dusty, Dion, Dennis and Vesna. Everyone local heard them, were helped by them.
In the past few years, 148 Holmgren has experienced a revival mostly under the drive of longtime dancer, drummer and builder James Glover, 49, who worked with Brodin as a sub contractor and would go on to lease and eventually own two lots next to the Girdwood Laundramall.
When Thriftwood closed during COVID Glover went to work revitalizing the building, ripping out drywall from the ceiling, painting the walls black and replacing a deck with a paved path.
Last year, Glover opened the Raw Market, an upscale organic grocery store to "create a space for mindful living" where, says its brochure, "everything we do is guided by intention and a deep love for this place we call home."
The market carries bulk ingredients, sells produce and fruit, juices and smoothies and now offers a kitchen menu.
"We're trying our best to have naturally-sourced food with the fewest ingredients possible," Glover said. "Everything in here you can be certain is as good as possible for your body, or as good as we can do on the planet right now."
Read the entire story and more pictures at the link below:
https://www.turnagainnews.org/articles/new-outdoor-concert-series-brings-out-girdwoods-finestnbsp
Looming ‘Holtan Hills’ Construction Falls on Community Long Opposed
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
A developer's news Monday that excavation for a major subdivision in Girdwood is imminent follows years of sweeping local opposition to the "Holtan Hills" project.
Speaking in multiple town hall, local board, and Anchorage Assembly meetings, in comments on social media, and through written testimony, hundreds of residents have expressed dismay at a plan conceived by developers and politicians outside community engagement.
On Wednesday, two local residents responded via text messages to news of impending construction. Both served on a board—Holtan Hills Housing Advisory Committee—formed years ago to investigate, evaluate, and make recommendations on the controversial proposal.
"As a 26-year resident, homeowner, small business owner, and parent, I stood shoulder to shoulder with Girdwoodians in a request to carve out some of the development proposal so that it could represent the greater desires of our community," said Emma Kramer, who served as the committee's co-chair.
"We offered a multitude of options to help keep its community character—from (short-term rental) restrictions, to deed restrictions, to requirements for a percentage of affordable housing, to zoning for both residential and commercial, to including affordable apartments. Time and time again, our committee was shut down. Ironically, the idea for the committee came from (the Heritage Land Bank, a municipal agency) and the Anchorage Assembly, and yet it offered no more power than a recommendation."
Read the entire story at the link below:
HH Construction to Begin July 7: Road Building in ‘Holtan Hills’ takes GBOS by surprise
Developer Says Local Trails Will Feel ‘Impact’
By Soren Wuerth
TNews Editor
The developer of a planned "Holtan Hills" subdivision behind Girdwood's school said Monday that road construction will begin July 7 and affect two popular local trails for three months this summer.
Fences, "private property" signs and "no trespassing" signs will appear in an area long considered public lands. Two trails, the Middle Iditarod Trail and Girdwood School's Athabascan Trail may see closure.
The news, which came unannounced during a Girdwood Board of Supervisors meeting, took supervisors by surprise.
"At the point in time (when) the road is under construction at the entrance of Holtan Hills, there will be a sign that says 'private property' and 'no trespassing'," developer Connie Yoshimura told the Board. "I know that many of you have used that as trail and walking areas. Unfortunately this is what insurance requires."
The Anchorage Assembly approved the so-called "Holtan Hills" despite overwhelming local opposition last year. A swath, 10 feet wider in places than permitted, was clearcut into old-growth forest behind the school in August.
Yoshimura said a contract for $2 million was signed with GMC Construction and that the company is currently "shopping" for gravel.
Construction of a road and gas, sewer and electric connections will take place during the height of summer tourist traffic in downtown Girdwood and will continue past the opening of school in early August.
"We were quite frankly a little disappointed (GMC Construction) could not begin a little earlier but it was their choice to begin after the Forest Fair," Yoshimura said.
Supervisor Brian Burnett called the lack of details surrounding construction "unacceptable".
Reed the entire story at the link below: