August 2013 Newsletter - Eagle River Nature Center

Eagle River Nature Center News
No. 54 Member Newsletter ~ August 2013 ~ Connecting People with Nature
Nature Center Partners with UAA Biogeophysical Researchers
T
wo scientists from the
University of Alaska at
Anchorage (UAA) have started
a multi-year research project at
the Eagle River Nature Center:
Dr. Peter Olsson, Alaska State
Climatologist, and Dr. Bjartmar
Sveinbjornsson, Director of the
Environmental and Natural
Resources Institute (ENRI). Dr.
Olsson is a resident of Eagle
River Valley and has for many
years been interested in the
shallow, yet very strong,
temperature inversions that
form in the Eagle River Valley
during the cold season. Dr.
Sveinbjornsson has long
focused his research on the
response of vegetation to cold
temperatures and is interested
in the physical conditions that
determine tree line in southcentral Alaska. Now, they are
joining forces to study how the
frigid cold air pool in the bottom
of the Eagle River Valley might
impact vegetation on a very
local scale.
Dr. Bjartmar Sveinbjornsson, Teresa Liu,
Kathryn Metzker, and Dr. Peter Olsson.
Two visiting summer interns, Teresa Liu from Bowdoin College and Kathryn Metzker from the University of Miami spent
several days at the Nature Center this last June. They established plots along an elevational transect across the valley,
surveying the vegetation, and deploying air and ground temperature data loggers. Data from these loggers will provide a
continuous temperature record throughout the coming winter.
The Eagle River transect will provide data collected at a much finer spatial and time scale than available currently, which
has the potential to enhance scientific understanding of how the cold air pool changes with time and how the cold might
affect plants growing there. The results from this first year will help provide a direction for research effort in future
years.
Photo and article by Ute Olsson
Thank you to our 2013 corporate sponsors:
Alaska Airlines * CIRI * Eagle River Rotary * ERA Helicopters
Lifetime Adventures * Pen Air * Peak Oilfield Service Co. * PRA * Princess Tours * Rasmuson Foudation
REI Foundation * Spenard Builders Supply * Totem Ocean Trailer Express * Visit Anchorage
Walgreens, Eagle River * Wilderness Images
Word from the Director
“What we have done for ourselves alone
dies with us; what we have done for
others and the world remains and is
immortal.” - Albert Pike
Board of Directors
Carl Lundgren, Chairman
Andy Bickford
Bob Fisher
Eric Fjelstad
Scott Girard
Dana Glessner
Jason Longlet
Dan McDonough
Anita Nelson
Gail Raymond
Julie Saupe
Susan Spyker
Janet Toenes, Treasurer
Susan Walker, Secretary
Staff
Ute Olsson, Chief Naturalist
Laura Kruger, Manager
Doris Ivory, Naturalist
Asta Spurgis, Director
Summer Seasonal Staff
Giselle Bergeron, Naturalist
I think of all our volunteers when I read this
quote, but for the past months I’ve been
remembering Brian Goodman. Brian, our
friendly Englishman, past President and trail
volunteer died June 2nd. I’ve had the
pleasure and honor of knowing him since
2003 when he first stepped inside the Nature
Center, beaming with exuberance after a
vigorous walk on the trails.
After retiring from a professional life spent
mostly with Barclay’s Bank, he reinvented
himself by becoming the State Park Manager
of the Historic New York City Aqueduct. His
passion for the outdoors and historic
preservation resulted in the transformation of
the 26 mile aqueduct. Twelve years later, he
reinvented his life once again by moving to
Alaska to be closer to his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.
Within a short time, Brian immersed himself in outdoor life. He hiked daily, exploring
the many trails of Chugach State Park including those at the Nature Center. Not one to
sit on the sidelines, he inquired about volunteering and within days he was animatedly
sharing stories about the park with visitors. Brian’s wit, love of people and the outdoors,
and humbleness won the hearts of volunteers, staff and guests. I called him our
“Global Ambassador” because he never failed to strike up a conversation with someone
on the trails and made sure they knew everything there was to know about the Nature
Center. He made an indelible impression here. Brian Goodman was a man who did
things for others and the world, and therefore is immortal at the Eagle River Nature
Center.
I’d like to thank the individuals, organizations, and company employees who helped us
with trail and garden improvements and visitor services this summer. You all deserve a
loud round of applause:
J.D. Batove
Key Bank employees
Glen Bobo
Kelly Marcum
3
Nina Chanlin
Missionaries of the Church of Latter Day Saints
Richard ‘Diggs’ Cleveland
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney employees
Community Covenant Church Youth
Elaine Pfeiffer
Dean Davidson
Alexey Pimankin
Gil Davis
Louise Preyer
Eagle River Rotarians
Steve Rasic
Stacy Flagg
Sandy Skaggs
Dick Griffith
Kimi Smith
Lucas Hansen
Tom Sobol
Elaine Thomas
Non-Profit Tax
ID# 92-0156981
Lastly, I bid adieu to Doug DeVries, long-time volunteer and former Secretary of the
Board of Friends of Eagle River Nature Center. Doug moved to Illinois to be closer
to family, saying farewell to his Alaska home of more than five decades. Doug,
author of the famous “Muscles the Moose” children’s books, continues to write and
spend time outdoors. I wish him a very happy 80th birthday and heart felt thanks for
his work and dedication to the Nature Center.
Please feel free to email me if you have any suggestions or comments. I welcome
your input so we may serve you as best we can. Thank you.
Asta Spurgis
2
Summer resident
volunteers: Lucas
Hansen, Kelly Marcum,
Nina Chanlin and Alexey
Pimankin. From as far
away as Kazakhstan and
Abu Dhabi to Illinois and
Arizona, our four
volunteers have become
good friends.
Great news! All our yurts
have had a facelift. Brand
new insulated walls and
ceilings were replaced by
our volunteer trail crew
members this summer. Next
on our wishlist? Durable,
cushy cushions for the
plywood beds. Ahhhhh........
Key Bank employee volunteers
made a difference. They put a
second coat of sealant on our log
building. Thank you!
3
The following 2 pages are excerpts from a pamphlet created by 3rd-5th grade students at Polaris K-12 School after joining
our staff naturalists for a winter intensive program about the Historic Iditarod Trail. Nice job kids!
The 1925 Serum Run to Nome
Anchorage- the serum was located in Anchorage. Anchorage was a blank spot on the map until 1915.
Balto- was a famous dog in Nome and in the United States.
Diphtheria- is a disease that will clog your throat therefore suffocating you.
Gunner- Gunner was the last musher for the serum run.
Iditarod- Iditarod is old trail they used for carrying supplies and mail.
Nenana- Nenana is a small town where the serum was carried by train from Anchorage to Nenana.
Nome- a small community. It was made during the gold rush. It is a big boom town which means it
was created in a short period of time!
Relay- A relay is a race that involves many people.
Serum- serum is a type of medicine.
Togo- a dog that ran around 275 miles in the famous
serum run. Did I mention he’s a lead dog!!!
Train- a train was used to carry the serum.!
Iditarod Mushers
Fill in the Blank
Who holds the record for the youngest musher to
win the Iditarod?
------ -----Who was the first woman to win the Iditarod?
----- ------Who has done the Iditarod 30 times?
------ ----Who holds the record for the shortest race
finished?
---- ----Who is the first musher to win the Iditarod from
overseas?
------ -----Who was the first woman to finish the Iditarod
race?
---- ------Who holds the record for most Iditarod wins?
---- ------Who holds the record for most Iditarod
consecutive wins?
----- ------
Mushers
Dallas Seavey
Libby Riddles
John Baker
Rick Swenson
Lance Mackey
Mary Shields
Robert Sorlie
Martin Buser
4
The Gold Rush Is On!
These miners are trying to
find their gold. However
they need your help to find
their tools and their gold.
Can you find and color:
1. two pieces of gold
yellow
2. one sled black
3. two pickaxes brown
on handle and gray
on the pick
4. one tram gray
5. one monitor (water
cannon) purple
6. five gold pans green
7. one sluice box blue
Have a fun time mining!
Towns along the Iditarod Trail
Seward- Founded in 1903, Seward was a dock for
boats and coal ships because it has an ice free port
in Resurrection Bay.
Knik- When the Iditarod gold rush began, Knik
was the last major outfitting center. It is 375
OENM
miles away from Iditarod.
__ __ __ __
McGrath- The largest town on the Iditarod
AALKLNUETE
Trail between the Alaska Range and the town of
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
Unalakleet, McGrath has a lot of air service daily
from Anchorage. McGrath is a popular place for
mushers to rest on the Iditarod Trail.
RAHGMTC
Iditarod- Located next to the rich gold strike near
__ __ __ __ __ __ __
Flat you’ll find Iditarod. It was a
commercial center that supported the
DOIDRAIT
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
nearby gold fields.
NIKK
Unalakleet- This town is nearly 2,000
__ __ __ __
years old. The river is rich in salmon, both chum
and pink.
Nome- Prospectors found gold in Nome in 1898.
It quickly became the largest community up in the
WEDSAR
far north. The town of Nome continues to be well
__ __ __ __ __ __
known for the 1925 diphtheria epidemic and the
Serum Run.
5
2
THANK YOU
TO EVERYONE WHO HAS
MADE A DIFFERENCE
AT THE NATURE CENTER
THIS SUMMER!
6
THANK YOU TO OUR NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS!
Alice, Lukas, Aleksas and Andrius Rasutis
Nicki and Aaron Holmen
Mary E Anderson
Doug and Carrie Redmon
Mike Hondel
Christie Artuso
Andy, Emily, Joey and Ben Reeves
Kelli and Jeremiah Hooke
Aaron and Sondra Arzamarski
Lisa Reider Bott
Owen and Elaine Hughes
Dee Athnos and Justin Matley
Paul Rinder
Peter Hunter
Gerald W and Janet Bailey
Amber Rinella
Karen Ingraham
Scott Bailey and Kristine Hutchin
Tara Riordan
John and Megan Ippoliti
Lee and Molly Baker
Lourdes M Rivera-Murray and David Murray
Hank and Nanette Jamieson
Sabin Basque and Sylvie Allaire
Bruce Roberts
Jennifer Jensen
Darrick and Christine Beckman
Luetta Robinson
Martin Johannes
Ed and Georgia Bennett
Karen Ruth
Barbara and Steve Johnson
Kristen Biele
Casey Saenger and Emily Roland
Kaylene Johnson
David Black and Chris Kahr
Andrea and Christopher Sands
Carolyn Jones
Jill and Brad Blackstone
Heads
Tails?
Lori andor
John
Schaff
Dena Kelley
Blauke Family
Matthew and Holly Schell
Dane Ketner
Serena and Rider Boss
Jason Sharitt
Kathleen Keusenkothen
Lois and Andrew Brabson
Danielle L and Nathanial Shubert
James M Kitchens
Bill Bradshaw
Kirsten Sikora
James Lacy and Virginia Flores
Dona and Emma Brekke
Carly and Chad Sims
Susan and Jeff Lakomski
Andrew and Michelle Bricker
Jessica Skripps
Brian Larson
Kent Brookins
Thetus Smith
Mike and Aletha Lawson
Lynnea Brooks
Sarah
&
Steve
Wright
Wendy, Terry, Chloe, Reece and Hattie Solomon
Brian and Tia Leon
Amy and Tim Bruno
Matt Soule and Emily Gorham
Dean Littlepage and Jeanne Moe
Dr. Sarah E Buck
Valerie Spencer
Linda Loven
Shelly and Brian Budde
Paul Hanis
Ruta and Jonas Spurgis
Chuck Maas
Robert Bundy
Candis Stanley
Virginia Marquez
Wesley, Joy, Zafirah, Jaelin Burrell
Ted, Kacy and Zoey, Henry Stille
Brian and Sara Mason
Syaylyn and Brandon Butler
David and Emily Streets
Sue and Tom May
Sandi Canova
Samuel Swartz and Andrea Gilb
Ann McCoy
Tilly S. and James Cantor
Gregg Terry
Terry McCoy-Parish
Norris Caraway
Ron and Julie Thenn
Julius and Andrea McLeod
Shannon, Renee P and Keri Carver
Elaine Thomas and Dale Bingham
Teresa McPherson
Deborah Chambers
Ryan Thomas
Mike, Heather, Riley, Noah and Summer Meuller
John and Bonita Cler
Blanche and Jim Tinius
Jacintha, Miriam, Brendon and Natalie Mezzetti
John and Deb Cologgi
Ian Tompkins and Leslie Sevenski
Mike and Lenna Michener
Rick and Shelby Condon
Ryan Tonneson
Scott and Crystle Milburn
John Cookson
Claire Torbensen-Armstrong and Mark
Lynn and Claire Miller
Joanna Cooley and Sarah Masters
Armstrong
David Mitchell
Marvin Dean and Sandra M Cox
Martin Turner
Lauren and Jeffrey Mitchell
Steven and Stephanie Cranford
Lizabeth and Walter Tusten
Jeff and Jill Molloy
Norman Custard
Michael and Erin VanderLugt
Gary and Katherine Montcalm
Spencer Dahl
Ken Varee
Bette Montgomery
Heather Dean
Marge
Mary and Doug Vaught
Ken and Patty
Moore Brehm, Louise & Mary Hayes
Lynn and John DeLane
Marcia Wakeland
Heather Morinitti
Danielle Dodge and David Doge
William and Randi Walla
Rodger Morrison and Eloilda Morrison-Castro
Doug and Leah Dortch
Sandra and Craig Walters
Thomas Mullenix
Dawn Downing
Sean and Katrina Wherry
Jan Murray
Karla and Ian Dutton
Jason and Samantha Whetsell
Jennifer Occhipinti and Gregg Dunlap
Lin Dysinger
Judy and Paul Williams
Thomas M and Katherine S Odenthal
Will and Lisa Earnhart
Jennifer and Stephen WIng
Peter and Sherry Ohotnicky
Brian Emmons
Cassandra and Chris Winter
Mara and Ben Otte
Kim and Rebecca Engemann
Jeannie Woodring
Nancy Ouimet
Mike and Lisa Erickson
Names listed are from
Barbara Woods Smith
Deirdre Patten
Wade and Alice Evans
6/1/2013 - 8/1/2013.
Donna Woronec
Stephanie and Jeffrey Pawlik
Stacy Flagg
Let us know if we’ve
Molly and Evan Young
Sean and Eva-Marie Peterson
Kelly and Martin Foreman
made any errors.
Ron and Dawn Youngs
Dominick and Danielle Pezza
Jocelyn Foster
Thank you.
Meredith Yracheta
Melissa Pickle and Tom Laffey
Denise and Rick Fouts
Sue Pope and Jim Theile
David & Joe Frankl and Mary Blenkush
Verna Pratt
Barb and Mike Fuller
Heather and Jeremy Ptak
Janet Furr
Annie and Richard Ranachowski
Angela George
Britney and Blayne Rankin
Daniel and Danielle Gilardi
Peter S and Marti S Goldberg
Nicholas and Karin Goodman
Alistair Goodman
Lynn Gray
Michelle Guisinger
Burns Family
Bob and Jan Halverson
Elaine Hammes
Ted Hammett
Richard Hand
Douglas and Christine Hanson
Tom Harrison
Joe Hartley
Stacie and Chris Hawkins
Steve Heinsen
Volunteers Ann and Bob Fisher
Ken Helander and Frank Valdez
(back left, first and third) lead a
Ivan and Olivia Hodes
7
spring hike at the Nature Center.
Curtis Holbrook
Non-profit
Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Anchorage, AK
Permit No. 69
EAGLE RIVER NATURE CENTER
August/September 2013 Member News
32750 Eagle River Road
Eagle River, AK 99577
907-694-2108 Fax: 907-694-2119
www.ernc.org
ID #92-0156981
Building Hours through September:
Wed-Sun, 10am-5pm
October-April: Fri-Sun, 10am-5pm
Mark your calendars early:
Solstice Lantern Walk, Sat., Dec. 21, 2013 at 6pm
Night with the Stars, Sat., Feb. 15, 2014 at 5:30pm
A LOOK AT SOME UPCOMING SEPTEMBER PROGRAMS
Saturday, September 7, 2pm
Jr. Naturalist Program (K-6th)
FAMILY-FRIENDLY HIKE
(Registration required)
Join volunteer Liza Sanden on a leisurelypaced, stroller-friendly hike along the
Iditarod Trail for approximately 3 miles.
Bring water, snack, rain-gear and mosquito
repellant. Limited to the first 12 participants
who register at 694-2108.
Sunday, September 8, 2pm
WILD TEAS
Come and try some delicious teas made
from rosehips and such “weeds” as
pineapple weed, yarrow and stinging
nettles. Naturalist Ute Olsson introduces
you to tea-making and identifying edible
plants on a short walk around the Rodak
Trail.
Saturday, September 14, 9:30am-4pm
Guided hike (Registration required)
Join volunteers Bob and Ann Fisher for a
10.5-mile roundtrip hike to picturesque
Hidden Lake in the South Fork Campbell
Creek Valley. The hike is limited to the first
12 people (at least 18 years old) who
register by calling 694-2108. Details on our
website.
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2pm
Jr. Naturalist Program
(K-6th)
FALL COLORS
Why do leaves turn colors
in the fall? Join us for a
discussion of what’s
happening inside trees,
followed by a walk around
the Rodak Trail to look at
the changing landscape.
Sunday, September 15,
2pm-4pm
ASK THE NATURALIST
Join our naturalist at the
viewing deck to see what
our flora and fauna are up
to!
Congratulations to Milt Cooper for
winning our 2013 Salmon Raffle! Milt
guessed the right day - August 3 - as the
day Nature Center staff confirmed and
photographed the presence of red salmon
in the Beaver Pond. This date also means
that the Albert Loop Trail is closed until the
last salmon and bear are spotted. Chugach
State Park Rangers officially closed the trail
on Friday, August 10, 2013.
We are no longer mailing our program schedules, but have included
the October schedule this time. For a complete listing of programs
visit www.ernc.orgPhoto by Jaydee Hernandez
8
Illustrations by Beryl Wardlaw