**Mark new items in this issue.

May 16, 2012Compiled weekly by Peg TilestonOn behalf of the Alaska Women’s Environmental Network (AWEN), Alaska Center for the Environment (ACE), and Alaska Conservation Alliance (ACA)

CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, TRAINING

May 17 - 20KENAI - The KENAI BIRDING FESTIVAL is full of activities designed for birders of all levels, including young and beginning birders. In addition to local birding experts, BILL THOMPSON, III, world renowned birder, author and Bird Watcher's Digest Editor, will provide workshops and outings as well as rafting trips, films, art shows and more. This 4-day event showcases the beautiful state parks, fantastic wildlife refuge and pristine beaches that draw thousands of birds to the Kenai Peninsula each year. Free and fee activities. For more information including a detailed schedule, visit www.kenaibirdfest.com.

May 19, June 2 & 3, July 4 & 5, August 25 & 26ARTS IN THE PARKS will be held at the following dates and locations:

May 19 - JUNEAU at Eagle Beach State Recreation AreaJune 2 & 3 - Eklutna Lake, Chugach State ParkJuly 4 & 5 - HATCHER PASS - Independence Mine State Historical ParkAugust 25 & 26 – FAIRBANKS - Chena River State Recreation Area

For more information, to RSVP camping, or to share ideas, please contact David Griffin at (907) 269-8696, david.griffin@alaska.gov or go to www.alaskastateparks.org.

May 22 & 23KOTZEBUE - NORTHWEST ARCTIC BOROUGH OIL SPILL WORKSHOP will be held in the Northwest Arctic Heritage Center. The goal of this meeting will be to discuss community involvement in spill response and natural resource damage assessment (NRDA); to integrate local community knowledge into Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA); and to enhance relationships between local communities and government agencies regarding planning and preparation for potential oil spill response and restoration. For more information, contact Kathy Mandsanger at 603-862-1545 or email kathy.mandsager@unh.edu. (603.862.1545)

May 31 - June 3YAKUTAT - 2nd ANNUAL YAKUTAT TERN FESTIVAL CELEBRATING BIRDS IN CULTURE - This festival centers around one of the largest known breeding colonies of Aleutian Tern. Witness the terns and the region's rich artistic and cultural heritage at this wonderful festival. Lots of great activities planned including field trips (new kayak and charter boat based trips this year), art show, cultural events including a performance by the Mt. St. Elias Dancers, seminars, photography workshop, children's activities, live bird programs by the Alaska Raptor Center, and more. BOB ARMSTRONG is our keynote speaker For more information,

contact Susan Oehlers, U.S. Forest Service, at (907) 784-3359, or go to www.yakutatternfestival.org.

June 1 - 5JUNEAU -ELECTRIC VEHICLE CONVERSION WORKSHOP presented in partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast, The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council and the University of Alaska Southeast. The course will introduce the principles of electric vehicle propulsion systems and give participants hands-on experience converting an existing internal combustion vehicle to run on battery power. The class can be taken for course credit or audited and is designed for individuals interested in taking on their own conversions, automotive technology students and teachers, or those wanting to learn more about EV technology. One of the main objectives of the course is to highlight an experimental rate program that is being offered by Alaska Electric Light and Power Company which will test the impact that electric vehicles will have on local electricity demand. The relatively limited road system coupled with the availability of renewable resources makes Juneau especially ripe for electric vehicles and the local utility is predicting a significant influx within the next ten years. Earlier this year the Regulatory Commission of Alaska approved the discounted rate for up to ten electric vehicle owners willing to install a separate meter that keeps track of when and how much power is being used.. Instructor MICHAEL GOLUB is a graduate student at the University of Fairbanks and has taught electric conversion courses for the last three years at campuses throughout Alaska. Class enrollment is limited to 12 students, so sign up early! Tuition and Fees:$165.00 plus $75.00. For more information, contact Angel Drobnica at angel@seacc.org. The course curriculum and registration information can be found at the University of Alaska Southeast summer schedule search.

June 2 – 4McCARTHY - CHANGING LANDSCAPES WORKSHOP FOR EDUCATORS will be held at the Wrangell Mountains Center. Find our about glaciers, rivers, volcanoes, plate-tectonics, and succession! Participants will enjoy two days of intensive and interactive field-based learning about these exciting processes. Out on the trail, you will experience the dynamic environment of the McCarthy area as a classroom using lesson modeling; place-based, hands-on activities; and focused discussions. Workshop participants will come away with new tools and knowledge for engaging K-12 students about the physical world.. Cost: $240/person.. Current members of the Wrangell Mountains Center receive a 10% discount (not applicable to the early bird price). The workshop price includes dinner the first night, and optional camping and food storage facilities. For more information visit http://www.wrangells.org/tw-CL.html.

June 4 - 11ANCHORAGE - SALMON IN THE LANDSCAPE: FISH MOVEMENT THROUGH PLACE will be held from 9am to 4pm at the Anchorage Museum. Sponsored by the Yukon River Drainage Fisherman's Association, NOAA, Trout Unlimited, and the Anchorage Museum. This week long class is an opportunity for highschool students to learn about salmon ecology, landscape impacts on fish movement, and cultural connections between people, place and salmon. A great opportunity to build student's art skills and portfolios with book binding projects, wire sculpture, and drawing exercises. There will be field trips to local fish passage projects, conservation biology sites, and local hatcheries, as well as utilizing resources at the

Museum. Multiple guest lectures during the week from local scientists and heritage specialists. Instructors: BOB MASSENGALE, Landscape Architect and commercial fisherman and BETANY PORTER, Artist and Interdisciplinary Educator, Anchorage Museum. For more information, contact Betany Porter at (907) 929-9280 or email bporter@anchoragemuseum.org. Cost: $270 Museum member/$290 non-member.

June 4 - 8, 11 - 15, 25 - 29 & July 16 -20ANCHORAGE - RENEWABLE ENERGY TRAINING SERIES will be held at Sustina Energy and includes:

June 4 - 8 - PV101: GRID-TIE SOLAR ELECTRIC DESIGN AND INSTALLATIONJune 11 - 15 - PV203: BATTERY-BASED SOLAR ELECTRIC DESIGN AND INSTALLATIONJune 25 - 29 - ST 101 SOLAR HOT WATER DESIGN AND INSTALLATION : July 16 - 20 - WP 101 WIND DESIGN AND INSTALLATION :

Solar Energy International, considered the premier energy trainer in the lower 48, is coming to Alaska and will be offering 4 week-long trainings based in Anchorage this summer.. Participants will receive a nationally recognized certificate of completion and 40 credit hours toward the NABCEP certification. Space is limited, applications are available at http://www.yritwc.org/Departments/Energy.aspx. Fee: This course is normally $1,080 per person. IT IS BEING OFFERED FREE FOR ALASKAN RESIDENTS THROUGH A GRANT FROM THE AK DEPT OF LABOR. Contact YRITWC for information about travel scholarships at dpm@yritwc.org .Application Deadline May 21.

**June 5 - 7DENALI NATIONAL PARK – TEACHER TRAINING - IMOVIE: MOVIE MAKING AND PODCASTING IN DENALI will be offered by Alaska Geographic through the Murie Science and Learning Center. Join Denali Borough School District's Technology Director CHRIS ROMINE to learn about iMovie and its use in the classroom for creating educational and rewarding stories. YouTube, TeacherTube, and other video sharing sites are being used in educational settings to convey compelling digital stories to the public. iMovie is a user friendly program that can provide a unique creative tool for enhancing learning and creativity by engaging students. We will discover how iMovie can help students demonstrate abstract concepts, tackle project-based learning, and create documentaries. Teachers will create iMovie projects during the training. Participants will stay at a field camp located 29 miles inside Denali National Park along the Teklanika River. The Field Camp includes rustic tent cabins and a common dining tent. All meals, accommodations, transportation, instruction, and one professional development credit from UAA are included in the $350 course fee. For more information or to register, go to www.alaskageographic.org, email courses@murieslc.org, or call 907-683-1269.

June 8SOLDOTNA - KENAI RIVER FESTIVAL will be held at Soldotna Creek Park. Enjoy three days of fun and inspiration on the banks of the world famous Kenai River; hands-on educational activities for children, live music, local art and food vendors, and delicious salmon dinners! For more information, go to http://www.kenaiwatershed.org/kenairiverfestival.html.

** June 12 -14DENALI NATIONAL PARK - FIELD COURSE – DENALI’S BIG FIVE: LARGE MAMMALS IN THE PARK will be offered by Alaska Geographic through the Murie Science and Learning Center. Denali National Park is well known for its legendary populations of large mammals such as bears, wolves, sheep, caribou, and moose. Join the Murie Science and Learning Center education staff for this fascinating exploration of large mammal habitat, natural history and research. We will spend our days in the field learning about each of these animals as we explore Denali and experiment with the tools of scientists. Participants will stay at a field camp located 29 miles inside Denali National Park along the Teklanika River. The Field Camp includes rustic tent cabins and a common dining tent. All meals, accommodations, transportation, and instruction are included in the $340 course fee. Professional development credit is available through UAA. For more information or to register, go to www.alaskageographic.org, email courses@murieslc.org, or call 907-683-1269.

June 12 - 15HOMER - NAI CERTIFIED INTERPRETIVE GUIDE COURSE will be held at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center. There are only 15 spots in the class, and several are already taken with local interns, so please pass the word to anyone who is interested in certification. More information is available at: http://www.interpnet.com/certification/workshops/CIG-2012-06-Alaska.shtml.

June 24 - 28ANCHORAGE - NATIONAL MARINE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE (Co-hosted by the Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators chapter, and the Alaska Center for Ocean Science Education) will be held UAA and other field trip locations. Conference strands will focus on science and art, science and culture, science and technology, and Large Marine Ecosystem science and education, with a special emphasis on integrating traditional knowledge and western marine and aquatic science education. RAY TROLL has been confirmed as the conference artist and Stegner Lecturer. For more conference details, go to www.nmeaweb.org . If you are interested in volunteering to help, contact one of the conference organizers: Robin Dublin at robin.dublin@coseealaska.org, Marilyn Sigman at (907) 274-9612 or email msigman@alaska.edu or Bill/Sean Hastie at hastiestuff@mac.com.

** July 6 – 8DENALI NATIONAL PARK - FIELD COURSE – REPEAT PHOTOGRAPHY: EXPLORING CLIMATE AND CULTURE IN DENALI will be offered by Alaska Geographic through the Murie Science and Learning Center. Take a hike through time on this photographic exploration of Denali. Using photographs as our map, we’ll visit several locations in the park in an attempt to find the exact locations other photographers stood decades ago. If successful, we’ll re-take the image and examine the differences between past and present. Has the vegetation changed? What about glaciers or other physical features? Are there any traces of cultural sites left on the landscape? With geologist and photographer Ron Karpilo, we’ll examine these questions and discuss the importance of repeat photography for long term monitoring of Denali’s resources. Participants will stay at a field camp located 29 miles inside Denali National Park along the Teklanika River. The Field Camp includes rustic tent cabins and a common dining tent. All meals, accommodations, transportation, and instruction are included in the $330

course fee. Professional development credit is available through UAA. For more information or to register, go to www.alaskageographic.org, email courses@murieslc.org, or call 907-683-1269.

WEBINARS, WEBCASTS & TELECONFERENCES

May 17 (TELECONFERENCE MEETING) SNOWTRAC BOARD will hold a teleconference at 11am to discuss funding issues as well as upcoming programmatic changes currently being considered,. For more information or to participate, please contact Darcy Harris at 907-269-8699 or email darcy.harris@alaska.gov. The public is welcome.

May 14 - 16The COASTAL RAINFOREST SYMPOSIUM will be re-broadcast on 360 North television from 9a.m-to 5p.m each day. The symposium re-broadcast can also be streamed live on www.360north.org.. Digital files will be on demand on www.360north.org and on the Alaska Climate Research Center website http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/..

May 30 (TELECONFERENCE)LITTLE CHANGES: A DISCUSSION with AUTHOR KRISTI MARSH from 9to 10am.Diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer at age thirty-six, and with three young children at home, Kristi started on a quest to eliminate harmful chemicals from her life and environment. The more she learned and made changes the more she wanted to share that knowledge. She describes her journey and her philosophy in her first book "Little Changes." Join this call to learn about the most important steps you can take to avoid harmful contaminants in food and everyday products and to hear tips for sharing this knowledge with others. To receive the call instructions, please RSVP to diana@akaction.org or call (907) 222-7714.or go to http://www.akaction.org/Tackling_Toxics/Alaska/CHE-AK_Info_Pages/2012/05_30_2012.html.

GRANTS/AWARDS/SCHOLARSHIPS/CONTESTS

June 1Deadline for the 2012 GREAT AMERICAN ARCTIC BIRDING CHALLENGE. Birds that breed in the Arctic have ranges that reach all 50 states and 6 continents. Some of them could be in your backyard! So round up a team, get the Great American Arctic Birding Challenge Checklist, and start birding! The Challenge contest runs from now to June 1. Each team member on the winning team will receive a prize: First Place: The new book On Arctic Ground: Tracking Time through Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. (Learn more about the book.); Second Place: Bird Songs of Alaska 2-CD set; birding maps for Anchorage, Kodiak, and Fairbanks; Third Place: Limited Edition “I (heart) Birds” T-shirt. For more information, go to http://ak.audubon.org/2012-great-american-arctic-birding-challenge..

**June 15Deadline for the PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND REGIONAL CITIZENS’ ADVISORY COUNCIL (PWSRCAC) ACTIVE STEWARDS AWARDS. The Council encourages youth and teachers (or sponsors) in the PWSRCAC region to become of their leaders in their communities. Funds of up to $5,000 are now available to help support those projects or activities

that best support the council’s mission and responsibilities. This contract may be awarded to any student or educational group within the PWSRCAC region. Projects or activities must relate to PWSRCAC’s mission and responsibilities. Limited funding is available, therefore contracts will be awarded to those proposals which are deemed most relevant to the mission of the PWSRCAC. For more information and to submit a proposal, please download the application at http://www.pwsrcac.org/rfprfq.html.

June 28Deadline for applications for the 2013 NON-PROFIT GRANT APPLICATIONS for GIRDWOOD SERVICE AREA .The Girdwood Board of Supervisors will consider applications for 2013 Parks and Recreation Non-Profit Grants as they begin overall budgeting. Application for this funding is competitive. To be eligible for these grants, your organization must be a non profit recognized by the State of Alaska and serve the Girdwood Limited Road Service area. Applications are available by contacting Lazarusjv@muni.org. This is a ‘received by’ deadline. For more information, please call 783-8146 or go to http://www.muni.org/Departments/parks/Pages/GirdwoodParksRecreation.aspx.

July 2Deadline for registration for the OUT8164: CREATING A SCHOOLYARD HABITAT/OUTDOOR CLASSROOM to be held September 10 - 14 at Denali National Park & Preserve. A Schoolyard Habitat/Outdoor Classroom (SH/OC) Program is a coordinated effort between schools, FWS offices, and other conservation and community organizations to establish ecologically sound restoration projects that are sustainable outdoor learning areas on schoolsites. This course develops SH/OC technical consultants that can assist schools at the local level in areas such as project design, plant selection, construction, maintenance, curriculum connections, student instruction, etc. Who should register: Resource managers, Partners for Fish and Wildlife personnel, visitor service professionals, educators, outdoor recreation planners, landscape architects, law enforcement officers, or anyone whose resource management efforts would be enhanced or supported by education initiatives. (This course does not presume thateducation is your primary field of responsibility, although it may be.) Cost: Tuition for FWS personnel is prepaid. Participant’s office is responsible for expenses related to travel. For participants from other agencies and organizations, there is a tuition charge of $950. Cancellation policy: All class applicants, including Service employees, who cancel their reservation four (4) weeks or less from the start of class without providing a substitute, will be charged in full for both tuition and lodging. Substitutions must be provided at the time of cancellation andwill not be permitted two weeks or less from the start of a class. To apply, go to https://doilearn.doi.gov, using DOI Learn, the Department of the Interior’s Learning Management System. After July 2, call for availability to Michelle Donlan at 304-876-7585.

July 15Deadline for initial letters of inquiry for the ALASKA NATIVE FUND, launched in 2011 by Alaska Conservation Foundation in partnership with an Alaska Native Steering Committee. The Fund is designed to advance Alaska Native priorities for protecting the land, water, and wildlife integral to their way of life. In 2012, the Alaska Native Fund will grant up to $125,000 for projects that address food security, renewable energy and energy conservation, links between environmental and human health, climate change, and sustainable economic development. Grant

guidelines and additional information can be found at http://alaskaconservation.org/grant-opportunities/alaska-native-fund/.

July 16Deadline for entries in to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service GET TO KNOW CONTEST. The contest seeks to use art to help youth feel more connected to nature. Youth age 19 and under can enter the contest by submitting original works of art, writing, photography, video and music inspired by the natural world. Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman started the Get to Know Contest in Canada in 2000 to encourage youth to get outdoors and get to know their neighbors of other species. For the past two years, the contest also has been offered in California, and goes national for the first time this year. Art, writing, photography, video and music entries can be submitted online at www.get-to-know.org/contest/us.

September 30Deadline for applications for the Denali National Park and Preserve visual artists and writers for the 2013 ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM. This program provides the opportunity forestablished artists and writers to use an historic roadside cabin as a base to explore the park and seek inspiration from it. Many of the works created by previous artists-in-residence are displayed in the Denali Visitor Center and the Eielson Visitor Center. The application and more information about the program is available at http://www.nps.gov/dena/historyculture/arts-program.htm. Selected artists reside in the East Fork cabin, located at Mile 43 on the park road, for a ten day period between June and mid-September. In return for their residency, each artist donates a piece of artwork or written piece inspired by their time in the park to the park’s collection. Artists also offer a public presentation for visitors at the end of their residency.

DEADLINES

May 18 IZEMBEK Deadline for comments on the LAND EXCHANGE/ROAD CORRIDOR DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) has been released for public comment on the Proposed Land Exchange/Road Corridor. The draft EIS evaluates a three-party land exchange that would add approximately 56,000 acres to the Izembek and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuges, designates approximately 43,000 acres as wilderness, transfers 1,600 acres of refuge lands on Sitkinak Island to the State of Alaska, and transfers an estimated 200-acre, 9-mile corridor through Izembek Refuge and Izembek Wilderness to the State. The purpose of this land exchange is to allow a road to be constructed between the communities of King Cove and Cold Bay. The Service analyzed five alternatives in the draft EIS: no action, two road alternatives, a hovercraft service six days a week and a ferry service. The draft EIS does not specify a preferred alternative, but the Service will evaluate public comments and identify a preferred alternative in the final EIS. In the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (the Act), Congress directed the Secretary of the Interior to prepare an EIS to conduct an analysis of the proposed land exchange with the State of Alaska and the King Cove Corporation. In addition, the Act required an analysis of a road corridor through Izembek NWR in designated Wilderness between the communities of Cold Bay and King Cove. A copy of the draft plan is available at: http://izembek.fws.gov/EIS.htm. Public comments may be submitted by email to: izembek_eis@fws.gov by fax to 907-786-3965; or by mail to: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,

Stephanie Brady, Project Team Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Rd., MS-231, Anchorage, AK 99503.

May 18KETCHIKAN - Comments are due on the review of an Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Proposed Final Permit - ALASKA SHIP AND DRYDOCK LLC. The proposed final permit and associated documents are available at http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wwdp/index.htm. For more information or to submit comments, contact Marc H. Bentley at (907) 269-6287 or email marc.bentley@alaska.gov.

May 20Comments are due on the GEOPHYSICAL EXPLORATION PERMIT from BP Exploration Alaska Inc for the SIMPSON LAGOON 3D OBC PROJECT. BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc. (BPXA) plans to conduct a three dimensional (3D) ocean bottom cable (OBC) seismic survey with a transition zone (TZ) component on state land and waters in the Simpson Lagoon area of the Beaufort Sea during the open water season of 2012. The area lies mainly within the Milne Point Unit (MPU) and also includes small portions of the Nikaitchuq and Kuparuk River Units. The planned survey will be conducted by CGGVeritas. The survey acquisition is estimated to take approximately 50 days during the open water season within the time period of July 1 to October 15, 2012. This time period includes all activities; mobilization, survey activities, and demobilization of survey and support crews. The application package is available at http://www.dog.dnr.alaska.gov/Permitting/Permitting.htm#permittingnotices. Submit comments to dog.permitting@alaska.gov.

May 22Deadline for comments on the PROPOSED ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY SYSTEM (AMHS) SCHEDULE for the FALL, WINTER, and SPRING 2012-13 SEASONS. The schedule is available at http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/share/schedule/considerations.pdf. Submit comments amhs.comments@alaska.gov or by fax at 907-586-8365.

May 23Deadline for comments of Corps permit request for CHESTER CREEK FOR REALIGNMENT AND CHANNEL IMPROVEMENTS in an area immediately east of Muldoon Road and south of DeBarr Road extended right-of-way. The purpose is to remove barriers to fish passage, reconnect stream segments, reduce flooding issues east of the crossing and improve water quality. To see the permit application, go to http://www.poa.usace.army.mil/reg/PN_Scanned/2012%20April/POA-2008-867.pdf. For more information or to submit comments, contact Mary Lee Plumb-Mentjes at l753-2789, Fax 279-0064 or email Mary.Plumb-Mentjes@usace.army.mil.

May 24Comments are due on the Corps permit request to expand the deep-draft dock at Port MacKenzie to allow for the docking of two super-panamax vessels at the same time. The proposed work includes the following: Dredge approximately 80,000 cubic yards of silt along the perimeter of the new fill area to an average depth of 10 feeet, width of 90 feet, and length of 2,400 feet. Dredged materials would be side cast immediately seaward of the existing barge dock; Place 2.2

million cubic yards of clean fill and 43,000 cubic yards of armor rock into 22.7 acres below thee high tile line; Install 203 36-inch diameter steel pipe piles; Construct two 620–foot long trestles with 735-foot conveyers; Construct a 155-foot wide by 700-foot long dock; and Install one dolphin on the south side of the new dock and four dolphins on the north side of the new dock, all of which will be connected with the catwalks. To see the complete permit application, go to http://www.poa.usace.army.mil/reg/PN_Scanned/2012%20April/POA-1979-412-M17.pdf. For more information or to submit comments, contact Shane McCoy at 907-753-2715, 800-478-2712 (toll free), Fax 907-379-0064 or email shane.m.mccoy@usace.army.mil.

**May 29Comments are due on the Courtesy Review Notice regarding the issuance of a SPECIAL PARK USE PERMIT to NUVISTA LIGHT & ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC authorizing field studies for the proposed CHIKUMINUK LAKE HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT for the Summer/Fall 2012. The proposed study area is WITHIN WOOD-TIKCHIK STATE PARK and will focus on land and water in and around Chikuminuk Lake, and the Allen River. If issued, the subject permit will authorize a variety of field studies related to the proposed hydroelectric development at Chikuminuk Lake. Studies will include the following: geophysical, geotechnical, survey and mapping, hydrology and water quality, terrestrial and aquatic biology, and recreation. The purpose of this notice is to gather input before a final determination is made to ensure that issuance of the proposed permit will be in the best interest of the State of Alaska. For more information or to submit comments, contact David Griffin at 907-269-869 or email david.griffin@alaska.gov.

**May 31Deadline for application for the Alaska Community Against Toxics (ACAT) Summer Field Institute to be held to be held in Nome from June 18 to th 22. This is a Community-Based Environmental Health Research - A Field Sampling Institute. How do contaminants affect lands, waters, and community health in Alaska? Can scientists distinguish persistent contaminants that arrive in the Arctic via wind and ocean currents from hazardous chemicals associated with local military and industrial activities? Alaska Community Action on Toxics is working with scientists and fifteen villages in the Norton Sound region to answer these questions. The annual Field Sampling Institute provides participants with the tools necessary to conduct their own community-based environmental sampling program to assess contaminants from local and global sources. Learn from nationally-renowned scientists FRANK VON HIPPEL, Ph.D. and DAVID CARPENTER, M.D. and ACAT staff. 1 credit • BIOL 193P is available through NW UAF Campus - Nome. Limited space! Apply Now! FULL SCHOLARSHIPS are available for tuition, travel, housing, food & lodging. For more information, go to http://akaction.org/Tackling_Toxics/Community/CBEHR_FSI_2012.html.

**May 31Deadline for comments on the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Pre-application for an ORIGINAL LICENSE FOR THE UNCONSTRUCTED SUSITNA-WATANA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT. The Pre-application Document (PAD) provides engineering, operational, economic, and environmental information about the Project and Project area resources that is reasonably available at this time. The license project would have a concrete gravity or rock-filled dam for which different

configurations are under consideration with a height above the riverbed of approximately l700 and 800 feet. The crest length would be approximately 2,700 feet based on a 700 foot high dam, but somewhat longer if a project with a larger dam is proposed. The project would also have a 39-mile-long reservoir with a normal surface elevation of 2,000 feet mean sea level of 20,00 acres, and a usable storage capacity of approximately 2,400,000 acre-feet based on a 700 foot dam, and commensurately greater dimensions if a project with a larger dam is proposed to be licensed. Optimization studies are ongoing and capacity proposed for licensing is expected to be between 600 and 800 megawatts, depending on the results of future updates to the Railbelt Integrated Resource Plan. A copy of the documents are available at www.susitna-watanahydro.org. Submit comments to the FERC website at http://ferc/gov/docs-filing/docsfiling.asp and include Sustina-Watana Hydroelctric Project, FERC No. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is accepting written comments until April 27 on theSuistna-Watana Hydroelectric Project (P-14241-000). Submit comments less than 6000 characters at ecomment at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp All comments must clearly identify on the first page Susitna-Watana Project (P-14241-000).

**May 31Comments are due on the GEORGE PARKS HIGHWAY SCENIC BYWAY MASTER INTERPRETIVE PLAN. The plan provides a framework for making decisions about the maintenance and development of interpretive sites and services along the Scenic Byway.The draft plan is available at http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwdplng/scenic/assets/DRAFT_Parks_Hwy_MIP.pdf. Only written comments will be accepted. For more information or to submit comments, contact Emily Lochart at emily.lochart@alaska.gov and Nicole Acevedo at nicole.acevedo@alaska.gov.

**May 31Deadline for comments on the application for a permit to APPLY PESTICIDES, POINT MACKENZIE CORRECTIONAL FARM. The Point MacKenzie Correctional Farm has applied to ADEC for a pesticide use permit to apply pesticides to up to 230 acres of State-owned land located at the Point MacKenzie Correctional Farm at 13690 Guernsey Road, Wasilla, AK. Use of pesticides to control weeds and fungus is a standard agricultural practice. Treatment is proposed to occur in from May through September 2012 and in years 2013 through 2016 if warranted, based on the agricultural need. To see notice listing pesticide use proposed, go to http://dec.alaska.gov/eh/pest/publicnotice.htm. For more information contact Karin HendricksonDepartment of Environmental Conservation Pesticide Program, at (907) 376-1856, Fax (907) 376-2382 or email karin.hendrickson@alaska.gov. Submit comments to Rebecca Colvin at Rebecca.colvin@alaska.gov or Fax 907-269-7600.

**May 31Comments are due on the CHUGACH POWDER GUIDES (CPG) HELI-SKIING ACTIVITIES specifically in the Mt. Ascension, East Ptarmigan and East Moose Creek units from March 25 to April 14, 2012.. The Forest Service is monitoring CPG's use of the Mid and East Seattle Creek Exploratory Units (Pyramid Peak) and West Bench Peak Core Unit (west of Johnson Pass Trail and Lynx Creek) located off the Seward Highway near Turnagain Pass and are looking for information on user conflicts, encounters with helicopter operations and impacts

on winter recreation, during the 2012 season. For more information or to submit comments contact Teresa Paquet at 907-754-2372 or email tpaquet@fs.fed.us

**June 1SITKA - Deadline for comments on the proposed SITKA-SAWMILL CREEK RD. PAVEMENT REHABILITATION (ROUNDABOUT TO JEFF DAVIS)..The project is meant as a temporary repair to extend the life of the roadway until a scheduled reconstruction of the road can be done at a future date. Additional improvements would include the installation of truncated domes on the surface of all curb ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The proposed project would result in temporary impacts during construction. There would be short delays in traffic and occasional single lane controls based on construction schedules. Traffic flows in the area may experience temporary detours. Construction related noise should not be excessive. Paving would reduce maintenance costs, improve ride comfort and preserve the road life until the future project would make more detailed repairs to the road. For more information, contact Chris Schelb at (907)465-4447 or email chris.schelb@alaska.gov. Submit comments to John Barnett, Project Environmental Manager, at john.barnett@alaska.gov.

**June 1Deadline for comments on the NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE-ALASKA (NPR-A) INTEGRATED ACTIVITY PLAN/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (IAP/EIS). The U.S. Department of the Interior has released a draft of its first comprehensive management plan for the entire reserve that describes four management alternatives. All four options will allow development of currently-held oil and gas leases totaling 1,480,296 acres. This management plan updates and replaces the current is intended to provide greater management consistency throughout the Reserve. Some issues analyzed in the Draft IAP/EIS include: oil and gas leasing; impacts of development, such as those on caribou, birds, subsistence, and public health; climate change; and protection of threatened and endangered species. Alternative A is the No Action Alternative and reflects current management of NPR-A established in the 2004 and 2008 Records of Decision for the Northwest and Northeast NPR-A, respectively, and the Colville River Special Area Management Plan of 2008. Alternative B describes future management that emphasizes the protection of the surface resources of NPR-A with substantial increases in areas designated as Special Areas, designation of extensive areas that would be unavailable for leasing around Teshekpuk Lake, in coastal bays and lagoons, and in the southwestern part of the Reserve with important caribou habitat and important primitive recreation values, and recommendation for designation of twelve Wild and Scenic Rivers, while still offering opportunities for oil and gas leasing on nearly half of the Reserve. Alternative C provides for smaller additions to Special Areas than Alternative B, withholds from leasing the most remote part of NPR-A that has the greatest potential for providing a primitive recreation experience, provides for leasing with extensive surface protection stipulations near Teshekpuk Lake, and recommends three rivers for designation as Wild and Scenic Rivers, while offering opportunity to lease oil and gas resources in more than three-quarters of the Reserve. Alternative D would allow BLM to offer all of the NPR-A for oil and gas leasing, while protecting surface values with a collection of protection measures. Copies of the Draft IAP/EIS are available at https://www.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=dispatchToPatternPage&currentPageId=14702. Comments may be submitted at http://npracomments.engage-sites.com/ or Faxed to (866) 611-9420 or (907) 268-4224.

EVENTS & MEETINGS \ANCHORAGE - EAGLE RIVER & GIRDWOOD

**May 17Anchorage Park Foundation will hold it’s MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS! fundraiser from5 to 7pm at the Spenard Recreation Center’s new Teen Room. Free. Suggested donation $10. There will be food, drinks and live music. The international photography project will be unveiled. All photos were taken in our Anchorage Parks by Carl Battreall and will be available to purchase, with 100% of all proceeds going directly to the non-profit Anchorage Park Foundation. Please RSVP to Shannon@AnchorageParkFoundation.org or call 274-1003.

May 17, 24 & 31EARLY MORNING BIRD WALKS will be held from 6:30 to 8:30am every Thursday in May at the BLM Campbell Tract. Develop and fine-tune your birding skills and witness the progression of songbird migration through the area this spring. Join BLM staff and Anchorage Audubon Society members for a series of these early morning outdoor bird walks. Please meet in the Campbell Creek Science Center parking lot. Dress appropriately for the weather and for walking on uneven terrain. Hot cocoa and coffee will be available at the Science Center afterwards. Please call 267-1241 for more information.

May 18ALASKA GREENHOUSE AND THE CHALLENGE TO EAT LOCAL will be held from 6 to 8pm at the Alaska Craftman Home Program, 3400 Spenard Road, Suite 9. MATT OSTER & SASKIA ESSLINGER, will present their design for an Alaskan Greenhouse and the science behind it. They will also share stories of their experiences of their challenge to eat local (and only local) for the past year. Matt and Saskia are co-owners of Red Edge Design, LLC, Urban Homesteads for Modern Living and are certified in Permaculture designs and teachers. They have worked for the past four years to transform their small house into an abundant urban homestead. $10 fee. For more information, email admin@acat.org.

May 19ANCHORAGE WATERWAYS COUNCIL'S 28TH ANNUAL CREEK CLEANUP will be held from 9 am to 2 pm. Honchos with supplies will be at their locations from 9 am until noon. Their locations can be found at http://anchoragecreeks.org/pages/creekcleanup_locations.php. You can clean near the honcho site or at a place that you have found that needs cleaning. Teams are welcome, and you can sign one up at http://anchoragecreeks.org/pages/creekcleanup_teamsignup.php. >From noon until 2 pm, there will be a free bar-be-cue for participants at Valley of the Moon Park along with music, trash awards, great prizes, and educational exhibits. For additional information email Matt Kays at matt@anchoragecreeks.org, call him at 529-9289, or go to our website at www.anchoragecreeks.org.

May 19SPRING TREE SEEDLING SALE sponsored by the Society of American Foresters will be held starting at 9 am at R.E.I.'s front entrance in the parking lot at W. Northern Lights Blvd and Spenard Road. Seedlings are available in bundles of 20, are 8 inches tall and cost $25 per bundle.

Species available are: lodgepole pine, Siberian larch, Colorado blue spruce, paper birch, and white spruce. Paper birch and white spruce are from a Mat-Su seed source.

May 19Celebration of the ALASKA ASSOCIATION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION 30th ANNIVERSARY will be held at the Oscar Anderson House in Elderberry Park at 5th and M Streets. For more information contact 907.929.9870 or email akpreservation@gmail.com. The organization is known for its annual lists of endangered historic properties and grants to help start rehabilitation work, but also has kept people informed about historic preservation projects and issues around the state and hosted historic preservation workshops.

May 20INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY event will be held at the ALASKA ZOO from 11am to 5pm. Celebrate 20 years of spreading the word about the avian visitors that brighten out lives and enrich our natural world. In keeping with the 20th anniversary theme, visitors will be able to explore activity stations based on 20 ways to conserve birds! All ages are welcome, and attendees will be able to participate in hands-on activities focused on informing people about how they can participate in bird conservation. These will include learning about protecting wild birds from pets, proper bird-feeder use, planting bird-friendly plants, a Jr. Duck Stamp artwork display, opportunities to participate in citizen science programs, and much more! Live education birds will be on display for up-close viewing, and the event will feature the release of a rehabilitated wild bird by Anchorage’s Bird Treatment and Learning Center (always a big hit). For more information, contact Tamara Zeller at 786-3517 or Stephanie Hartman at 341-6463 or go to www.alaskazoo.org for zoo admission fees, including discounts formilitary, seniors, and children. To learn more about these and other bird-themed celebrations in the Great Land, check out http://www.alaskacenters.gov/bird-festivals.cfm.

May 21ANCHORAGE GREEN DRINKS will be held from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the World Wildlife Fund Office, 406 G St Suite 301. Come in for a special international themed Green Drinks event Learn about all the ways WWF is working to protect the Arctic. The panda may even make an appearance! Bring your own stein, mug, or other beer vessel to enjoy free local libations. Contact Nick at nick@akcenter.org for more info or to learn how you can become a sponsor of Green Drinks in the future. Every month people who care about sustainability get together at informal gatherings known as Green Drinks that includes a lively mixture of people from NGOs, businesses, academia, government and the local community across political and economic spectra who enjoy the opportunity to chat and network under a broad umbrella. This is a fun way to catch up with people you know and a great way to make new contacts and learn about organizations and individuals interested in all things sustainable. Everyone is welcome to invite someone else along, so there's always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing. (Ages 21+ only)

**May 22Open House Public Meeting will be held from 4 to 7pm in the Trailside Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 5151 Abbott Road to discuss the ABBOTT ROAD REHABILITATION

PROJECT, FROM LAKE OTIS PARKWAY TO BIRCH ROAD. To submit comments or for more information, go to www.abbottroadrehab.com or contact Bonnie Pfuntner, Public Involvement Manager, at 907-273-1640 or email bpfuntner@mbakercorp.com.

May 23RACHEL CARSON CELEBRATION: WILD EDIBLES WALK & DINNER will be held from 6 to 9pm at Kincaid Park Chalet,-9401 West Raspberry Road. Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) invites you to our annual event, in commemoration of the birthday and life of Rachel Carson, the scientist and author of Silent Spring. Everywhere you look there are plants that can be used for food or medicine. Join Alaskan experts for a plant walk and learn to identify the wild bounty in our backyard. Then, enjoy a dinner featuring wild edibles. $25; Space is limited! Sign up early. To register, call ACAT at 222-7714. For more information, visit www.akaction.org. Co-sponsored by Alaska Center for the Environment, Alaska Women’s Environmental Network, and Red Edge Design.

**May 24BIRDERS' POTLUCK PICNIC and WALK will be held at 6pm at the Westchester Lagoon near the north parking lot. Because Spring Birding is at it's peak, Anchorage Audubon has decided to CANCEL its regular third-Thursday monthly program at the BP Energy Center and have a party instead. It's a potluck, a chance to tell birding lies, and a chance to casually stroll around the Westchester Lagoon area with other birders looking for new arrivals. PLEASE NOTE that we've pushed the date back one week because the weather is totally guaranteed to be warmer.Bring a dish to share, tales to tell, binoculars, and gear appropriate for the day's weather. We'll bring plates, utensils, and Audubon Society approved napkins for sloppy eaters.

May 24An open house at 6pm followed by a public meeting at 7pm will be held in the Campbell Creek Science Center Multi-Purpose Room, 5600 Science Center Dr. to receive comments on the NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE-ALASKA (NPR-A) DRAFT INTEGRATED ACTIVITY PLAN/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (IAP/EIS. The Draft IAP/EIS proposes several alternative future management strategies for the NPR-A. This plan is the first plan that covers the entire NPR-A, including BLM-managed lands in the southwest area of the NPR-A which were not included in previous plans. Decisions to be made as part of this plan include oil and gas leasing availability, surface protections, Wild and Scenic River recommendations, and Special Area designations. The NPR-A Draft IAP/EIS presents four alternative approaches for the planning effort. The Draft IAP/EIS can be accessed through www.blm.gov/ak.

May 26The ALASKA BOTANICAL GARDEN PLANT SALE will be held from 10am to 4pm with a Members Only preview at 9am. This is also the first official "Alaska Public Gardens Day" - a "Free Day" at the Garden. ABG's Annual Plant Sale is a great time to renew your membership, and shop for some fantastic new plants!

**May 28

BABY BIRD SEMINAR will be held from 4 to 7pm at the Alaska Zoo Gateway Building. Help Bird TLC raise orphaned baby birds to be released back to the wild. Learn how to be a Baby Bird Mom or Dad. For more information, call 562-4852.

**May 31Public dialogue and open house will be held at the Marston Theater, Loussac Library for a a conversation about how the ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT (ESA) with GEOFF HASKETT, Alaska Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service..From 2 to 3pm , join Geoff and his staff as they discuss FWS priorities for endangered species conservation in Alaska, and how they might better work with you to make the ESA more effective and less contentious. They want to hear your experiences with the ESA. There will be an opportunity to ask questions, voice your concerns, and provide comments. An open house will be held from 3 to 5pm to provide an opportunity for informal discussions on listed and candidate species in Alaska, as well as ESA policy issues. Biologists will be available to answer questions about polar bears, southwest population of northern sea otters, Pacific walrus, short-tailed albatross, and Steller's and spectacled eiders. For more information, contact Sonja Jahrsdoerfer, Regional Endangered Species Coordinator, at sonja_jahrsdoerfer@fws.gov or 786-3323.

**May 31An on-site tour and public meeting on the CAMPBELL CREEK ESTUARY will be held, starting at 5:30pm at the Bayshore Clubhouse (3131 Amber Bay Loop) to learn about this new public resource and to share your own thoughts and concerns about the project and development of the park. Bus departs for site visit to Estuary at 5:45 and returns to the Clubhouse at 7pm. Group discussion with pizza will be from 7:15 to 8:30. Youth Employment in Parks Crews plan to build phase one of the natural surface trail in late June/early July. To receive updates and information about the project please email parks@muni.org.

MEETINGS & EVENTS OUT OF ANCHORAGE

May 16 & 17Open house and public meetings will be held in the following locations on the EASTERN INTERIOR RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN and ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.

May 16 - TOK - from 6 to 9pm in the Tok SchoolMay 17 - DELTA JUNCTION from 4 to 8pm at the Community Center

The plan covers 6.7 million acres, including the White Mountains Recreational Area, the Steese National Conservation Area, the Fortymile Area, and Upper Black River region where this is BLM's first plan. It covers three Wild and Scenic Rivers (Beaver Creek, Birch Creek, and Fortymile) and Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail. Documents and reports are available at https://www.blm.gov/epl-front-office/eplanning/planAndProjectSite.do?methodName=dispatchToPatternPage&currentPageId=10151.

May 12 & 19MAT-SU - The Matanuska-Susitna Borough Department of Community Development is hosting TWO FREE TRAINING PROGRAMS for individuals and clubs interested in

DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING TRAILS near your community for the health and enjoyment of residents and visitors at the following locations:.

May 12 - PALMER from 9am to 5pm at the MSB Parks Shop, 553 E. Auklet.May 19 - WILLOW from 9am to 5pm at the Willow Community Center

The course covers the basics of how to design, layout, construct, and maintain beautiful low-maintenance motorized and non-motorized trails. 3 hours of classroom instruction will be followed by an afternoon hands-on field exercise. Tools and training materials will be provided.Bring work boots, gloves, rain gear, lunch, and water! To register for either workshop, call 745-2856.

May 17, 21, 22, and 23The Bureau of Land Management in Alaska will hold meetings to receive comments on the NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE-ALASKA (NPR-A) DRAFT INTEGRATED ACTIVITY PLAN/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (IAP/EIS at the following locations: with an open house at 6pm and followed by the meeting at 7pm.

May 17 - ATQASUK in the Community CenterMay 21 - BARROW in the Inupiat Heritage Center Multi-Purpose RoomMay 22 - ANAKTUVUK PASS in the Community CenterMay 23 - FAIRBANKS in the Noel Wien Library Auditorium

The Draft IAP/EIS proposes several alternative future management strategies for the NPR-A. This plan is the first plan that covers the entire NPR-A, including BLM-managed lands in the southwest area of the NPR-A which were not included in previous plans. Decisions to be made as part of this plan include oil and gas leasing availability, surface protections, Wild and Scenic River recommendations, and Special Area designations. The NPR-A Draft IAP/EIS presents four alternative approaches for the planning effort. The Draft IAP/EIS can be accessed through www.blm.gov/ak.

May 17FAIRBANKS - The TANANA VALLEY STATE FOREST CITIZENS’ ADVISORY COMMITTEE will meet from 6pm to 9pm in the Large Conference Room at the Department of Natural Resources building, 3700 Airport Way. Agenda topics include welcoming new committee members, a review of the Division of Forestry’s timber sale processes, and an update on planning efforts for Tok woody biomass utilization. For more information, contact Mark Eliot, Regional Forester, at (907) 451-2670 or email mark.eliot@alaska.gov.

May 17KENAI - OPENING RECEPTION & THE BLUEBIRD EFFECT will be held from 6 to 7pm at the Kenai Visitors & Cultural Center. Kick-off the KENAI BIRDING FESTIVAL by attending the welcome reception and mix and mingle over light refreshments with local bird experts including Bird Watcher's Digest's BILL THOMPSON III and JULIE ZICKEFOOSE. Starting at 7pm Julie, a licensed wildlife rehabilitation professional, will present on the unexpected mental and emotional capacities of birds. Free and open to the public. Visit www.kenaibirdfest.com for more information.

May 17

HOMER - THE MELTING EDGE - see a slide show of amazing photos documenting climate change in Alaska presented by Michael Collier from 7 to 8pm at Islands & Oceans Visitor Center.. Collier, a geologist, pilot, and physician, has taken aerial photos all over Alaska, and used them to write “The Melting Edge”, an excellent discussion of how glaciers, permafrost, coastal regions, and even plants and animals are telling the story of a climate in flux. A booksigning will follow the talk

May 18 & 19FAIRBANKS - INTERIOR ALASKA GREEN STAR will accept ALL ELECTRONICS FREE OF CHARGE at the ELECTRONICS RECYCLING DEPOT in MAY, thanks to a generous grant from the FNSB Recycling Commission. The Depot will be open to collect old and unwanted electronics for recycling. Collections are held at the Alaska Waste Recycling Center, 3050 Phillips Field Road (west of Peger Road) from 10am to 4pm both days. More information about this and other recycling programs can be found at www.iagreenstar.org or contact us at info@iagreenstar.org or 452-4152.

May 19WASILLA - SOLAR THERMAL AND STORAGE SYSTEMS will be discussed by SERGE ADAMIAN, PE, President & CEO, SunChiller, Inc. from 2 to 4pm at the Agate Inn4725 Begich Circle. Topics include solar thermal opportunities, large and small scale systems, seasonal storage, comparing different collection systems. SunChiller is a company that markets solar thermal systems and collectors for industrial, commercial, and residential applications. Serge has been associated with many large solar thermal installations throughout the United States. Prior to SunChiller he started and managed companies in diverse fields of solar thermal collector manufacturing, hydrogen fuel cell R&D and manufacturing, software development, and wind-farm development. He has been retained as consultant by US Agency for International Development and US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. He has advised foreign governments on strategies and policies for deployment of renewable energy. In 1997-1998 he was associated with a biomass energy feasibility evaluation for remote villages in Alaska. Cost: ACAT members, free $20 for non-members. To register, go to admin@acat.org

May 19SOLDOTNA - The PERILS AND PITFALLS OF BIRDING: will be presented at 7pm at the Peninsula Grace Brethren Church. A humorous narrative about the many embarrassing situations BILL THOMPSON III, has experienced in his 30+ years as a bird watcher. He will also offer tips for how to avoid these situations. This light-hearted talk pokes fun at how bird watchers have our own language, dress code, and food preferences. It's guaranteed to generate laughs or Bill will clean the binoculars of everyone present. Pre-Sale: $8/ticket, $20/Family, Under age 16/Free. At the Door: $10/ticket, $25/Family, Under age 16//Free. Tickets can be purchased by calling Kenai Watershed Forum at (907) 260-5449 ext.1201 or online at http://www.kenaiwatershed.org/shorebird.html.

May 19

WASILLA - ALASKA GREENHOUSE AND THE CHALLENGE TO EAT LOCAL will be held from 6 to 8pm at the Agate Inn, 4725 Begich Circle. MATT OSTER & SASKIA ESSLINGER, will present their design for an Alaskan Greenhouse and the science behind it. They will also share stories of their experiences of their challenge to eat local (and only local) for the past year. Matt and Saskia are co-owners of Red Edge Design, LLC, Urban Homesteads for Modern Living and are certified in Permaculture designs and teachers. They have worked for the past four years to transform their small house into an abundant urban homestead. Session will include a potluck dinner.$10 fee. For more information, email admin@acat.org

**May 19JUNEAU - The Tongass National Forest will host INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRD DAY (IMBD) activities at the Juneau Community Garden and Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. The popular day of bird-oriented education and activities is a free event organized by the US Forest Service in partnership with the Juneau Raptor Center, Juneau Audubon, and the Juneau Community Garden. International Migratory Bird Day, launched by the Environment for the Americas (EFTA) 20 years ago, highlights the migration of nearly 350 bird species throughout the Americas. The Juneau celebration pays special honors to the Arctic tern, which visits Southeast Alaska as part of an incredible migration that some estimates place at more than 44,000 miles in a single year. All IMBD programs are family-friendly and free of charge. For more information contact Gwen Baluss at the Juneau Ranger District, 789-6254. For schedule of events, go to http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/newsroom/20120509IMBDnr.pdf.

May 19FAIRBANKS - The University of Alaska Fairbanks will host the REALLY FREE MARKET in the Patty Center parking lot. People can drop off items for the market from 8 to 10 a.m. The market is open from 10am to Noon. There is no bartering or selling. All items are free. Those coming to the market should watch for signs, as the event is near an active campus construction project. For information, visit www.uaf.edu/summer or call 907-474-7021.

May 19HOMER - Center for Alaska Coastal Studies will hold their annual Spring Fling, A TASTE OF KACHEMAK BAY at 6pm at the Homestead Restaurant. Enjoy a 5 course decadent meal paired with wines, enjoy beautiful music and partake in the live and silent auctions. Cost: $75. For more information or ticket purchase, contact 907-235-6667 or go to www.akcoastalstudies.org.

May 20STERLING - BACKYARD BIRDING BBQ AND MUSIC at MARLOW’S on the KENAI from 11am to 3pm. Celebrate the Kenai Birding Festival with friends new and old! Birder's Trivia Game and Jam session with local musicians will begin at 11am, Bar-b-que lunch will be served at noon. Bring a sidedish to share and enjoy the beauty of the river. Free and open to the public. Go to www.kenaibirdfest.com for more information.

May 20JUNEAU - CRUISE TO HAWK INLET on ADMIRALTY ISLAND. Travel aboard an Allen Marine catamaran which accommodates 120 people. Depart from Don Statter Public Boat

Harbor at 1:30 pm. Trip cost is $35 per person over age 12 and $10 per person 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased from Hearthside Books (downtown or Nugget Mall), Rainy Retreat Books, or Juneau Arts & Culture Center (JACC). Complimentary coffee and tea. Other beverages and snacks may be purchased onboard. This is a great opportunity to see marine mammals, sea birds, the picturesque and rockbound shoreline south of Pt. Retreat, and historically important Hawk Inlet on the west side of Admiralty Island. Specialists will join us to discuss natural history, the role which people have played in that history, and the natural resource values that need to be factored into the U.S. Forest Service’s consideration of the Greens Creek Mine’s proposal for massive tailings disposal in nearby Admiralty Island National Monument. The public comment deadline for this tailings disposal proposal is June 4, so join us and become informed. For more information, contact admiralty_friends@yahoo.com.

**May 22KETCHIKAN - The ALASKA TIMBER JOBS TASK FORCE will meet from 9:30am to 5:30pm (unless they finish earlier) at the Best Western Landing Hotel’s large conference room. The main purpose of the meeting is to approve the final report to the Governor. For more information on the Task Force, contact Chris Maisch, State Forester, at 907-451-2666 or email chris.maisch@alaska.gov, or go to http://forestry.alaska.gov/aktimber_jobs_taskforce.htm.

May 22PALMER - NATIONAL PARK SERVICE OPEN HOUSE will be held from 7 to 8pm at the Community Center (The Depot), 610 S. Valley Way. The National Park Service (NPS) is hosting an open house discussion to share its plans and get ideas from you on how it can best move forward leading up to its 100th birthday in 2016. After a short introduction by the Park Service Regional Director, multiple opportunities will be available for you to share your thoughts and ideas on the recently adopted Call To Action, the Park Service’s 100th Anniversary plan, which outlines three major topics: Protecting Special Places, Connecting People to Parks, and Improving Educational Opportunities.

May 23PALMER - Open house public meeting will be held from 4 to 7pm in the Hoskins Building, Alaska State Fairgrounds to discuss the PALMER-WASILLA HIGHWAY EASTERN TERMINUS PROJECT. Feedback is requested on the current design for Evergreen Avenue, Palmer-Wasilla Highway, Dogwood Avenue, and Felton Street; How the proposed design might improve safety, mobility and address congestion; and Anticipated project phasing and schedule. For information about the open house or the project, go to www.pwhet.com or contact lance DeBernardi, Public Involvement Coordinator at 907-522-1707, Fax 907-522-3403 or email ldebernardi@rmconslut.com.

**May 24JUNEAU - FRIENDS OF JENSEN-OLSON ARBORETUM will hold their SPRING WINE TASTING FUNDRAISING EVENT from 6 to 9pm at Glacier Gardens Rainforest Adventures. Enjoy spring celebration, fine wines, great food, good company, music, garden-related silent auction in a beautiful garden setting. For more information, call 790-3377.

**May 31 & June 1

FAIRBANKS - ADVISORY COMMISSION ON FEDERAL AREAS will meet from 1 to 5pm on May 31 and from 8am to 5pm on June 1 at the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office, 1292 Sadler Way. on May 31 and June 1, 2012A draft agenda will be posted in mid-May. For more information, please contact Stan Leaphart, Executive Director, at 374-3737, stanley.leaphart@alaska.gov or Karrie Improte at 451-2035, karrie.improte@alaska.gov or go to http://dnr.alaska.gov/commis/cacfa/.

**June 1FAIRBANKS - NORTHERN ALASKA ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER will hold itsANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING AND PICNIC at 830 College Road. Annual meeting begins at 5:30 and food, awards, and entertainment starts at 6:30pm. Bring a side dish to share. Drinks, main dish, and dessert will be provided.

**June 2PALMER - Join the TRAIL CLEANUP PARTY AT THE MATANUSKA LAKES STATE RECREATIONAL AREA from 10:30am to 4:30pm with a barbecue to follow. Activities will include brushing and clearing trails, small repair projects and trash collection. Please dress for variable weather, bring appropriate footwear and see the following instructions below. Hand tools and work gloves will be provided. Matanuska Lakes SRA, formerly known as the Kepler-Bradley SRA, is located southwest of Palmer, just north of the Glenn Highway. Take the Glenn Highway to Mile 36.4 and turn onto Kepler Drive. You will enter the park immediately. From there, follow the signs to the event headquarters. A shelter tent and restrooms will be available. Please pre-register for this event by calling 907-269-8699 or sending an e-mail to Darcy Harris at darcy.harris@alaska.gov.

ITEMS OF INTEREST

**DAVE ARNOLD has been selected as the NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR for the NORTHERN ALASKA ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER (NEAC). Dave brings an impressive set of leadership skills to NAEC and a deep commitment to conservation in northern Alaska and the Arctic. He comes most recently from three years as City Administrator and Planner for the City of Nuiqsut, on the Colville River on the North Slope of the Brooks Range. Dave’s prior experience also includes over 15 years of administrative and faculty appointments at Ball State University and Frostburg State University, among others. He has a Ph.D. from Indiana University in Atmospheric Science with a minor in Hydrology. He lives in Fairbanks with his wife, Cindy.

**The Bering Sea Elders Group and the Alaska Marine Conservation Council have produced THE NORTHERN BERING SEA: OUR WAY OF LIFE, A NORTHERN BERING SEA MAPPING PROJECT to compile spatial information about hunting and fishing use in the ocean and ecologically sensitive marine areas for the species used by coastal tribes in the Yukon-Kuskokwim and Bering Strait regions. The objective was to identify use areas and to identify other areas beyond hunting and fishing grounds, either from direct observation, traditional knowledge or science, that are important for maintaining healthy populations of subsistence species (e.g. migration routes, offshore ice edge, seasonal habitats). The maps are intended to inform fishery management and other policy decisions that affect resources used for subsistence

activities and local small-scale fisheries, and the marine ecosystem that supports them. The Northern Bering Sea: Our Way of Life is available at http://www.beringseaelders.org/Bering%20Sea%20Map%20Report%202011%20-%20Final.pdf.

ADVENTURE BEYOND THE END OF THE ROAD .a 125-mile water trail from the Homer Spit to Seldovia inspiring exploration, understanding, and stewardship of the natural treasure that is Kachemak Bay. To volunteer to help with this project or for more information, contact Dave Brann at brann@alaska.net or George Reising at gbsreising@gmail.com, co-chairs of the Kachemak Bay Water Trail Steering Committee

The JOINT FINAL REPORT from the ALASKA CLIOMES PROJECT and the CANADA CLIOMES PROJECT is now available at http://www.snap.uaf.edu/attachments/Cliomes-FINAL.pdf. The report offers the public, including land managers, government agencies, communities, businesses, academics and nonprofits, new perspectives on how climate change affects northern ecosystems.The projects used historical weather data to divide the landscape into areas of similar climate. Each of these areas or cliomes is described based on the characteristic pattern of vegetation and wildlife species that thrive under those particular climate conditions. The project then used climate models to project how ongoing climate change may cause the landscape to shift in coming decades. Project results suggest some major shifts in these cliomes and the ecosystems associated with them. Climate patterns currently found in Interior and arctic Alaska, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories are expected to shift northward. By 2069, models suggest that some Canadian cliomes are likely to move into Alaska from the east. Climate patterns and associated species that are now normal in the southern prairie provinces of Canada may become common across the Far North. Ecosystem change depends on not only climate change, but also the movement of seeds, the formation of new soil types and other major landscape changes. While project results represent possible rather than actual changes, large-scale landscape change is likely by the end of the century. This effort is intended to provide a range of descriptions of possible futures, in order to help people plan for change and adapt to it. Our hope is that this report will trigger new research, discussion and collaboration, and will help define new areas for ecosystem monitoring and adaptation efforts.

ANCHORAGE TO ZERO WASTE is available at http://www.muni.org/Departments/SWS/Documents/AtoZspr12_finalupdate_web.pdf. In this issue, you'll learn how simple maintenance fixes to your household appliances can save you money and increase the life of your appliances. You'll also learn how to keep our waterways clean by building a rain garden or installing other low-impact development projects. The recycling matrix and map have been updated and composting drop-off locations have been added. There also are tips for reducing your yard waste at home through backyard composting, mulching, and landscaping changes. Learn about the Municipal's gas-to-energy project at the landfill, a local school with a wind turbine, home energy-efficiency classes, and all sorts of spring and summer events.

NEW ARCTIC POLICY COMMISSION LOOKING FOR PUBLIC MEMBERS. Over the course of two years, the Alaska Policy Commission will hold meetings in Arctic areas of the state as well as Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. The Commission is tasked with providing

preliminary recommendations on an Alaska’s Arctic policy by January 30, 2014 and delivering a final Arctic Policy by January 30, 2015. While the United States has an official written Arctic Policy (National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD)-66), Alaska does not. Most of the other Arctic Nations and the Northwest Territories already have established Arctic policies. As the jurisdiction that makes the United States an Arctic nation and as the only U.S. state that is home to Arctic residents, Alaska needs an Arctic policy of its own. The Arctic Policy Commission will be a driving force in establishing an Alaskan Arctic policy but first it needs dedicated public members to serve on the commission. The work of the commission will require its members to travel extensively and dedicate many hours of hard work to accomplish its goals. Travel expenses and a daily per diem will be provided. If you are interested in serving as a public member of the Arctic Policy Commission send a letter of interest and a resume to Senate President Gary Stevens: Senator_Gary_Stevens@legis.state.ak.us and Speaker of the House Mike Chenault: Representative_Mike_Chenault@legis.state.ak.us.

Tanana Chiefs Conference and the University of Alaska Fairbanks have completed testing of the GREEN MACHINE, a HEAT-TO-POWER GENERATING SYSTEM that can reduce diesel fuel consumption and lower energy costs for rural Alaska communities. The Green Machine captures excess heat from small, distributed hot water sources, such as diesel engine jacket water, biomass boilers and geothermal sources, to generate up to 65 kilowatts of emissions-free electricity. In the case of rural Alaska villages, heat from the diesel generators in the local power plant can be captured and utilized in the Green Machine to boost power output. ElectraTherm of Reno, Nev. produces the Green Machine, the first of its kind in Alaska. UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power research manager Brent Sheets said testing data shows that the Green Machine, in ideal conditions, could generate more than 413,000 kilowatt-hours a year, with round-the-clock daily operation. This displaces nearly 11,000 gallons of diesel and, with fuel costs in excess of $5 per gallon throughout rural Alaska, represents an annual savings of $50,000 or more. For more information, contact Ross Coen, rural energy specialist, UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power, at 907-347-1365 or email ross.coen@alaska.edu

VOLUNTEERS OPPORTUNITIES

**June 8 & 9Volunteers are needed to LEAD a SPIN CASTING and FLY FISHING STATION at POTTER MARSH DISCOVERY DAYS.. Tteach kids fishing technique (not with real hooks) and letting them try out some fishing poles. There are high school helpers through the Youth Employment in the Parks program who are available to assist, and ADFG provides the fishing poles, but a few responsible adults to help lead this activity are needed. All the regular fishing groups have been contacted cast. – Alaska Flyfishers, Casting for Recovery, etc. – but we haven’t had any luck getting interested anglers, so a wider net is being cast. The event hours on Friday, June 8, from 11 to 3. This day is for kids primarily. Camp groups are invited and trying to reach kids who might not otherwise visit Potter Marsh. We expect about 300 school age kids. Saturday, June 9, from 11 to 4. This day is for families. We usually have about 1,000 people at this event. The goal of the event is to encourage kids and families to spend more time outside (NATIONAL GET OUTDOORS DAY) and to get to know Potter Marsh.

Volunteers are needed to GATHER DATA ON INVASIVE SWEET CLOVER in Alaska and northern North America. Alaska’s climate warming is allowing invasive plants to take hold in Alaska and possibly luring pollinators away from native berries, says UAF ecologist Christa Mulder. Alaska’s native berries share similar habitats and pollinators with invasive plants such as sweet clover. Mulder is leading a project studying whether the presence of sweet clover can alter the production of bog blueberries and mountain cranberries. You don’t need to be a professional scientist to do research, you can make and record observations and be a part of the research team.For details on becoming a citizen scientist, go to https://sites.google.com/a/alaska.edu/melibee-project/ or contact Katie Spellman at kvillano@alaska.edu or Christa Mulder at cpmulder@alaska.edu.

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA BOROUGH VOLUNTEER LAKE MONITOR – Monitor your lake just once a month during the ice free season to help maintain these valuable community resources! As a lake monitor, you will learn about your lake, collect baseline data, track changes, document aquatic plants and help maintain water quality. Currently, the program needs volunteers for Rocky Lake, Big Beaver Lake, Matanuska Lake, Lake Lucille, Kepler Lake, Bradley Lake and Knik Lake. Please contact Lisa Borowsky at lisa.borowsky@matsugov.us or Melanie Trost at melanie.trost@matsugov.us for additional information about the program and upcoming trainings.

Applications Being Accepted for the VOICES OF THE WILDERNESS ARTIST RESIDENCY-2012. Residency programs are held on both the CHUGACH AND TONGASS NATIONAL FORESTS and take place at various times from June through September. The program is open to artists and art professionals in all media – visual (two and three dimensional: photographers, sculptors, painters), audio (musicians, singers, composers), film (video/filmmakers), and writers (poets, fiction, essays, storytellers). Participating artists are paired with a wilderness ranger and actively engage in stewardship projects, such as research, monitoring, and education. The idea is to give artists a sense of the stewardship behind America’s public lands, fostering an artistic exploration of these natural and cultural treasures.As a volunteer, each artist will assist with some basic ranger duties, which may include boarding a tour boat to provide education, participating in research projects, such as seal counts or climate change studies, walking a beach to remove litter, or other generally light duties. However, an emphasis for the artist will be experiencing the wilderness and exploring how to communicate its inspirational qualities through their artwork. To learn more about the program and download an application, visit www.myalaskaforests.com or contact Barbara Lydon at (907) 783-0090, or email blydon@fs.fed.us.

COASTWALK JAPAN TSUNAMI DEBRIS MONITORING - As debris from the tsunami in Japan makes its way to our shores, it is important to learn as much as possible about the issues connected with it and to stay up to date on the facts as they become known. The CENTER FOR ALASKAN COASTAL STUDIES is a statewide leader in marine debris prevention education and community cleanups through our CoastWalk program, need a few VOLUNTEERS who have experience with our CoastWalk program to begin more regular monitoring of select beaches. Through monthly monitoring we hope to be able to track changes in the debris items and amounts. When confirmed sightings of debris are made in Alaska, we will expand or monitoring and cleanup efforts to include more beaches and more frequent CoastWalks. By

comparing incoming data to the past 28 years of data we have collected, we will be able to observe if the type or amount of debris is changing and what the impact of the new debris is. For more information, contact Patrick Chandler at 907-235-6667. For more information about the CoastWalk monitoring program, marine debris, or to report debris items on local beaches, please contact the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies at 907-235-6667 or info@akcoastalstudies.org.

KENAI PENINSULA: STREAM WATCH, an award winning volunteer program founded in 1994, is making a difference on the Kenai Peninsula! Join the team of more than 60 trained Ambassadors to share river stewardship information and complete river restoration projects along the pristine waters of the Kenai, Kasilof and Russian Rivers. Protect world famous fisheries while enjoying the beauty of the peninsula. All of the training and supplies are provided for a great day in the great outdoors. Volunteer camping sites available. For more information, visit our webpage at www.KenaiWatershed.org or email StreamWatch@kenaiwatershed.org.

CENTER FOR ALASKAN COASTAL STUDIES are celebrating their 30th ANNIVERSARY and looking for some help. At this time, we are looking for someone to work about 10 hours/week for about a month. We recognize and appreciate that amount of time and commitment. So we’d like to offer the person who fulfills this volunteer opportunity for Intertidal & Forest Ecology Exploration and overnight stay at Peterson Bay! We can pay for RT transportation for 3 to the Field Station. Our heated yurts will sleep up to 8 (bunk beds for 6) so you may bring your family/friends if you pay just that transportation fee. The Field Station has a full kitchen with all the amenities so you just have to bring food, sleeping bags and a sense of adventure. If you are interested in ‘applying’ for this, contact Melanie Dufour at (907) 235.6746, FAX: (907) 235.6668, or email melanie@akcoastalstudies.org. For more information, go to www.akcoastalstudies.org.

FAIRBANKS - INTERIOR ALASKA GREEN STAR is SEEKING NEW MEMBERS for its BOARD OF DIRECTORS. If you care about promoting green living, recycling, and community sustainability, this is the position for you. We are looking for energetic, creative, and enthusiastic people to support Interior Alaska Green Star’s mission to encourage households and businesses to practice waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention. Benefits of becoming a board member include forming meaningful and lasting connections in the community, contributing to the impact Interior Alaska Green Star makes in our community, and supporting locally-based sustainable practices. If this sounds good to you, we would love to hear from you! For more detailed information about the time commitment and required duties, please visit: www.iagreenstar.org/participate/join-the-board for links to additional information, or email us at info@iagreenstar.org.

MAT-SU/COPPER BASIN AREA CITIZENS ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS are needed. Each member's term is three years, with an option to renew. Board members are recruited from the community at large to represent the various recreational, historical, and cultural resource interests in a balanced manner for the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. The Citizen Advisory Board members fulfill an important role of communication between Alaska State Parks and Mat-Su/Copper Basin communities. In the past year, the board considered issues such as the Hatcher Pass Management Area Plan Revision, the South Denali Project development, Fishhook Hydroelectric Projects, and cell towers in Denali State Park. This

year the board will be working on the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area Management Plan update, the Denali State Park Trails Plan, and capital improvement projects in the Mat-Su/Copper Basin Area. Each fall, the board assists with a legislative briefing for the Mat-Su Legislative Delegation. Board meetings are held September through May, on the second Tuesday of each month, at the Wasilla Middle School Library. Members from outlying areas can attend meetings telephonically. The board welcomes the public to attend its monthly meetings. Go to http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/misc/brdappgeneric.pdf for the on-line PDF application. Applications are also available at the state parks office at 7278 East Bogard Road in Wasilla. For more information, contact the Park office at 745-8935.

INTERNSHIPS

AK DEPT. of ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION’S (DEC) SOLID WASTE PROGRAM is recruiting for SEVERAL COLLEGE INTERN II/III/IVS in Anchorage and Fairbanks to assist with our Waste Erosion Assessment and Review (WEAR) project. This 4 year project is being conducted in collaboration with the DEC Contaminated Sites Program to assess eroding landfills, dump sites and contaminated sites in western and northern Alaska. This effort will help prioritize mitigation efforts. Interns will have the opportunity to work with DEC scientists and engineers. You will also travel to rural Alaskan communities to assess erosion risks and the potential impacts on human health and the environment. Key Responsibilities: Performing site research work using various databases, GIS and aerial photography; Field work in communities assisting in site inspections; Report writing applying technical writing skills; Data management using internal databases and spreadsheets; Applying classroom knowledge to addressing environmental issues; and Working with statewide environmental regulatory programs. Minimum Qualifications differ based on level of application. For position details and to apply go to Workplace Alaska at http://workplace.alaska.gov. For Questions on this position contact Kim Jordan, Administrative Assistant, at 907-269-7581 or email kim.jordan@alaska.gov.

MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIP for the SPENARD FARMERS MARKET for the 2012 Market Season. The Spenard Farmers Market encourages sustainability through local agriculture and community development, it is the only nonprofit farmers market in Anchorage. The ideal candidate would have an interest in local food issues and excellent communication skills. While the internship is unpaid, it is part time, extremely flexible and can be outside! This would be the perfect opportunity for someone seeking college credit, building their resume or networking within the nonprofit and environmental community before college graduation. Email a resume and statement of interest to spenardfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE with ALASKA YOUTH for ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION. AYEA is a youth leadership and civic engagement program for high school students from across Alaska to build skills and take action on issues they care about. We host youth leadership summits focused on project planning, community organizing, and political action, and we support youth-led projects throughout the school year. We are currently looking for volunteer interns to lead a variety of projects in 2012. Gain mad skillz in community organizing, navigating the political system, event planning, communication, and/or fundraising. AYEA staff are super cool and it will probably be the best internship EVER. Rolling deadline. Positions open

until filled. Applicants do not have to live in Anchorage to be eligible. For more information, go to http://ayea.org/?s=internship.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

**LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT I for ANCHORAGE PARKS & RECREATION. This is a regular, full time position with salary $28.84 - $36.84 Hourly,$59,987.20 - $76,627.20 Annually. Position: Prepares and presents plans and working drawings for park and trail development projects, including construction details, project specifications, and cost estimates. Prepares master plans and reports including preliminary site assessment, public scoping and involvement, alternative development, and analysis, feasibility, cost estimates. Prepares, monitors, and administers design and construction contracts. Inspects park improvement projects completed by volunteers and in-house staff. Throughout all project phases consults with the public, park user groups, other federal, municipal, state agencies, and private sector professionals. Directs and coordinates public involvement and agency plan review. Works with the community to coordinate public participation on master plans; provide information to decision-making groups, community leaders, and citizens about park plans and projects. Performs special park and trail project assignments and provides technical support to the department through GIS, graphic design, 3D modeling, and other technical subjects. Reviews and comments on site plans and projects ensuring that external projects have a positive impact on parks, park operations, roadways, and open space in Anchorage. Coordinates and supports park volunteer projects. Minimum Qualifications / Substitutions / Special Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture or a related field and one year of experience in landscape design, engineering, construction administration, or a related field. Must possess a valid driver's license.For full job description and to apply, go to http://agency.governmentjobs.com/moa/default.cfm?action=viewJob&jobID=465138&hit_count=yes&headerFooter=1&promo=0&transfer=0&WDDXJobSearchParams=%3CwddxPacket%20version%3D%271.0%27%3E%3Cheader%2F%3E%3Cdata%3E%3Cstruct%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27CATEGORYID%27%3E%3Cstring%3E-1%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27PROMOTIONALJOBS%27%3E%3Cstring%3E0%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27TRANSFER%27%3E%3Cstring%3E0%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3Cvar%20name%3D%27FIND_KEYWORD%27%3E%3Cstring%3E%3C%2Fstring%3E%3C%2Fvar%3E%3C%2Fstruct%3E%3C%2Fdata%3E%3C%2FwddxPacket%3E. Deadline for application: May 22.

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR – Part-time (25- 30 hrs/week) for THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY ANCHORAGE REGIONAL OFFICE. The Office Administrator is responsible for the overall administrative operation of The Wilderness Society’s 10-person Alaska Regional Office. Qualifications: The ideal candidate for this position is a team player who has general office experience, executive assistant experience, is highly motivated and well-organized and is an energetic self-starter who can work efficiently with attention to detail and with minimal supervision. Ability to work effectively and diplomatically under pressure with a wide variety of people is essential; Two years’ experience in office administration; Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required; Knowledge of IT basics and ability to resolve IT issues are strongly desired; Proven problem-solving abilities and effective time management are required;

Familiarity with and/or interest in conservation issues is a plus; Bachelor’s Degree preferred. We offer a very competitive salary and benefits package, including health and dental insurance and a pension plan. To apply, please submit a cover letter, resume, and three references to twsrecruit@tws.org with 'AK Office Administrator' in the subject line. No phone calls please.

OFFICE MANAGER for TRUSTEES FOR ALASKA located in Anchorage. Successful candidates will have strong organizational and administrative skills and the ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks. The office manager provides support services to the staff including but not limited to managing the organization’s finances, maintain office systems, human resources, and IT Support. Qualifications and Required Skills: Bachelor's degree in business or related experience; At least 2 years of directly applicable experience; Knowledge of nonprofit bookkeeping, and IT basics; Proficiency with Windows 7, Microsoft Office and QuickBooks; Excellent verbal and written communication skills; Express a high level of attention to detail and excellent organizational and effective time management skills; Ability to handle high pressure circumstances and be flexible to changing situations; Demonstrated ability to work independently, and to prioritize and handle multiple tasks; and Passion for protecting the environment of Alaska. Position is Full-time, competitive salary and benefits. To apply send an e-mail with resume, cover letter and references and include “Office Manager” in subject line to ecolaw@trustees.org.

Two positions will be filled from this announcement.SOCIAL SCIENCE ANALYST/BIOLOGIST/PHYSICAL SCIENTIST, GS-101/401/1301-11/12/13 for the BUREAU OF OCEAN ENERGY MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS SECTION located in Anchorage. At a minimum your résumé must contain the job title (include job series and grade if Federal), duties, starting and ending date (month/year) and hours per week worked. It is strongly recommended that you use the USAJobs Resume Builder because it was designed to ensure that your resume includes the standard information needed. The Resume Builder is available at http://www.usajobs.gov/infocenter/resumetips.asp.(Open to All US Citizens) Vacancy BOEM-EW-12-MM649564 (DEU); http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/315007600, (Merit Promotion) Vacancy BOEM-EW-12-MM649566(MP), http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/315006800. Close: May 18.

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR for REAP (RENEWABLE ENERGY ALASKA PROJECT) in Anchorage. Key Responsibilities: Maintain REAP website, including frequent updates with relevant news and maintaining REAP’s social; media presence on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter; Cultivate relationships with local media and pursue both paid and earned media to raise REAP’s profile; Help refine and advise Executive Director on Communications strategy; Write and submit press releases on important energy efficiency and renewable energy news; Produce and publish REAP’s monthly electronic newsletter; Promote REAP events including the annual Alaska Renewable Energy Fair and Business of Clean Energy in Alaska conference, monthly forums, and other events. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree, Two years experience in the communications, public relations or media fields, Knowledge of Alaskan institutions and energy infrastructure, Enthusiasm for and interest in the Clean Energy field. Additional Preferred Skills: Graphic design, website management experience including html, Microsoft Excel, Constant Contact or similar email marketing system, film and A/V.

Compensation: This is permanent full-time position; salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include paid personal leave and holidays and employer contribution to retirement. Application Deadline: May 18. Application Process: Please send cover letter, résumé, three letters of recommendation, writing sample, and a design sample if applicable, to the following address: Renewable Energy Alaska Project, Attn: Chris Rose, 308 G Street, Suite 207, Anchorage, Alaska 99501 or via email to: e.jones@realaska.org.

INFORMATION SERVICES SPECIALIST in the Department of Philanthropy & Communications at the ALASKA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION (ACF) in Anchorage. Duties and responsibilities, including but not limited to Data/Donation management; Database administration; Analysis & Reporting; Planning for Awards Event. Job Specifications: Pro-active, process-oriented with strong analytical and organizational skills; Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to present information concisely and effectively; Attention to detail and accuracy a must; Team player. Qualifications: A passion for Alaska and protecting its environment; Bachelor's degree required; Minimum 2-3 year experience working with a donor management system; experience with Salesforce preferred. Knowledge of WealthEngine, Conga Composer, and online payment systems (Click & Pledge) desirable; Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint). For more information, contact Jacqueline Lee, Operations/HR Manager, at (907) 276-1917, (907) 229-4268 Cell, (907) 274-4145 Fax, or go to www.alaskaconservation.org.

SENIOR EPIDEMIOLOGIST at the ALASKA NATIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY CENTER, part of the Alaska Native to work on projects from cancer to suicide to regional health profiles, and would play a major role in domestic violence and sexual violence projects. Their role would be part epidemiology and part program evaluation and technical assistance, all to help the Tribal Health System and the health of Alaska Native and American Indian people in Alaska. Anyone is welcome to apply, and we strongly encourage Alaska Native, American Indian, Aboriginal Canadian, and other indigenous health professionals to apply. The job posing can be found at https://anthc.silkroad.com/epostings/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.jobinfo&jobid=218999&company_id=15902&source=ONLINE&JobOwner=992401&bycountry=0&bystate=0&bylocation=NULL&keywords=20120214&byCat=&tosearch=yes.

ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST for DOWL HKM’s Anchorage office. Experience with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), environmental documentation, agency consultation, and permitting is required. General familiarity with special study areas relating to aquatic biology, wildlife, noise, air quality, wetlands, archeology/cultural resources, contaminated soil investigations, and/or other environmental analyses is considered beneficial. Excellent writing capabilities, strong initiative and leadership skills, and a desire to work with diverse interests to build better projects are critical. The successful candidate will have a minimum B.S. from an accredited environmental, engineering, or related science program (M.S. is preferred) and at least 2 years of progressively responsible NEPA project experience. DOWL HKM is an Alaska Native owned and equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, tuition reimbursement, exciting projects, great co-workers and clients, and a fun work environment. Apply today! Go to: www.dowlhkm.com to view full position descriptions for all open positions at DOWL HKM, and to apply on-line. If

you have questions or experience technical difficulties, please send an email message to us at careers@dowlhkm.com.

ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT for COOK INLET REGION, INC. (CIRI). Position will provide high level administrative and related project support for the Energy Development Department and/or the Company’s affiliated subsidiaries. Prepares materials and packets for Board of Director and Board Committee meetings and project meetings. Plays key administrative role in coordinating energy projects. Handles confidential and sensitive information. Minimum Experience: Two or four years of college in business, finance, natural sciences or related field and three years progressively responsible related experience; or any combination of education and experience that provides the required skills, knowledge and abilities. A high degree of technical and online research skills required. Required Contacts: CIRI executives, management and staff, Executives, management and staff of CIRI subsidiaries, wholly-owned and affiliated non-profit companies, Executives, management and staff of other ANCSA corporations and villages. Local, state and federal government and agency representatives and staff. Community and business leaders and the General public. To apply: contact Katherine Cox, HR Generalist, at 907-263-5123 or go to http://www.ciri.com..

PRESIDENT and CEO for the ALASKA SEALIFE CENTER in Seward. The President & CEO, under the direction of the Board of Directors of the Company, shall have general oversight and direction of the Company’s operations. Minimum Qualifications, Skills & Knowledge: 15+ years in a senior-level position that has had oversight and management responsibilities of multiple programs. A balance of scientific research and facilities operation a must; aquarium experience preferred; must have demonstrated excellent communication skills with the ability to be a relationship builder. Must have a background in fundraising and development coupled with knowledge of foundations and other donors who have a philanthropic desire to support similarly situated programs and research activities. Education/Training Requirements: While a PhD is desired, an advanced degree is required coupled with an academic and/or scientific background. Travel: The successful incumbent can expect extensive travel within Alaska as well as between Alaska and the lower 48. More information about ASLC and the position is available at http://www.alaskasealife.org/. Please send electronic versions of a letter of application and resume/curriculum vitae to: Cindy L. Ecklund at cindye@alaskasealife.org.

To RECEIVE What's Up, or to ADD meetings, events, publications, deadlines, websites, or CHANGE EMAIL ADDRESS or UNSUBSCRIBE, contact Peg Tileston at 907-561-0540, FAX 907-563-2747 or pegt@gci.net..