Whats-Up-3-16-11.doc - Alaska Conservation Foundation

**Mark items that are new in this issue. What's Up
March 16, 2011
Compiled Weekly by Peg Tileston
On behalf of the Alaska Women's Environmental Network (AWEN), Alaska Center
for the Environment (ACE), and Alaska Conservation Alliance (ACA) WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS, TRAINING, WEBINARS, WEBCASTS, STATEWIDE EVENTS &
TELECONFERENCES March 22 (WEBINAR)
THE EFFECTS OF CHANGING SOIL CARBON ON ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN INTERIOR
ALASKA will be held from 10 to 11am Alaska Local Time presented by DAVID
MCGUIRE, Dept. of Biology & Wildlife, UAF. To participate, 1) With a
regular telephone dial: 1- (877) 594-8353, 2) When prompted, then enter the
Participant passcode: 83847342. Please mute your phone during the
presentation. To view the presentation during a webinar: 1) Point your web
browser to: http://infiniteconferencing.com/Events/accap/, 2) Enter
Participant Code 83847342, 3) Enter the rest of the requested information
(The name and organization you enter will be seen by other participants,
but your contact information will remain confidential), and 4) Click the
blue "log-in" button. March 22 - 24
CORDOVA - COPPER RIVER DELTA SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM at the Cordova Little
Chapel. The symposium will feature invited keynote speakers and talks and
posters will span all dimensions of delta research including: Session 1:
Fresh, riverine, estuary and marine waters; Session 2: Soils, geology,
vegetation; Session 3: Invertebrates; Session 4: Birds and mammals; Session
5: Fish; and Session 6: Human dimensions. The conference will provide an
opportunity for inter-disciplinary examination of the Delta and to identify
future research needs to help manage and conserve this ecologically
significant area in the face of climate change and other environmental
transformations There will be a reception the evening of March 21 and a
symposium dinner ($35) with local interactive entertainment on March 22.
For more information, contact Erin Cooper, USFS, at 907-424-7661 or email
ecooper@fs.fed.us or Allison Bidlack, Ecotrust Copper River Program at 907-
424-3541 or email abidlack@ecotrust.org or go to
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/conferences/2011/crdss/info.php#program. March 22-24
HOMER - INTRODUTION TO COASTAL GIS CLASS will be hosted at the Islands &
Ocean
Visitor Center. In partnership with NOAA's Coastal Services Center, this
three-day instructor-led course provides students with knowledge and skills
to successfully use ArcGIS desktop software. Framed in a coastal management
context, the course begins with geographic information system (GIS)
fundamentals and introduces tools and techniques useful for addressing
coastal issues. In addition to lectures, demonstrations, and exercises in
ArcGIS, the course incorporates small group activities and class discussion
to reinforce concepts learned in lecture and exercises. Contact Megan at
(907) 226-4653 or megan.murphy@alaska.gov to enroll. March 22 - 25
BETHEL - 4TH WESTERN ALASKA INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE & FORUM -
HONORING OUR TRADITIONS, SUSTAINING OUR FUTURE is hosted by the University
of Alaska Fairbanks, Kuskokwim Campus, and the conference will be the first
of its kind to be held in Bethel. The intent of this program is to bring
together scientists, educators, rural leaders, community members and
subsistence hunters and gatherers to discuss science and issues relevant to
western Alaska. The conference will highlight regional scientific efforts
and traditional knowledge that provide an interdisciplinary approach to
scientific inquiry and resource management. In addition to scientific
sessions, the conference will include several workshops addressing topics
relevant to life in rural western Alaska. Organizers welcome submissions
from all individuals and organizations collecting data in western Alaska.
Call for papers: deadline extended to February 21. The UAF Bristol Bay
Campus has funding available to sponsor high school students to this year's
WAISC in Bethel. For more information, contact Izetta Chambers, (907) 842-
8323. Important note: Please keep in mind that we have scheduled the 2011
WAISC immediately prior to the 2011 Camai Festival, a major cultural
gathering for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region set to begin the evening of March
25th. While this provides WAISC participants with a unique opportunity to
participate in both events, it also behooves attendees to book your lodging
as soon as possible to ensure availability during this busy time in Bethel.
For Questions please contact Rose Meier, Ethnobotany Program, Kuskokwim
Campus, at rameier@alaska.edu or phone (907) 474-6935 or go to
http://seagrant.uaf.edu/conferences/2011/crdss/info.php#program. March 26, April 16 and May 21
ANCHORAGE - BOAT SMART FROM THE START; BE WATER WISE boating course will be
held in Atwood Building. This eight-hour course is approved by the National
Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) and recognized by
the U.S. Coast Guard. The course satisfies most states boating safety
education requirements and may even qualify boaters for boat insurance
discounts. Segments include pre-departure preparation, boating operations,
boating emergencies, cold-water survival, navigation/rules of the road, and
legal requirements. Students who attend all sessions, and pass the written
exam and skills will be issued a course completion certificate. This course
has also been approved for eight hours of Continuing Medical Education
(CME) training by the State of Alaska, Department of Health and Social
Services. The courses are free but pre-registration is encouraged. For more
information contact Joe McCullough at (907) 269-8704 or
joseph.mccullough@alaska.gov or Megan Piersma at (907) 269-6042. March 29
ANCHORAGE - TRAINING for the 5TH ANNUAL SNOW GOOSE/SANDHILL CRANE SURVEY
will be held at the BP Energy Center, 900 E. Benson Blvd. Two sessions will
be held, 2:30 to 5pm and 5:30 to 8pm. This is training for new and
returning volunteers for observation crews by the Friends of the Anchorage
Coastal Wildlife Refuge (FAR). Space limited: Reserve your seat ASAP by
contacting bird@farak.org to get on the class list for on of the sessions.
Must be at least 18 with rare exceptions granted for unusually mature youth
who will be accompanied at the training and during the survey by a parent
or legal guardian (write to ask permission). For more information about the
survey and to download volunteer applications and waivers (both required
for new volunteers), go to https://sites.google.com/site/fardoc2010/. This
is the ONLY training session that will be held. March 29 & April 5
ANCHORAGE - American Society of Landscape Architect's GARDEN DESIGN
WORKSHOP is an opportunity for homeowners to learn about landscape design
as well as innovative design elements and then create a design for their
home, cottage or cabin. Two lectures that will be given by local landscape
architects DWAYNE ADAMS of USKH/LDN and M. ELISE HUGGINS of Earthscape and
are from 6:30 to 8:30pm on March 29th and April 5th. The workshop also
includes a 2-hour, one-on-one design session with a landscape architect on
April 9th. Walk away with your own landscape plan! This is an annual class
that raises funds for a scholarship for Alaskan students studying landscape
architecture. It's the biggest fundraising event for the Alaska Chapter,
and many of Anchorage's landscape architects participate in the Saturday
session, donating their time. Cost for the classes and workshop is $225.
Call 222-2859 for information, or email lminski@corvus-design.com or go to
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ASLA-Garden-Design-Workshop/184184094956817.
March 30, May 25 & June 1
ANCHORAGE - DREAMING YOUR GARDEN WORKSHOP will have 4 sessions to be held
at the Lydia Selkregg Chalet at Russian Jack Springs Park from 7pm to 9pm.
SEEDS & STARTS on March 30; HERBAL & MEDICINAL GARDENING on April 20; WILD
EDIBLES on May 25; and SOILS & COMPOST on June 1st. All workshops are $25
(or $100 for all 5) and include all materials. Whether you're new to
gardening or just ready to for a refresher, join us for this series that
will empower you to grow some of your own food in a pesticide-free garden!
To register, please call Samarys with Alaska Community Action on Toxics at
222-7714 or by e-mail at samarys@akaction.org. For more information visit
www.akaction.org or www.akcenter.org. April 5
JUNEAU - CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION FRAMEWORKS WORKSHOP will be held at
Centennial Hall from 8:30 am to 5pm. The workshop sponsored by the Alaska
Coastal Rainforest Center will be in conjunction with the Alaska Chapter of
The Wildlife Society. Please note this is not a wildlife-centric workshop,
but broad based and interdisciplinary. The agenda is available under the
news and events portion of our website at http://acrc.alaska.edu/. For more
information, contact Mike Goldstein at 907.796.6269 or email
migoldstein@uas.alaska.edu. **April 9 -12 KODIAK - The KODIAK AREA MARINE SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM (KAMSS) will begin with
a tour of the Alutiiq Museum and three workshops-How to teach the Alaska
Seas and Rivers curriculum, Communicating Ocean Science, and Seabird
monitoring for COASST (Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team).
Workshops will be followed by keynote speakers TOM WEINGARTNER (UAF SFOS
professor of oceanography) and JOHN PIATT (U.S. Geological Survey wildlife
biologist) at 7 pm at the Kodiak Harbor Convention Center, cosponsored by
KAMSS and Kodiak WhaleFest. At KAMSS, researchers will talk about their
studies, and local people will learn how Kodiak's marine environment and
resources function, change, and affect their lives and livelihoods. Sunday
April 10, at noon, the symposium will resume with a brunch and introductory
talks by Kodiak Mayor Jerome Selby, Duncan Fields of the North Pacific
Fishery Management Council, and UAF Chancellor Brian Rogers. Talks on
Kodiak ocean research will be presented Sunday afternoon through Tuesday
noon; posters will be displayed on Sunday evening. Following the science