Mark items that are new in this issue - Alaska Conservation ...

**Mark items that are new in this issue.

What's Up
February 23, 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

**February 24 (TELECONFERENCE)
The GOVERNOR'S COORDINATED TRANSPORTATION TASK FORCE (CTTF) will hold a
meeting by webinar/teleconference from 1pm to 3pm Alaska time. Purpose of
the meeting is to: 1. Review, refine and approve administrative response to
draft legislation; confirm next steps; 2. Review, refine and confirm next
steps regarding inputs to Federal Programs and Administrative Strategies;
3. Discuss and articulate next steps respective to opportunities within
municipal code/municipal planning regarding public transportation
coordination; 4. Review and select preferred Vision Statement; confirm next
steps; and 5. Provide status report and next steps on Needs Assessment and
Data Gathering. The is charged with helping to coordinate and integrate
community-based public transportation services to benefit persons with
special needs. The task force will also advise the governor on developing
policy for the state's existing special-needs transportation programs,
develop an action plan and make a report of recommended actions to the
Governor, due January 2012. Members of the public may listen in by
accessing the link in the meeting agenda. Meeting agenda containing link to
webinar is available at http://dot.alaska.gov/cttf. For more information,
contact Eric Taylor, Transit Programs Manager, at (907) 465-8958, Fax (907)
465-6984 or email eric.taylor@alaska.gov.

February 24 (WEBINAR Additional Information)
ARCTIC POLICY ISSUES UPDATE is the topic from 10 to 11am Alaska Local Time.
Dr. KATHRYN (KATE) MORAN, Senior Policy Analyst at the White House Office
of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) will present on Arctic Policy for
this month's ACCAP Climate Science Webinar. Dr. Moran has expertise in
oceans, the Arctic, and global climate change. She was most recently
Professor of Oceanography and Associate Dean in the Graduate School of
Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. Registration is strongly
encouraged! Please fill out the web-form at
http://ine.uaf.edu/accap/teleconference.htm#register or contact: Brook
Gamble, Outreach and Education Specialist, at 907-474-7812 or email
accap@uaf.edu. Please note new log-in info! For directions on how to
Participate / Call and Log-In to the Webinar:
http://ine.uaf.edu/accap/teleconference.htm If you are in Fairbanks, feel
free to join in person in ACCAP/SNAP's office: Floor 2 of the Denali
Building, 3352 College Road.

February 24 (TELECONFERENCE)
ABC LIST REVISION - PHASE II" STAKEHOLDER MEETING will be held via
teleconference from 10am to Noon. All of the Phase II proposed GENERALLY
CONSISTENT DETERMINATIONS (PGCDS) are available at
http://dnr.alaska.gov/coastal/acmp/Clawhome/ABClist/PhaseII.html. For more
information, contact Joe Donohue, Project Coordinator, at 907-465-4664, Fax
907-465-3075 or email joe.donohue@alaska.gov.

February 24 & 25
ANCHORAGE - SPOTLIGHT ON CANADA-U.S. COLLABORATION: ARCTIC MARINE SHIPPING
AND THE ENVIRONMENT will be held from 5:30 to 8pm on Thursday and 8am to
5pm or Friday in the Quarterdeck at the Hotel Captain Cook. The Arctic
Policy Forum is designed to connect policy makers and administrators,
academics, community members and other stakeholders in the Arctic to one
another and to new and emerging issues. There will be a networking and
policy component. We are excited to feature CONSUL JENNIFER LOTEN and
Canada's Arctic Policy at this first Forum. The goal of each forum is to:
Educate Alaskans about Arctic policy issues; and Develop a community of
individuals interested in and knowledgeable about these critical issues.
For more information, go to
http://www.institutenorth.org/servlet/content/arctic_policy_forum.html.

**February 25
MAT-SU - WORMS & WORM COMPOSTING Class will be taught from 2 to 4pm at the
new VCRS Recycling Center next tot the Central Landfill. Cost $18 Wriggle
into a seat and learn about:
Worm bins-- purchased vs. home-made, Setting up your bin, What kind of
worms do I need? What to feed them? How much? How to prevent odors, clouds
of flies, etc. and How to harvest & use the compost
Presented by Good Earth Garden School's worm-crazy Ellen Vande Visse..To
sign up: send an email to information@goodearthgardenschool.com or call 745-
0758. For ,more information, go to www.goodearthgardenschool.com.

**February 26
CELEBRATE STATEWIDE WILD SALMON DAY from Noon to 11:30pm wherever you may
be in the state. Fun events are being planned across the state--sign up to
host a potluck, Red Gold movie screening, etc. and put your community on
our google map! (http://tinyurl.com/65mlnoj)

February 26
A one-day, annual training course CARE AND REHABILITATION OF OILED SEA
OTTERS will be held from 7:30am to 5pm at the British Petroleum Building
(900 E. Benson Blvd. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
The training program is designed to provide 16 hours of Hazwoper Training
so that, in the event of an oil spill, you will be OSHA approved to assist
with the care of oiled sea otters in the rehabilitation facility. To
satisfy the annual 16 hour training requirement and receive your OSHA
Certification, you must complete the online training (see below) and attend
the course on March 13.
As in the past, you will register for the course online at the
International Wildlife Research home at Error! Hyperlink reference not
valid.. At the bottom of the page you will see the link for registration.
Please provide all of the information requested. We place it in the roster,
and it enables us to contact you if there is a spill. If you have
difficulty or can not register online, contact davisr@tamug.edu or call 281-
250-7839. To complete the online training, log onto
www.wildliferesearch.com and select the Training tab on the left. Read the
training instructions, and then select the Start Training Button for Oiled
Sea Otter Rehabilitation at the bottom. Please review the material in
Chapters 1,3,4,6,7,8,9 and 14, and then click the Volunteer Certification
quiz button. If you pass the quiz with a 70% (you will be able to take it
as many times as you wish), you can request to be registered as a
Responder. Your test score and personal information will be sent to me. If
you have already registered to attend the course in Anchorage, there is
some redundancy in the information we are requesting. If you know the
material in the required chapters, you can go directly to the quiz.

February 26, 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 1 - 4
WASILLA - The BOARD OF GAME will be considering proposed CHANGES TO THE
BEAR AND WOLF CONSERVATION, HARVEST AND MANAGEMENT POLICIES, which would
broadly expand the power of the Board of Game to develop regulations on
management of both black and brown bears - including harvest practices,
like bear snaring and wolves. Meeting will be held at the Best Western Lake
Lucille Inn.

**March 3
ANCHORAGE - WORMS & WORM COMPOSTING Class will be taught from 9 to 11am at
Terra Bella Bakery Café, next to Bed, Bath & Beyond Cost $23 ( Price
includes a gift pack from the Café). Wriggle into a seat and learn about:
Worm bins-- purchased vs. home-made, Setting up your bin, What kind of
worms do I need? What to feed them? How much? How to prevent odors, clouds
of flies, etc. and How to harvest & use the compost. Presented by Good
Earth Garden School's worm-crazy Ellen Vande Visse. To sign up: send an
email to information@goodearthgardenschool.com or call 745-0758. For ,more
information, go to www.goodearthgardenschool.com.

**March 5
ANCHORAGE - Two workshops to be taught by RICH SEIFERT, UAF Energy and
Housing Specialist, will be held at UAF Cooperative Extension Service, at
1675 C Street.
**RETROFIT WORKSHOP will be held from 9 to Noon
Adding insulation, using the advice from an energy rating, taking advantage
of state help in the rebate program and getting your house weatherized, are
all topics we'll cover in this course. Rich Seifert retrofitted his own
house, and uses experience from that and Interior Weatherization manager
James Lee's extensive experience (and shared slides) in retrofit to bring
you a great overview of how to achieve a more energy efficient home for
Alaskan conditions.
**ADAPTING SOLAR ENERGY FOR YOUR ALASKA HOME: MOVING TOWARD THE ULTIMATE
ZERO-NET-ENERGY HOME will be held from 1 to 5pm
The Fourth Edition "A Solar Design Manual for Alaska" $15. This new manual
demonstrates how using renewable energy and conservation leads to what
Seifert calls the "Ultimate Net-zero-energy Alaskan home". The Solar course
explores ways to include solar design and good efficiency in both retrofit
and new construction. For more information or to pre-register, contact Dora
Wainwright at 907-786