Anchorage Daily News

BOATING

Karen Jettmar book signing

WHEN: 7-9 p.m. Aug. 11

WHERE: Title Wave Books, 1360 W. Northern Lights Blvd.

DETAILS: The newest edition of the "Alaska River Guide" is here and Karen Jettmar, author of the book will give a presentation and book signing.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 278-9283, www.wavebooks.com

CYCLING

Jon's Coastal Trail ride

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Westchester Lagoon to Kincaid Park and back

DETAILS: A slower-paced ride on the busy Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, ideal for tandems and commuter bikes. Helmets required.

COST: Free, but memberships is encouraged.

CONTACT: www.arcticbike.org, 566-0177, press 3

Resurrection Pass Trail

WHEN: Saturday

WHERE: Resurrection Pass Trail, Kenai Peninsula

DETAILS: Meet at 7 a.m. at the Carrs on Huffman Road to carpool to this 38-mile long mountain bike trail. Bring gear for a full day of backcountry riding. Helmets required.

COST: Free, but memberships is encouraged.

CONTACT: www.arcticbike.org, 566-0177, press 3 to double-check the morning before leaving.

FISHING

Rickards talk on fishing lakes

WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday

WHERE: Millennium Hotel

DETAILS: Noted author and guide Denny Rickards will talk at the August meeting of Alaska fly fishers. Rickards, from Klamath Falls, Ore., is a guide on Klamath Lake. His books and videos help anglers fishing lakes with a fly rod, and he has caught cutthroats to 15 pounds and rainbows in excess of 16 pounds.

COST: Free

CONTACT: Steve Lambert at slambert@gci.net

FLORA AND FAUNA

Bears feeding on moose

WHEN: 2 p.m. today, Aug. 10, 17, 24

WHERE: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage

DETAILS: Three adult brown bears will be fed a donated railroad-killed moose hind quarter in a wildlife exhibition that demonstrates the bears' natural instincts and social behaviors over a fresh meal. Interns will answer questions. Several models of the Bear Educational Awareness & Research Station (BEARS) interpretive center will be on display.

CONTACT: Kelly Miller, 301-5575

Wildflower trek

WHEN: 2 p.m. Aug. 10

WHERE: Eagle River Nature Center

DETAILS: Andy Anderson-Smith from the Alaska Native Plant Society (www.anps.org) will lead a walk that focuses on families of native plants, spores, pollen and flowers.

COST: Free; parking $5 for nonmembers

CONTACT: 694-2108

Mushroom hunting

WHEN: 6-9 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Goose Lake

DETAILS: Can you eat that fungus lurking in your local woodland? Diane Pleninger will help you figure it out. This is a walking tour, but it might get wet. Must be at least 12 years old.

COST: Free

CONTACT: Ronn Randall, 343-4260

View salmon in Eagle River

WHEN: 2 p.m. today

WHERE: Eagle River Nature Center

DETAILS: Welcome back salmon at the Eagle River Nature Center with this all-ages program that will focus on the life cycle of Alaska's salmon species, followed by a walk to the salmon viewing deck on the beaver pond.

COST: Free, but parking is $5 for nonmembers.

CONTACT: 694-2108

Stories in the soil

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday

WHERE: Campbell Creek Science Center

WHAT: Soil influences all aspects of our lives. We grow our food in it, our water is filtered by it and we build our homes on it. Learn more about our soils from Mark Clark of the National Resources Conservation Service.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 267-1247

Alaska volcanoes explored

WHEN: 7 p.m. Aug. 13

WHERE: Campbell Creek Science Center

WHAT: Alaska is volcano country with more than 50 active ones within the last 250 years. Jennifer Adleman, a U. S. Geological Survey geologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, will discuss our volcanos and how scientists use information from the ash they spew out to reduce the threats.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 267-1247

HIKING/BACKPACKING

Long hike to Icicle Creek

WHEN: 11 a.m. Saturday

WHERE: Eagle River Nature Center

DETAILS: Bob and Ann Fisher will lead a 12-mile round trip hike to Icicle Creek over level terrain. Bring snacks/lunch, water and rain clothing. Dogs welcome.

COST: Free; parking $5 for nonmembers

CONTACT: 694-2108.

Doing the Dew

WHEN: 2 p.m. Aug. 16

WHERE: Eagle River Nature Center

DETAILS: Volunteer Liza Sanden will lead a leisurely 3-mile hike on the Dew Mount-Mountain Meadows Trails system. Bring water.

COST: Free; $5 parking for nonmembers.

CONTACT: 694-2108

Weekly Anchorage hikes

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Thursday

WHERE: Kincaid Chalet Monday, O'Malley trail head on Thursday

DETAILS: Alaska Outdoors weekly hikes. Sunday hike includes Mize Trail cleanup. Thursday is a mountain trail.

COST: $1

CONTACT: 770-0440, www.alaska-outdoors.org

Mat-Su Hike Series

WHEN: 1 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 16

WHERE: Spring Creek Farm, 6404 N. Lossing Road, Palmer

DETAILS: Join Spring Creek Outdoor Adventures for guided Mat-Su hikes during the summer. Successive hikes will increase in length and difficulty.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 1-907-746-2795

Mid-week nordic walking

WHEN: 6:15-7 p.m. Tuesday; 6:15-8 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Various parks

DETAILS: Low-impact approach to increasing health outdoors. Concentrate on quality workouts over moderate and longer courses. Pair up with others of similar speed and intensity to practice technique and increase mileage. Ages 12 and up.

COST: $5 a day or pre-paid with pass or punch card.

CONTACT: Ronn Randall, 343-4260 or randallr@muni.org

Big Wild Trails at Hilltop

WHEN: 6-7 p.m. Wednesday and Aug. 20

WHERE: Hilltop Chalet

DETAILS: Discover new trails while increasing your personal fitness on this more-advanced hiking series.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 343-6397, 343-6566

KIDS

Kids explore insect homes

WHEN: 2 p.m. Saturday

WHERE: Eagle River Nature Center

DETAILS: Junior naturalists will learn about such insect homes as galls, mines and galleries. They'll do an insect gallery rubbing and take a walk to find insect galls and leaf mines.

COST: Free, but parking is $5 for nonmembers.

CONTACT: 694-2108

Family safari at Russian Jack

WHEN: 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 12

WHERE: Russian Jack Springs chalet

DETAILS: Explore Anchorage's municipal parks using a mix of treasure hunting and navigation called "letterboxing." Families will meet at designated parks with maps and clues to letterboxes that hold interesting facts, a stamp to mark your park map and more clues to the next letterbox. For families of all ages.

COST: $19 per family

CONTACT: Anchorage Parks And Recreation. 343-6992, www.muni.org/parks

Parent and Me walks

WHEN: 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays through Aug. 12

WHERE: Kincaid Chalet

DETAILS: Moms, dads and children are invited to learn the trail systems in Anchorage with Parks and Recreation staff. Trail strollers and backpacks are welcome.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 343-4217, www.muni.org/parks

Outside play program in Palmer

WHEN: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 20

WHERE: Spring Creek Farm, 6404 N. Lossing Road, Palmer

DETAILS: "Come Outside and Play" is Spring Creek Outdoor Adventures-sponsored program for kids of all ages. Outdoor games featured each week; snacks included.

COST: $2 per child, no registration necessary

CONTACT: 1-907-746-2795

Nature walk and talk for kids

WHEN: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 19

WHERE: Spring Creek Farm, 6404 N. Lossing Road, Palmer

DETAILS: Nature walk around Spring Creek Farm. Then sit back with a snack while listening to a storybook. For ages 5 and up; children must be accompanied by adult. Bring your own snacks.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 1-907-746-2795

Denali wildlife family seminar

WHEN: Aug. 15-17

WHERE: Denali National Park and Preserve

DETAILS: Murie Science and Learning Center course designed for families with children 9 years old and younger will investigate animal tracks, clues and signs. Course will be based out of a field camp along the Teklanika River.

COST: $200 per person

CONTACT: courses@murieslc.org, www.murieslc.org, 1-888-688-1269

Learn GPS navigation

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE: Hilltop Chalet

DETAILS: Learn the techniques and equipment needed to explore by GPS or enjoy urban geo-caching. Local routes and safety practices discussed. Participants need their own GPS and transportation. Must be 16.

COST: $55

CONTACT: Ronn Randall, 343-4260

MEETINGS

Bicentennial Park user meeting

WHEN: 6:20 p.m. Aug 11

WHERE: Campbell Creek Science Center

DETAILS: Monthly meeting of the Far North Bicentennial Park and trail users will include a presentation on the East 48th Project, Holly Spoth-Torres of Parks and Recreation on the Far North Bicentennial Park Trails Improvement Project, Janice Tower on the SingleTrack Advocates trail project, Brian Looney of the Trails Advisory Committee on the park trail signage project and updates on park related activities.

COST: Free

CONTACT: 267-1247

MOUNTAINEERING

Babcock discusses Denali tragedy

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 20

WHERE: First United Methodist Church, Ninth Avenue and G Street

DETAILS: Jeff Babcock, who was on Mount McKinley during the 1967 Wilcox tragedy, will discuss James Tabor's recently published "Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of the Most Tragic, Mysterious and Controversial Disasters in Mountaineering History." The mountaineering club will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at Alpenglow Ski Lodge on Sept. 14. There will be an historic slide show, barbecue, mountain games and hikes.

COST: Free

CONTACT: Sean Bolender at 830-5102

Summer orienteering

WHEN: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: Sportsman's Warehouse, Wasilla, 1917 E. Parks Hwy.

DETAILS: Learn about Alaska's plants, animals and orienteering. The event includes a full day of games and activities for children and adults. Preregistration is required and snacks are provided. Bring a lunch and be prepared for being outdoors.

COST: Free, but a $5 donation suggested

CONTACT: North America Outdoor Institute, 1-907-376-2898, www.naoiak.org

SHOOTING SPORTS

State sporting clays championship

WHEN: Ends today

WHERE: Grouse Ridge Shooting Park, 6967 East Tex-Al Drive, Wasilla

DETAILS: 2008 state championships

COST: $10-$185, depending on the events entered

CONTACT: www.grouseridge.com, 1-907-376-2473

WILDERNESS SAFETY

Wilderness medicine program

WHEN: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday

WHERE: Wasilla Sports Complex, 101 S. Mack Drive

DETAILS: Learn what to do outdoors in a medical emergency. There will be lessons and interactive games. Come prepared to be outdoors. Programs for ages 8-12 and for 12 years and older. Preregistration required.

COST: Free, but a $5 donation is suggested

CONTACT: North America Outdoor Institute, 1-907-376-2898, www.naoiak.org

Wilderness Hikes Fly-in course

WHEN: Aug. 11-17

WHERE: Meet in Talkeetna, fly into Talkeetna Mountains

DETAILS: Seven-day workshop teaches skills for safe and responsible expedition backpacking in tundra wilderness. Includes camping, cooking, teamwork, safety skills in bear country, map and compass use and natural history.

COST: $1,500 per person, which includes airfare

CONTACT: Alaska Mountaineering School, 1-907-733-1016 or email info@climbalaska.org

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Compiled by Daily News outdoors editor Mike Campbell.

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