News Archive, September through October 2003

Last week week we held our second meeting for October at our usual location, the latest meeting minutes have been added to the Archive section and can be found here.

Minutes from the October 9 meeting have been added to the Archive section.

As well, during that meeting Brian Thomas became an official member, his vehicle information has been added to the Members' Rides section.

Thanks to the Pilgrims vs. NPS issue hitting the papers there was a side note on RS 2477 again, see the article titled Alaska offers test of RS 2477 originally printed October 5.  On a totally different topic, the state board responsible for oversight on trail issues will be undergoing organization restructuring.  See the article Officials plan to reposition state trails board for more information.  Both articles were printed in the Anchorage Daily News.

The minutes from the brief meeting we had after our Sept. 25 park cleanup have been added to the Archive Section.  The turnout for our last cleanup was great, I think the promise of a free food helped.  Thank you to all, members and guest alike, who showed up and helped pick up trash before the snow covers the park.

The Outdoor section of the local paper contained an article this past weekend which I found interesting, it was titled Old Kenai Roads Could be World-class Trails.  The author is primarily looking at non-motorized trails, but it is interesting and disheartening to read about the bureaucracy   that even mountain bikers encounter while trying to reopen traditional trail systems.  There is also a few paragraphs about how this ties in with motorized users and the lack of support of trails and volunteer maintenance.  This article was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News.

Next month in Anchorage the Alaska Recreation and Park Association 2003 Conference will be held the 15th through the 18th.  Organizations such as National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife, Alaska State Parks, Alaska Fish and Game, and others are supporting the event.  Various seminars and work sessions are on the agenda.  Some look more interesting than others.  Look here for the conference brochure.  The main organizer is the Alaska Recreation and Park Association, head to their website for additional information and registration forms.

Minutes from the September 11 meeting have been added to the Archive section.

In the article Governor asks feds to recognize trails, our friend Gov. Murkowski is once again in the new upsetting environmentalist by pushing for public access.  This latest article is an extension of Murkowski's call to the federal government to define 'construction' as necessary to use RS2477, and his definition is not agreed upon by  environmentalist.  Click to view article  This article was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News.