BCA will be providing free bike valet parking for all Creek Cleanup participants. So get on your bike and come on down.

The annual Anchorage Waterways Council/Municipality of Anchorage Creek Cleanup is happening on Saturday, May 14th!

Every year at this time, as the snow finally fades away, we are left with the refuse it stored all winter.  Unfortunately, everything flows downhill, inevitably ending up in our creeks, where it threatens wildlife habitat and impairs our recreational and leisurely enjoyment.  Creek Cleanup is our opportunity to come together as a community and show our love for our beautiful and vital waterways and wetlands.  You can form a team, or just join your neighbors and spruce up your favorite stretch of creek.

Starting at 9:00 am, supplies and information will be available from stations located throughout the municipality.  When you check in with the volunteer “honcho” at your preferred station, you will receive bags, gloves, information, and assistance.  Then you can fan out along the creek from there.  There is no lack of junk to be picked up from in and around the creeks.

This year we’ll be teaming up with Greenstar, Total Reclaim, and Central Recycling to keep as much of the debris that we collect from going to the landfill as possible.  Your honcho will provide information about separating the recyclables.  A map and list of the supply stations can be found at http://anchoragecreeks.org/pages/creekcleanup_locations.php.

Upon signing in with a honcho, you will also receive a ticket that entitles you to enjoy free food and a chance to win fabulous prizes being offered at the picnic celebration following the cleanup.  Be sure to make your way down to the Valley of the Moon Park from Noon until 2:00, where the Anchorage Waterways Council is throwing a party to celebrate the efforts of the volunteers.  Enjoy some delicious food, bluegrass music, informational exhibits, camaraderie, and fabulous prize giveaways from local businesses like Moose’s Tooth, Kaladi Bros., and REI.  We’ll also be giving away awards to volunteers in various categories including Best Dressed Team, Strangest Trash, and more.

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Bike to Work Day is Friday, May 20th. Team registration is open. In 2010 more than 2,500 cyclists were counted at key intersections on BTWD. Businesses and organizations can register teams and take an online survey for drawings of prizes and tee-shirts. Fun events will take place before and after the workday. For more information and registration go to www.muni.org/biketowork Contact: Anchorage Health and Human Services (907) 343-4715.

Don’t forget about the Bike to Work Festival! The Festival will take place Friday, May 6^th at the University Center Mall from 5:00-8:00 PM. Get ready to ride by learning about bicycle commuting, safety, products and more. The utility cycling contest “Freeze Your Keys” concludes, and Off the Chain bicycle cooperative will offer bike valet services and accept bicycle donations.  More information: www.muni.org/biketowork Contact: Green Star at (907) 952-0047.

There is an open house May 11 at 7:00pm on the Campbell Airstrip Rd improvement project. The proposed improvements include a multi use path and I am waiting to hear back on whether bike lanes will be a part of the project. Both are called for under the Anchorage Bike Plan. Let them know you support this addition to our bicycle network.

As part of Jane’s Walk & Roll organized by the Alaska Center for the Environment, former BCA board member Jay Stange and Jae Shin, member of Spenard Complete Streets Coalition, will be hosting a walk & bike tour May 7th. HEre are the details:

The Doctors J present: Walk-n-Roll Spenard – The Funky Homo Sapiens Tour Walking Tour at 12:30pm and Biking Tour at 2pm Both Tours leave from the Tap Root (3300 Spenard Road) Join Spenard Homeboys, Jae and Jay, as they present the greatest neighborhood on Earth via foot and bicycle. We’ve been walking and riding these streets, rails and trails long enough to know where the best shortcuts are, who has the biggest lilacs, the best crabapples, the coolest backyard plot on Fish Creek, the best treehouse, the scariest dog and the funkiest old log cabin. The day begins with a walking tour of downtown Spenard. Tour members receive VIP status at the Spenard Farmers Market (which means they get to help us haul trash, rub elbows with Spenard royalty, and wear an attractive safety vest…for free!) We reconnoiter at Tap Root for Phase II of the tour, a bicycle ride on safer neighborhood streets, where we follow the delightful contours of Fish Creek and revel in the history of Anchorage’s most colorful and splendid old neighborhood in a wonderful and divergent afternoon. We finish with refreshing beverages in a secret location where we plan a peaceful takeover of the rest of the world. You know, the part out there, that’s not here.

It’s that time year where we are all looking forward to getting out on our wonderful greenbelt trails. Your Anchorage Parks & Recreation department, Trail Watch Committee and other Community Partners are gearing up for this summer. There are numerous opportunities for you to volunteer and ensure Anchorage’s trails stay in great shape. Here is a list of things you can do to help:

Ambassador Training

This training is primarily for those Trail Watch Ambassadors that can give at least 2 hours a week to a particular trail area.  If you are interested or just have questions about this program please plan on attending.  The training will be held for new and veteran Trail Watch Ambassadors.  Trail Watchers are welcome to attend as well.  Training will cover protocol of the Trail Watch program, communication with APD, overview of basic first aid and bike mechanics.  Volunteer forms will be filled out, TW Ambassador Vests and Trail assignments will be distributed.   Please reserve your seat today, by emailing to:  cdjanigo@muni.org

Subject Line: Ambassador training – Name, email address and phone number.

Trail Watch Ambassador Training/Orientation

May 7, 2011   9am – 1pm

Anchorage Police Department Training Facility

3760 W. Dimond Blvd.

Trail Safety Projects

Trail safety brushing projects are focusing on improving sight lines, increasing off trail visibility into densely wooded areas, and creating defensible space against fire.  The urban standards for these efforts were adopted following safe sight distances in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles found in many urban areas and Fire Wise guidelines by the Anchorage Fire Department.  The trail safety makeover projects for 2011:

June 4^th National Trails Day (Chester Creek Trail from the East  Northern Lights  Electric Sub Station to the foot bridge crossing to East HS)

June 30^th Earthquake Park from the parking lot to the coastal trail

September 24^th National Public Lands Day (Campbell Creek Trail from Tudor Rd. to the M.L.K. Blvd.)

Chain Saw Safety Course

In order to operate a chain saw during a Trail Watch project the volunteer will have to show proof of attending a chain saw safety course.  A one day chain saw class will be taught by Mike Wilson. BLM Cadastral Survey Supervisor.  To sign up for this one day, contact information below:

May 27^th Chain Saw Class

Jorjena Daly,  Outdoor Recreation Planner

Bureau of Land Management, Anchorage Field Office

For more information on any of these volunteer opportunities, contact Cathy Janigo, Community Development Director Anchorage Parks & Recreation 632 W. 6th Avenue, Suite 630 P 907-343-4492 F 907-343-6523 E janigocd@muni.org

On Friday April 15 there will be a memorial ride for William Curry, the cyclist who was killed last week at Tudor and C St. We will be meeting at William’s workplace at 5:30 PM, (6800 Arctic Blvd, which is located at the corner of Raspberry Rd and C St, across from the State of Alaska Fish And Game office). We will ride to the Northwest corner of Tudor and C St, and pay our respects to the ghost bike memorial. We request you wear a  helmet.

Signs of Spring are coming out everywhere, and there are tons of fun events to help get us all ready for the Summer commuting season.

Join us at the Midnight Sun Brewery on Tuesday April 12 from 6 PM – 8 PM for our annual Volunteer Roundup. The first 30 people to sign up to help out with a BCA event get a coupon for a free drink! BCA events are heaps of fun, a great way to meet your fellow commuters, and also help grow Anchorage’s cycling community. We need help staffing and coordinating our many Summer events, so please come down and see if we’ve got the perfect opportunity for you! It’s also the perfect opportunity to let us know if you have an event or project in mind that you would like to see brought to life.

Congratulations to everyone who made the commitment to commute and froze their keys last Friday! You’ve got plenty of time to get your scorecards filled out in time for the Freeze My Keys Wrap-up Celebration and Bike To Work Day Festival, Friday May 6, 5 PM-8:30 PM at the University Center. There will be lots to see and do at the festival, and it’s another great opportunity to visit with fellow commuters!

BCA will be at REI on Tuesday May 10 at 6 PM for a free Bike To Work Day clinic. We’ll talk about the gear you need, how to get around Anchorage safely by bike, and how to have fun and stay comfortable bike commuting.

May 20 is the big day! Bike To Work Day 2011!