LANDMARKS 14 Fall / Winter
Newsletter for Kachemak Heritage Land Trust HIGHLIGHTS
Halibut Cove Lagoon KHLT’s Gene & Mim Effler Trail 25 Years Ago and KHLT The Calvin & Coyle Trail Giving Ahead, Solace of Return
Director’s Column
Marie McCarty Executive Director
One-quarter century. Wow! KHLT is 25, founded one month before the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The early days were spent gathering information about private land conservation, drafting bylaws, unleashing the talents of visionary KHLT founders as they created a way to protect the future of our land on Kachemak Bay. It must have been a heady time, full of opportunities and dreams with a big picture sense of what’s next. We’ve all had those moments in our lives where opportunity presents itself and we choose to move toward it. I’m thankful that the first group of KHLT dreamers took time from their busy lives to create KHLT. What a lasting legacy they have created. Now is another heady time, full of opportunities, and we intend to seize them. Our Kenai Mountains to Sea Project, Wings over Western Waters Project, and Anchor River Project all build on the good work of our founders. There are touch points in organizations when a new vision is needed to determine what’s next. Now is one of those pivotal times. Since KHLT hosted the Statewide meeting of land trusts in Homer, I’ve been thinking about how we talk about land conservation. The Statewide meeting topic was land trusts and community engagement. We invited the Alaskan land trusts to Homer for four days with facilitator Peter Forbes, several of our partners, and representatives of the national 1
Join us on Facebook! Search for “Kachemak Heritage Land Trust.”
Land Trust Alliance from Montana and Washington DC. This meeting was a pilot for the national Land Trust Alliance. Land trust folks tend not to toot our horn loud enough at our conservation successes. As I mull over what I learned at our statewide meeting, I realize that we aren’t alone. As the land trust community we have collectively protected almost 50 million acres. 50 million!!! Who knew? There are 1,700 land trusts across the US doing great local work, many of us with our collective heads down brokering increasingly complex land protection deals. The array of skills needed to preserve land forever is enormous and ever changing, and our organization is expert at these skills. But, land trusts need to do a better job explaining what we do in words that people understand. We will be talking more to you, asking for your ideas more frequently, trying to better describe our work in a way that makes sense. As I write this, I’m framing my thoughts in the context of this being our 25th anniversary. KHLT was born of people passionate about land who were also foresighted and hardworking enough to translate that passion into action. This talented group of community members created KHLT before legislation existed to create conservation easements in Alaska. Our founders’ passion birthed this great organization and set a high bar for future boards, staff and volunteers. KHLT’s culture is to be a leader, to do our work carefully and to protect salmon and other wildlife habitat important to the places we live, work and play. To honor our grassroots beginnings while staging KHLT at the forefront of land conservation in Alaska, we are thinking long and hard about how to do both as gracefully as we do all of our work.
Marie McCarty Executive Director www.KachemakLandTrust.org
KHLT Board Members Dotti Harness-Foster, President Sam Means, Vice President Larsen Klingel, Treasurer Scott Connelly, Secretary Donna Robertson Aderhold Joey Allred Marian Beck Nancy Lee Evans John Mouw
KHLT Staff Marie McCarty, Executive Director Mandy Bernard, Conservation Director Rick Cline, Accounting/Grant Manager Denise Jantz, Communications & Development Coordinator Joel Cooper, Stewardship Coordinator Rob Roy McGregor, Intern
KHLT Contact Information Kachemak Heritage Land Trust 315 Klondike Avenue Homer, AK 99603 (907) 235-5263 | (907) 235-1503 (fax) www.facebook.com/ kachemakheritagelandtrust www.KachemakLandTrust.org
Credits Nina Daley, Volunteer Website Manager Layout Design | Debi Bodett Cover Photo © Erik Niebuhr Young Lily Niebuhr explores KHLT’s new Gene and Mim Effler Trail on Skyline Drive in Homer.
CONTENTS DIRECTOR’S COLUMN............... 1 WELCOME AND THANK YOU.................... 2 HALIBUT COVE LAGOON, LAND AT HEART..................... 3 KHLT’S GENE & MIM EFFLER TRAIL.. ...................... 5 STATEWIDE MEETING OF LAND TRUSTS.................... 6 25 YEARS AGO AND KHLT........... 7 CALVIN & COYLE TRAIL. . ............ 10 WHAT’S HAPPENING?. . ............. 11 RTCA ASSISTS IN POOPDECK PLANNING .......... 11 GIVING AHEAD, SOLACE OF RETURN................. 12 THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT... 13
WELCOME ABOARD TO OUR
ROB ROY MCGREGOR
New Stewardship Coordinator!
Joins KHLT as Summer Intern
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As a contractor he worked for several Alaska Native villages, non-profit organizations, and worked for two years on the City of Homer’s Climate Action Plan. He has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Southern Illinois University. He served as President of the Kachemak Bay Conservation Society for two years and four years on the Homer Fish and Game Advisory Committee.
KHLT’S NEW Development Committee Member
HLT welcomes Joel Cooper as our new Stewardship Coordinator! Joel is a twenty-two-year resident of Homer with a diverse background working in the environmental field with local organizations. His first eight years in Homer was with Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge monitoring seabird colonies and working on various biological studies. Joel Cooper Stewardship Coordinator Joel then moved on to work in the non-profit sector, taking a job as a Stream Ecologist and then spent ten years as Research Coordinator with Cook Inletkeeper. Here, his focus was on water quality and quantity monitoring throughout the Cook Inlet Watershed.
ob Roy McGregor joined KHLT this summer as our 2014 summer intern. Rob Roy grew up in Anacortes, WA where he gained a deep interest in the forest and marine ecosystems of the Salish Sea. Attending the University of British Columbia, he graduated with honors in 2013 with a BSc in Forest Sciences. In addition to interning at the Wood Rob McGregor Summer Intern River Land Trust in Hailey, ID where he gained valuable experience for this internship, he also spent the previous year interning at the Wynn Nature Center where he came to love the Kenai Peninsula ecosystems and the town of Homer. “I am very excited to be back in Homer,” says Rob Roy, “and to work with KHLT.”
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25th Anniversary Celebration
elcome aboard to our new Development Committee member Nyla Lightcap! Nyla grew up in Homer and graduated from Homer High School. She attended college at Penn State and after graduation in 2009, Nyla moved back to her hometown where she has been working and volunteering in the Homer community ever since. We are thrilled to have her on board!
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25th Anniversary Artwork
Joel coordinates and conducts the field monitoring and documentation of KHLT’s conservation easements and properties KHLT owns for conservation. He enjoys all outdoor activities, especially hiking and skiing in the backcountry. He is also a passionate long distance runner. Welcome aboard Joel!
n March 8, 2014, KHLT celebrated our 25th year by hosting an anniversary party at the Down East Saloon. It was fantastic to see so many land trust friends and supporters join us in the festivities. Our 25th year is an important milestone in our history. By our founders laying the groundwork and foundation of KHLT, we have been able to grow into a strong, solid nonprofit organization. We wouldn’t be here without you. Thank you to the Down East staff, Holy Santos Gang, Two Sisters Bakery, Lorraine Williams, Daisy Lee Bitter, Angie Newby at Homer Real Estate, Debra Leisek at Bay Realty, and to our event sponsors; Alaska Wildland Adventures, First National Bank of Alaska, Ulmer’s Drug & Hardware, and HEA, and to everyone who joined us, for making this a memorable event.
Nyla Lightcap Development Committee
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ocal cartoonist, Lorraine Williams generously donated her time and artistic talents to design the 25th anniversary artwork for KHLT. Her cartoons can be found weekly in the Homer Tribune, and her books, “You Know You are in a Small Town When…” at Fireweed Gallery, KBay Caffé, Cosmic Kitchen, and The Homer Book Store. Thank you Lorraine!
LANDMARKS • NEWSLETTER FOR KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST • FALL/WINTER 2014
Lorraine Williams Local Cartoonist
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Karen E. Ruud and Peter O. Mjos photo © Peter O. Mjos
KHLT staff, board and committee members tour the preserved Halibut Cove Lagoon property
Preserved Halibut Cove Lagoon Property Leaves Owners Feeling “Informed, Humbled, and Blessed” by Karen E. Ruud, Leif K. Mjos, Brita R. Mjos, Peter O. Mjos
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n the ‘70’s we kayaked to an isthmus guarding the tidal entrance to Halibut Cove Lagoon. What we encountered then continues to inspire us – the profound grandeur of a truly unique maritime setting surrounded by Kachemak Bay State Park. At that time a terribly dilapidated shed, a remnant of the former herring saltery, sat astride crumbling pilings. In the 1920’s this had been the site of a once thriving fishery, a subspecies of strikingly large herring. In a matter of less than five years human avarice and hubris extinguished that remarkable fish. Only the slowly decaying pilings remain. Sadly, such myopia and unrelenting hubris thrive, as we have witnessed the loss of the local shrimp, Dungeness crab, fishes, and clams. A very nondescript ad in the Homer News in the early ‘80’s lead to our purchase of the entire property, unseen by us for several years – uplands, isthmus, the “big island”, and the tidelands – the legacy of the herring saltery. The area is relentlessly dynamic, and evidence of climate change is indisputable. Avalanches, rock slides, rapid appearance and growth of gravel bars, changing channels, currents, beaches
and tide pools, species and habitat changes, as well as the omnipresent spruce beetle devastation. So also have these events been transformative for us. The property, an intact ecosystem, is completely surrounded by Kachemak Bay State Park. As evidenced by the abundance and variety of both life and the inanimate, this is reason sufficient to justify maintaining the character and integrity of the property in perpetuity. The property is host and home to several dozens of vertebrates and invertebrates, from the very large and imposing to the most delicate, from the strand to forest diversity. New discoveries abound. Weather unpredictability presents surprises frequently and flavors the experience. Life in this setting has informed, humbled, and blessed us. For this honor, this privilege, we are obliged to act as stewards. It is with sincere gratitude to KHLT that this most special property will be fully protected by a conservation easement forever. Thank you.
KHLT’s Land at Heart Award
Honors Local Conservation Work
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achemak Heritage Land Trust is honored to nominate Lynn Whitmore of Kachemak Moose Habitat, Inc. to be the first recipient of our Land at Heart award. The award honors those in our community who do exceptional conservation work, helping us preserve irreplaceable lands on the Kenai Peninsula.
about conserving land important to our southern Peninsula community and is tireless in his commitment to finding a way to make that happen. During his many years as President of Kachemak Moose Habitat, Inc., he has worked to preserve spectacular pieces of land and has been a fantastic partner to KHLT. Congratulations Lynn!
Lynn represents everything we honor at KHLT. He is passionate 3
www.KachemakLandTrust.org
Shorebirders on the Spit
Shorebirders Visit KHLT Protected Lands
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HoWL youth and KHLT volunteer Hailey Smith help with our Poopdeck Platt property
HoWLers Help with KHLT’s Fence and Garden Project
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horebird Festival 2014 proved to be a great success story again this year! The weather was perfect and the shorebirds arrived right on schedule. When complimenting new festival coordinator, Robbi Mixon on its success she jokingly states, “I blame the success on the nice weather.” Hats off to Robbi and the rest of the Shorebird staff and volunteers who made it all possible.
outh from HoWL (Homer Wilderness Leaders) have been helping KHLT with our fence and garden project. They’ve torn down old fencing, salvaged wood, and reconstructed a new fence. HoWLers also helped us tend to our garden beds.
KHLT hosted two events at this year’s Shorebird Festival; Birds Need Land Too – a talk on the importance of land conservation and bird habitat, and secondly, our annual Van Tours. Homer Van Tours driver and KHLT volunteer, Tom Early, was accommodating and just as helpful as usual! Both tours were almost sold out, and we were thrilled to be able to share our important conservation work with our visiting guests, who were able to put their feet on the ground of some of our amazing protected properties.
Interested in getting involved? Please contact our Stewardship Coordinator: Joel Cooper at 235-LAND or joel@kachemaklandtrust.org
Make sure you keep us in mind for next year’s Shorebird Festival. Register early and join us for our free events!
Thank you HOWL and volunteer Hailey Smith for all of your hard work!
HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR RAISES FUNDS FOR
Calvin and Coyle Nature Trail
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HLT was honored last March when Homer High School senior, Cassidy Soitsman, planned, organized and hosted the Calvin and Coyle Canter, a ski race in Homer to benefit KHLT’s Calvin and Coyle community trail. This fantastic event was Cassidy’s Caring for the Kenai project, a contest that challenges high school students to, 1) either better care for the Kenai Peninsula’s environment or, 2) propose how to increase our preparedness for natural disaster.
Homer High School senior, Cassidy Soitsman
The Caring for the Kenai is an educational project of the Kenai Watershed Forum. Cassidy’s wonderful contribution to KHLT is already helping us to maintain this well-loved Homer trail.
LANDMARKS • NEWSLETTER FOR KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST • FALL/WINTER 2014
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KHLT’s Gene & Mim Effler Trail
The Final Stages
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e hope you noticed the work that happened this summer on the north side of Skyline Drive, just across the road from Glacier View Court (no, we are not talking about the gas line!). Kachemak Heritage Land Trust has built the next trail in the Homer area – the Gene and Mim Effler Trail. There is a driveway and small parking area with a short gravel trail that joins up with a raised, light-penetrating boardwalk which brings you out to an observation platform that extends into a beautiful fen. What is a fen? A fen is an important peat-forming groundwater fed wetland that differs from a bog which is acidic. Fens, on the other hand, are pH neutral or alkaline and mineral rich. The importance of this fen is it one of the natural purifiers of Homer’s water supply, the reservoir. This fen is conserved by KHLT to protect this important fish and wildlife area and our local water supply. Stay up to date with the project by liking us on Facebook or visiting our website at kachemaklandtrust.org for updates and a grand opening happening next summer. The final piece of the puzzle is to install five interpretive signs written by previous KHLT intern and local high school student Axel Gillam, and illustrated by local artists Lee Post and Catie Bursch. Two location signs along Skyline Drive will also be installed. Gene Effler dreamed of establishing an educational trail on the property, and in 2007, Gene and Mim’s children donated 18 acres of their original homestead to KHLT. Be sure to join us in 2015 for our ribbon cutting ceremony!
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www.KachemakLandTrust.org
Statewide group
Homer Hosts Statewide Gathering of Land Trusts
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he 2014 Statewide meeting of land trusts, held in April in Homer, was a great reminder that we share an important goal with so many in Alaska and beyond: preserving forever the heritage and unique lands of this incredible state. This year the focus of the meeting was on community conservation — a land trust’s ability to be more relevant and inclusive in its communities. Land trusts want to better connect people directly with the land that they live, work and play on. “Alaska land trusts are conserving land that protects fish and bird habitat, preserves our community landscape, and provides healthy places for people to play,” said KHLT’s Executive Director Marie McCarty. “We want to learn how to better communicate the positive impacts of this conservation work in our communities, and how we can empower communities to
be involved in those efforts.” KHLT was honored to host this inspiring group including facilitator Peter Forbes from The Center for Whole Communities in Vermont. Participants included the National Land Trust Alliance, Anchorage/Mat-Su’s Great Land Trust, the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, the Alaska Farmland Trust, the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, the Native Land Conservancy of Cordova and Arctic Village, and the Interior Land Trust, and partners U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coastal Program, Pacific Coast Joint Venture and the Conservation Fund. The relationships and positive momentum built through this meeting will ripple through the state’s land trusts for years to come.
We have reached an incredible milestone! – Commission Executive Director Tammara Van Ryn Accredited land trusts now account for 75% of the 20,645,165 acres currently owned in fee or protected by a conservation easement held by a land trust. This is an incredible milestone! Accreditation provides the public with the assurance that
accredited land trusts meet high standards for quality and that the results of their conservation work are permanent. Accreditation renewal, which must be completed every five years, confirms that all land trusts continue to aspire national quality standards.
LANDMARKS • NEWSLETTER FOR KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST • FALL/WINTER 2014
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Kenai River, southern parcel – Featured on the cover of Landmarks, Fall/Winter 2007
Looking Back, Looking Ahead by Janice Schofield Eaton and Sue Christiansen
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wenty-five years ago, Homer’s community stood on a precipice. Plans were underway to clear-cut most of the old growth temperate rain forest within Kachemak Bay State Park and the surrounding areas. Critical habitat and wildlife corridors were being lost at a rapid rate. The moose were starving, crab fisheries collapsing, historic homesteads fracturing. A chance encounter with a Land Trust Alliance article awoke Jan to the power and potential of community land trusts. The vision was welcomed by a group of friends working on these issues. At our first public meeting, seeds were placed in each person’s hands as we committed to grow a community land trust. Soon after, the Exxon Valdez oil spill flooded our outer beaches with oil, devastating seabirds, marine mammals and fisheries. The citizens of Kachemak Bay mobilized into action.
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With the help of Judy Lund, the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust acquired non-profit status as a 501(c)(3). As Board President and Director, we presented the Land Trust mission to community organizations and groups; active discussions followed our slide shows, further clarifying local needs and visions. A solid foundation of support was established by soliciting a variety of memberships. Founding members provided thousand dollar donations. Organizations, families and singles were encouraged at all levels, including a $5 minimum category. We gave everyone with an interest in KHLT’s work an opportunity to partner, and feel ownership. Soon KHLT had an incredible amount of members and volunteers, passionate about protecting the land we loved. There were so many amazing people taking responsibility and
www.KachemakLandTrust.org
Ed and Janice Schofield
Founding Board Members Janice Schofield, Sue Christiansen, Jon and Nelda Osgood, Roberta Highland, Robert Archibald, Mary Pearsall, Toby Tyler, Diane McBride, Devony Lehner and Daisy Lee Bitter Sue Christiansen
leadership KHLT won the Land Trust Alliance’s ‘Allen Morgan Award’ - an Award for Volunteer Excellence. Volunteers helped with FUNdraising offering educational programs; bird, mushroom, plant identification, horseback rides . . . as well as Lodge Hops and Costume Balls. Port Graham and English Bay contributed by opening their communities and providing rich interpretive programs. Kenton Bloom and Dan Delmissier vitalized the land trust trails program. Rob Lund and Steve Tarola’s artistic talent helped with our newsletters and our advertising events. Neil Wagner spearheaded Homer’s first recycling program. Anne Wieland organized house parties in Anchorage to help expand our membership; she joined us as we met with potential corporate donors. Mary Pearsall, Polly Pringle Hess, and others helped
with grant writing. What a privilege to work with these and countless unnamed heroes, including the founding board! At the center of all was volunteer extraordinaire, Mary Griswold (grant writer, record keeper, and coordinator) helping with everything; always enthusiastic, never tiring, professional and a light to all who came through the door. Our first paid office was about as big as a closet, the very back room of the Pioneer Building. With the help of Will Files, we learned how to use our newly acquired Macintosh computers. Internet was brand new; all our records went on floppy discs. The telephone bill was less than $25 a month and we were thrilled that the number 235 LAND (5263) was available. Here we began to navigate the learning curves of stewardship.
LANDMARKS • NEWSLETTER FOR KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST • FALL/WINTER 2014
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From the very beginning, KHLT was intentional about embracing unity. To this day, it remains apolitical, welcoming conservatives, liberals, and all beliefs. Such inclusive land trust principles foster cooperation and community cohesiveness.
Together with the Nature Conservancy, we campaigned for Alaskan Conservation Easement legislation to be passed. This enabled us to begin to work with landowners in cooperative stewardship. The Trust for Public Land provided guidance during creation of Alaska’s first conservation easement on Yule Kilcher’s historic homestead. The Kilchers were remarkable in their commitment to this vision. The O’Mearas followed suit with an additional homestead conservation easement. KHLT’s first Land donation came from Walter Johnson (Neptune Bay) closely followed by Calvin and Coyle’s Beluga Lake property. The land trust seeds sprouted, and began to thrive. As thoughts flit back to KHLT’s humble beginnings, we most recall the grass roots gumption of all involved. A treasured memory for us is how we began each morning; taking quiet time to listen to inner guidance and envision highest good for our community, the well-being of all species, and protection for this place we loved. We foresaw KHLT as an enduring organization of highest standard, and so it is. From the very beginning, KHLT was intentional about embracing unity. To this day, it remains apolitical, welcoming conservatives, liberals, and all beliefs. Such inclusive land trust principles foster cooperation and community cohesiveness. How rewarding it is to see the work of KHLT today, review its astonishing accomplishments, and see it settled in Poopdeck Platt’s historic home. What incredible energy, leadership, commitment and passion so many people have contributed. We are so thankful to be part of this extraordinary organization. Twenty-five years later, global issues again put us on a precipice. People feel disempowered. Looking back, we remember similar feelings after the oil spill and the crises of the day and how we triumphed. 9
Cover photo of Landmarks, Spring/Summer 2008
Be courageous. Now is the time. We are all powerful beyond our knowing. In any moments of exhaustion or despair, take time to notice the mystery – how extraordinary it is that a bird knows when to migrate and where to go; that a little soul somehow enters an infant’s body; that things green up after a long, dark winter, and how sweet the smell of cottonwood buds are in the spring; our hearts beating, our blood circulating. Take time to notice the oneness – trees giving off oxygen that we need to breathe. Claim that power, that oneness, to work through you and with you as you make decisions and take action. Like the seeds placed in the palms of those at the very first KHLT community meeting, we are powerhouses of potential.
www.KachemakLandTrust.org
left to right: Richard Purington | Calvin & Coyle Trail
MY HISTORY WITH
The Calvin & Coyle Trail
Victor Holm Transfer Complete
by Richard “On the Ridge” Purington
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n 1994, after receiving a gift of property in Homer, KHLT decided that there should be a trail through it leading to an observation platform on the edge of Beluga Lake marsh, a trail that would be close to home and interesting enough to hike often, that would have easy access with ample parking, and that would provide easy walking for kids and seniors with chances to observe wildlife.
achemak Heritage Land Trust is pleased to announce that it has transferred ownership of the Victor Holm historic cabin in Kasilof to the Kasilof Regional Historical Association for its long-term ownership and management. This transfer was completed with funds from the Alaska State Historic Preservation Office, which is part of Alaska Office of History and Archaeology, individual supporters, and with the assistance of the Homer Foundation. We extend hearty thanks to KRHA for all their hard work and to all those who helped make this happen.
At the time, I was the trails chair who coordinated the effort. Daisy Lee Bitter worked with Rick Randall, the trail boss, to see that the trail connected all the environmental education sites she had identified. Also, the trail was moved further away from a bald eagle nest tree. Rick, with the help of local volunteers and a group of teenagers from the Interlocken Adventure camp from Upper Hillsborough Village in New Hampshire, spent many hours on the construction. In addition to clearing the trail, a major amount of the work was in creating ways to cross the numerous swampy areas. A combination of Typar, wood slabs, and wood chips were used, involving hundreds of wheelbarrow trips up and down the trail. I made the trailhead sign on Mariner Drive, directional signs, and the numbered posts used for the interpretive brochure prepared by Daisy Lee Bitter.
The 1.37 acre property on the National Register of Historic Places, was donated to KHLT in 1999 by Elfrida Lewis and her daughter Anne Lewis Kahle with historically significant buildings on site. We are honored to have played such an important role in the preservation of this amazing property, maintaining its historic and cultural values for generations to come. For more information on Victor Holm, please visit our website at kachemaklandtrust.org.
Daisy Lee wanted to take students to the marsh without destroying plants so the following summer ten Interlocken students and I constructed a boardwalk into the marsh with a small platform at its end. A new sign reading “Daisy Lee Boardwalk” was also installed.
Mountains to Sea
During that time, I designed and prepared plans for the platform after looking at a similar one at the wildlife center in Soldotna. After I installed the foundation, I then worked with Dave Rector in completing the platform along with another Homer carpenter, Jerry Frederick, who also helped.
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hank you to everyone who contributed to the match for our ongoing Mountains to Sea Project. Your generous contributions were matched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, a fantastic grant program. We are working with our partners to refine our strategy on this project to best conserve high priority land connecting the headwaters of salmon streams to the ocean and will keep you up to date as this project progresses.
LANDMARKS • NEWSLETTER FOR KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST • FALL/WINTER 2014
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NPS’S RTCA PROGRAM ASSISTS WITH
New Poopdeck Platt Site Plan by Healther Rice, Outdoor Recreation Planner NPS Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program
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n 2003, the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust bought the Poopdeck Platt property in the center of downtown Homer to use for office space and as a public park. Former Land Trust Executive Director, KHLT is located on Poopdeck Barbara Seaman, said at the Platt’s original homestead in downtown Homer. Poopdeck’s time, “this park will be a jewel, log cabin is now the KHLT office. from which to knit the social and business fabric of our community.” Since 2003, the Land Trust has worked out of an historic cabin on the property and has built a community garden there. Informal trails lead walkers and bikers across the property to a beautiful view of Kachemak Bay. To realize the land’s full potential and to showcase their conservation mission, the Land Trust has recently taken on the task of developing a site plan for the property. Toward this end, the Land Trust applied for and received a grant of technical assistance from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program. RTCA is a national program that offers free expertise on locally-led outdoor recreation and conservation projects. RTCA helps project partners learn to think and plan strategically, communicate ideas and build relationships, find funding sources, navigate state and federal regulations, develop trails, and create waterways and conservation networks. (For more information about the program, see http://go.nps.gov/alaska/rtca)
PRESERVED ANCHOR RIVER PROPERTIES
Given New Name
Volunteer Mike Mungoven and KHLT’s intern Rob Roy McGregor out in the field.
Stewards of the Land
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oel Cooper, KHLT’s Stewardship Coordinator recruited volunteers to assist him out in the field - offering a great opportunity for people to explore new areas. Volunteers walk the boundaries of conservation properties, assisting KHLT staff in monitoring and photo documentation. As the eyes and ears for the Land Trust out in the field, monitoring volunteers are an important part of land trust work - and it is also a fantastic way to explore new areas on the beautiful lower Kenai Peninsula. We would like to thank our 2014 monitors John Hitchcock, Mike Mungoven, Scott McEwen and Daniel Bissinger. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Joel Cooper at joel@kachemaklandtrust.org or call 907-235-LAND.
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nchor River Salmon Conservation Area (ARSCA) is the new designated name for a block of preserved KHLT properties on the Anchor River. These properties have been strategically selected for protection because they encompass critical salmon habitat. KHLT continues to work on protecting more salmon habitat on the Kenai Peninsula, with the current focus on the Anchor and other Southern Kenai Peninsula rivers. 11
www.KachemakLandTrust.org
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ick.Click.Give is a fantastic way for Alaskans to support their favorite non-profit organizations by donating part of their permanent fund dividend. Thank you to all who donated to KHLT during our 2013 debut.
Executive Director Marie McCarty and writer and storyteller Wendy Erd discuss ideas for the Planned Giving brochure.
LOCAL WRITER AND STORYTELLER
Works with Land Trust
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HLT received a grant from the national Land Trust Alliance to create two new brochures for Planned Giving, with the intention of approaching it in a new way. KHLT invited writer and storyteller Wendy Erd to assist us with this project. Wendy, who has lived in Homer for over 40 years and who works in Alaska and Asia as a writer and community story facilitator, was delighted to take on the task of being the creative wordsmith for our project. We would like to thank Wendy for sharing her creative writing skills with us, and we look forward to working with her more in the future! To see what transpired from this collaboration and other land trust information, please visit us at our office located at 315 Klondike Ave. in Homer or call 907-235-LAND. We would love to hear from you! Come, I’ll show you a secret meadow east of our house where snowmelt pools and spring violets bloom.
Solace of Return
From a tumble of hummocks lavender blossoms sweeten the lengthening light. Delicate petals insist you fall to your knees. Down in this soggy universe, for a few weeks each May, the solace of what is temporary and timeless quietly blooms.
~ Wendy Erd
In 2014, KHLT and other valuable nonprofits were ineligible to participate in the program because Pick.Click.Give required an annual audit, a very expensive process generally costing $7,000-$15,000 for a CPA nonprofit audit. KHLT audits every other year and completes a financial review on alternate years, making us ineligible to participate in 2014. The Pick. Click.Give rules changed to repeal this requirement, and thus KHLT will now be able to participate annually. The new rules still require all participants to file IRS form 990, the annual and comprehensive tax filing required for non-profit organizations to ensure financial accountability for nonprofits. Thank you Alaskans - for your incredible generosity and please consider KHLT when participating in the 2015 Pick.Click.Give program.
In Memory of Renn Tolman
enn Tolman of Homer made his transition peacefully at his home on Saturday, July 5, 2014. Renn was an avid boat builder and musician and was known for designing and building the Tolman Skiff. He was born on February 23, 1934, in Keene, New Hampshire and moved to Homer in 1970. We were honored to accept Renn’s continued support through Renn Toman – photo © Homer News contributions made to KHLT in his memory. We offer our sincere condolences to Renn’s friends and family. He will be dearly missed.
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Please consider investing in the preservation of our Alaskan heritage and landscape. By making a gift to KHLT you are helping us protect critical fish and wildlife habitat for future generations. Contributing is easy! Donate online at kachemaklandtrust.org, stop in our office, or mail your contribution to KHLT - 315 Klondike Ave., Homer, AK 99603.
LANDMARKS • NEWSLETTER FOR KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST • FALL/WINTER 2014
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KHLT’S LANDMARK Circle 2014 Membership Donors
$100 + Level
Please . . . Consider joining these friends at higher membership levels.
Landmark Circle »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»
Donna & Wayne Aderhold Robert Archibald & Roberta Highland Chris & Maggi Arend Ed Bailey & Nina Faust John Banaszak Marian & Dave Beck Barb Beeman & Glenn Arundell Tom Begich Rachel Bilbo B. Frederica Billingslea Betty Branson Martha Briscoe Clayton & Jean Brockel Carrie Buckley Sherman Burson & Linda Franklin Lynne Burt & Jim Meesis Nancy Kabisch Carranza Catherine Cassidy & Erik Huebsch Tom Collopy & Mary Frische Diana Conway Agnes & Maurice Coyle Lucy Cutting Nina Daley & Phil Cowan M. Lorraine Davis Roberta Deal Bill DeVries Willy Dunne Janice Schofield Eaton Charles Evans & Nancy Lee Evans Steve & Debra Eayrs Nora Elliott Wendy Erd Martha Fair Will Files & Martha Ellen Anderson Billie Fischer Rick Foster & Dotti Harness-Foster Mike & Diane Frank Mary & Greg Fries Joyanna Geisler Betty Jo Goddard Michael Gracz & Michele Stenger Mary Griswold Karen & Rod Grove Richard & Nell Gustafson Pauli & Harmon Hall Genie Hambrick
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Fred Harnisch Marjorie J. Hays Gerald & Lucy Hepler Kirk Hoessle Ulla Holmes Steve Hughes & Robbie Coffey MonaLee Jantz Patti & Chuck Jay David Johnson Nancy Kabisch Tom, Ethan, & Emily Kizzia Larsen Klingel Anne Kroeker & Richard Leeds Wildlife Forever Fund Ken Landfield & Sue Wohlgemuth Anne Lanier Mary & Jack Lentfer David Lewis & Lyn Maslow Konrad Liegel Deb Lowney & Ralph Broshes Ned & Charlissa Magen James & Dianne Mahaffey Marie McCarty & Steve Baird Donna & Warren Mathews George Matz & Jeannie Woodring Sue Mauger & Mike Byerly Lin & Don May Diane & Mike McBride Shannon McBride-Morin & Christopher Morin Martha McNeil Sam Means Kate & Scott Meyer Mitch Michaud & Jane Fuerstenau Peter Mjos & Karen Ruud John & Rika Mouw Eileen Mullen Margaret Mullen Mike Navarre Bethine Nehus Clay & Jackie Norvell Robert Oates David & Sue Oesting Mike O’Meara Jon & Nelda Osgood Deborah & Jack Oudiz www.KachemakLandTrust.org
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Janice Peyton Richard & Nancy Porter Sue Post & Jim Levine Richard Purington John Rate A. J. Reed MD George Rhyneer & Marilyn & McKay Arlene Ronda Robert & Tara Ruffner Priscilla Russell & Art Kruski Michael Saxton Norma Lia Schofield David & Mary Schroer Barb Seaman Paul & Tina Seaton Bob Shavelson & Miranda Weiss Jeanie Sherwood E. Ray Sinclair George & Tina Smallwood Tobben & Tania Spurkland Jim Stratton Melvyn Strydom & Nadya Klingel Arliss Sturgulewski Jim Thiele & Sue Pope Gary Thomas Beth & Charlie Trowbridge Dave & Marcia Trudgen R. W. (Toby)Tyler Scott & Cathie Ulmer Olga von Ziegesar Neil & Kyra Wagner Charles Welles Randall Wiest & Giulia Tortora Stewart & Gloria White Sharon Whytal Bill & Jane Wiebe Annie Wieland Laura Sievert & Curt Wilcox Lorraine Williams Daniel Zatz & Lisa Thomas
Individual members with gifts $100+ received between September 16, 2013 and October 16, 2014
KHLT thanks ALL of our members. We would not be able to do it without you! Thanks to our Business Members »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»
Alaska Rivers Company Alaska Wildland Adventures, Inc. AK Adventures Bay Realty, Inc. Beluga Air, LLC BodyIntuit Chihuly’s Charters Countours by Lynn Marie Naden CIRI – Kenai Fjords Tours Derry & Associates East Wind Acupuncture Eayrs Plumbing & Heating F/V Kelsey HDR, Inc. Holland America Princess - Alaska Yukon Home Run Oil Homer Bookstore Homer Electric Association Homer Saw & Cycle Homer Veterinary Clinic Homer’s Jeans Homestead Restaurant Lisa Wood Pottery Island Watch B&B
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Jay-Brant General Contractors Kachemak Bay Ferry, Inc. Kachemak Moose Habitat, Inc Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge Last Chance Recycling Mako’s Water Taxi Marine Services of AK, Inc. McCarthy Lodge McCarthy River Tours & Outfitters Nana Management Services – Lodging Division North Wind Home Collection Red Bird Kitchen Rita Turner - Massage & Reiki Therapy Seaman’s Adventures Sourdough Express Bakery & Cafe The Anam Cara Program The Grog Shop True North Kayak Adventures Ulmer’s Drug and Hardware Wasabi’s Wild North Photography Wilderness Garden Day Spa Winter Creek Jewelry
Thanks to our Project Funders »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»
Alaska Community Foundation Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fund The BP Foundation Homer Electrical Association Homer Foundation Homer Foundation, City of Homer Grants Program Kachemak Bay Conservation Society Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership Kenai Peninsula Foundation Land Trust Alliance Land Trust Alliance Western Program National Park Service – RTCA Program Norcross Wildlife Foundation Pikes Peak Community Foundation, the Webb Family Fund The Bullitt Foundation The Charlotte Martin Foundation The Mountaineers Foundation USDA People’s Garden Program US Fish & Wildlife Partners for Fish & Wildlife US Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program
Businesses with gifts of $100+ received between September 16, 2013 and October 16, 2014
Thanks to our Business Contributors »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»
Ageya Wilderness Education Alaska Perfect Peony Alaska SeaLife Center Alaska Stems Bridge Creek Birch Syrup Explore Cooper Landing Free Spirit Wear Homer Council on the Arts Homer Elks Lodge Homer News Homer Tribune Homer Theatre Jay Greene - Artist
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J. Easton Salon Kachemak Bay Oyster Co-op Kachemak Crane Watch KBay Caffé KBBI Kennicott Wilderness Guides Kundalini Yoga North Land’s End Resort Last Chance Recycling Loopy Lupine Maura’s Café Morning Wind Pottery Nomad Shelter
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Riverside Books Roadside Potatohead Safeway Save-U-More Stay Tan St. Elias Alpine Guides Sydney Bishop Ceramics The Bagel Shop Timeless Toys Toni Maury Pottery Two Sisters Bakery Vida’s Thai Food
Businesses with gifts received between September 16, 2013 and October 16, 2014 If we have unintentionally missed your name on one of these lists, we sincerely apologize. Please let us know so we can make the correction. LANDMARKS • NEWSLETTER FOR KACHEMAK HERITAGE LAND TRUST • FALL/WINTER 2014
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315 Klondike Avenue Homer, Alaska 99603
Non-Profit PRESORT STANDARD U.S. Postage PAID Homer, Alaska Permit #67 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Preserving, for public benefit, land on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula with significant natural, recreational, or cultural values by working with willing landowners.
www.KachemakLandTrust.org Printed on 50% recycled paper.
KHLT and YOU
There are many ways to be a part of Kachemak Heritage Land Trust to assist us with our important mission; protecting land on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula by working with willing landowners. No act of kindness is taken for granted, no volunteer task is too small, and no monetary donation is insignificant. Please join us as we move forward with our vital conservation work. Thank you – The KHLT Board and Staff
Consider giving ahead to future generations by including the Land Trust in your estate plans. Community members enjoying the beach at the mouth of the Ninilchik River.