Mat-Su Outdoors Briefs

Learn to make birch syrup April 21

PALMER — Instructors Valerie Barber and Julie Cascio will teach a hands-on class on how to tap birch trees for sap from 1 to 3 p.m., April 21 at the Palmer Center for Sustainable Living, 1509 S. Georgeson Drive, Palmer. The class will cover how to select good trees, tap the trees and care for them, collect sap and cook it down for syrup. Cost is $10 per person with signup before April 20.

Handouts and taps will be provided. Wear clothing for going outside.

For more information, contact 745-3360 or matsu.ces@alaska.edu. Contact Barber, UAF Forest Products Program director, at 746-9466 or vabarber@alaska.edu. Contact Cascio, Cooperative Extension Service, Health, Home and Family Development at 745-3677 or jmcascio@alaska.edu.

Film festival in Talkeetna

TALKEETNA — Hanger Door Cinema wraps up its 2011-12 season with Bike Short Film Festival, a two-wheeled film festival, April 14 at 7 p.m.

This is an eclectic blend of films exploring the cycling experience.

Cost is $6 for a DAC member and $8 for general admission. There is no charge for children 12 and under.

NPS-Alaska to host open houses

ANCHORAGE — In advance of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary in 2016, it is embarking on a series of actions to transform its work around the country.

To start that transformation, the leadership of the Alaska Region of the NPS has planned a series of public conversations about the centennial, as well as current operations and issues in Alaska's national parks.

An open house is from 7 to 8:30 p.m., May 22 at the Palmer Train Depot, 610 S. Valley Way.

A copy of the national “Call to Action” is available online at nps.gov/calltoaction/.

Written comments on the plan or NPS-Alaska implementation can be sent to: akr_info@nps.gov or by mail to NPS Regional Director, 240 W. 5th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501.

NAOI programs win award

ANCHORAGE — Each year dozens of Alaskans lose their lives in outdoor recreational-related accidents.

In an effort to help reduce the incidents of preventable injuries and deaths, the North America Outdoor Institute (NAOI,) under a grant from the Alaska Outdoor Recreational Trails Advisory Board (ORTAB,) developed the Alaska Wilderness Safety Challenge. This family-friendly, interactive training program reached more than 7,500 Alaskan’s in 2011 and was recognized by the Alaska Governor’s Safety Committee with the Governor’s Special Achievement Award.

NAOI is a nonprofit corporation founded in 2004 by a group of outdoor enthusiasts with a mission to save lives from preventable outdoor injuries and deaths using interactive, practical training methods. This is the third time the organization has received the award for their public safety education programs.

To learn more about the Wilderness Safety Challenge, visit NAOI online at www.NAOIAK.org.

Avalanche center receives recognition

WASILLA — The Alaska Avalanche Information Center has received the Governor’s Safety and Health Special Achievement Award for its Public Avalanche Information Program.

The Alaska Avalanche Information Center is a central point of contact for public, private and government avalanche information and also supports the Valdez, Cordova, Haines and Hatcher Pass avalanche centers.

The Alaska Avalanche Information Center has developed a statewide network of avalanche professionals providing public avalanche forecasts, safety education and the exchange of snow stability observations.

Volunteers at the center updated avalanche and weather forecasts are updated daily throughout the winter season. The Center is run by dedicated volunteers working with private, public, nongovernment organizations and avalanche safety operations across Alaska and around the world.

The center website provides active regional observation pages for Hatcher Pass, Haines, Seward, Fairbanks/Northern Alaska Range and the Anchorage/Eagle River area. Professional bulletins for established forecast centers in Valdez, Cordova, Juneau, and CNFAIC (Turnagain Pass) continue to be linked to the website, and have seen increased traffic and support across the state.

Working with the North America Outdoor Institute, also a recipient of the Governor’s Special Achievement Award for Safety, the Center’s statewide avalanche education program has seen a tremendous increase in instructor interoperability and exchange.

For more information visit Alaskasnow.org.