Outdoor briefs

Birder meeting planned

The March meeting of the Mat-Su Birders features a slide show and talk about the seabirds of Alaska, done by Vivian Mendenhall, a biologist who has studied seabirds throughout the state for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The slideshow begins at 7 p.m. on March 10 at the Palmer Public Library. The meeting is open to the public.

Alaska's coast and islands are home to about 50 million seabirds, which nest and raise their young on the state's cliffs and shorelines. Alaska's 38 breeding species range from the familiar gulls and puffins to the lesser-known fulmars, murres, and auklets.

Some of these birds crowd into spectacular, noisy colonies of up to 3 million individuals. On the other hand, the famous (or infamous) marbled murrelet nests alone on tree branches.

Alaska's seabirds not only nest near the sea -- they spend almost all of their time on it, and can feed and rest far from land. Mendenhall will show many of Alaska's seabird species, their nests and habitats, and will explain their life cycles and behavior.

The show will also feature the stunning scenery of Alaska's coastlines and the people who live and work here. The talk will conclude with a discussion of the conservation problems that face our seabirds.

Mendenhall grew up in California, where she got her bachelor and master degrees She first came to Alaska in 1969 to work as a technician at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She went back to graduate school in the 1970s and obtained her Ph.D. at Aberdeen University in Scotland.

Mendenhall returned to Alaska in 1983 as a biologist for the Alaska Region office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage.

Advisory committee meeting

The Matanuska Valley Advisory Committee is meeting March 17 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Wasilla City Hall, and one board position is being filled. Nominations for the vacancy are being accepted during the meeting. The seat has a term of one year.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff and committee representatives to the Board of Game will report on happenings at the recent Board of Game meetings that took place in Fairbanks. The committee will also draft proposals for the Board of Fish. Also on the agenda is a discussion of the Mount Yenlo Advisory Committee's request to shorten moose season in Game Management Unit 16A and to discontinue the current Tier I season in GMU 16B.

For more information, interested people can call Wayne Kubat at 376-9567.

Snowmachine areas closed in Chugach State Park

Areas in the Chugach State Park closed to snowmachine use as of last weekend because of poor conditions. The areas affected by the closure include the Anchorage Hillside, Bird Creek and Eagle River Green Belt. Big Peters Creek and Ptarmigan Valley were closed previously. Eklutna Lake remains open, pending further notice.

To check on the status of areas in Chugach State Park, call (907) 269-8400 and press "1" for recorded information.

Curry Ridge in Denali State Park is closed to snowmachines

The Mat-Su Area Office of the Alaska State Parks, announced that Curry Ridge on the east side of the Parks Highway is closed to the use of snowmachines. Curry Ridge has suffered strong winds that have left the area either bare of snow or with inadequate snow cover to protect the vegetation. The area may open again this winter if adequate snow falls to protect underlying vegetation, parks officials said.

The rest of Denali State Park remains open to the use of snowmachines. For more information, contact the Mat-Su Area Office at 745-3975.