SUMMER 2008 :: RECREATION
PLAY: IT'S IMPORTANT!
Summer is a manic season. We bike, dip-net, camp, climb, kayak, backpack, raft, run, race, roar, strum, ski (yes – ski) fish, fling Frisbees, lob softballs, barbeque and blaze new trails. We recreate full-tilt, no doubt (rain or shine). And we’re happy to say that one of our goals here as community planning team is to do work that hopefully helps our wider community play well together.
Why is play important? The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that “Play is essential to development … it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth. Play also offers an ideal opportunity for parents to engage fully with their children. Despite the benefits derived from play for both children and parents, time for free play has been markedly reduced for some children.”
In the rush of modern life, we sometimes downplay the importance of play. Yet, it's essential for so many reasons – physical health, mental health, quality of life, sense of community and even economic development. Seems like a stretch? Consider how the opportunity to walk, run or bike to work decreases community health issues (such as obesity and poor air quality, by reducing the need for a car). Think about how the attraction of parks and wilderness areas keeps people in our communities who like our quality of life standard – which in turn attracts and supports businesses who want happier, healthier employees – which in turn builds a more diverse, stable local economy. Further, having pleasant experiences in your town fosters a sense of community and an attachment to place. All this from the seemingly frivolous act of playing.
To acknowledge the significance of play time, in this issue of the A::B Buzz, we’ve highlighted places and ways to get your recreating on, as well as avenues to support Alaska’s recreation opportunities. We’re honored to work on projects that contribute to people’s ability to play. And we’re committed to keeping play in our lives as well – not just in summer, but the whole year through. We hope you are, too. Remember, it’s good for the body, mind, soul, our collective pocketbook, and our whole community. So get out there and have some fun.
(Note: We spent a few days playing together this June during the annual A::B Retreat. While last year’s retreat saw us hauling our caravan down the McCarthy Road, this year took us to slightly more accessible Seward, for some camping, kayaking, biking, hiking, and glacier and wildlife gawking. Thanks, Seward and Resurrection Bay, for hosting a fun-filled event for our crew!)
bike more, drive less
That’s what the Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage (BCA) wants us to do. The alliance was spurred into existence two months ago to promote and protect bicycle use in our fair city. The group envisions an Anchorage community that supports bicycling and shares the road. We enjoy bike commuting ‘round here too and just like BCA, want fellow cyclists to feel safe with the wind in their face while pedaling to work or play. Visit BCA’s website at www.bicycleanchorage.org, to find riding tips and upcoming bike-friendly events. Linger along the BCA info booth and groove to the Alaska Brass band at Peratrovich Park on 4th Ave. and E Street July 30, noon-1 p.m. Participate in the Municpality's evolving Bike Plan by letting Lori Schanche know where you'd like to see bike racks.
- ANCHORAGE BIKE PLAN: As part of Anchorage’s Non-Motorized Transportation Plan the Anchorage Bike Plan goal is to create safer and easier ways to walk and bike around the city. The plan focuses on identifying and improving a system of commuter routes for cyclists. A draft of a bike network is available on the plan's website.
adopt-a-trail
Agnew::Beck has been the proud family of a adopted span of Anchorage’s Fish Creek trail since fall, 2007. Anchorage Parks and Recreation offers 250 miles of city-wide trails so we decided to adopt just this 1.5 miles or so (through their Adopt-A-Trail program) to help keep it clean. The trail winds through the woods of a Spenard neighborhood from Kiwanis Fish Creek Park out to Barbara Street Park in the Turnagain neighborhood. Several times a year, we gather garbage bags, gloves and bikes and head down to tidy the trail and report any vandalism. We’re happy to be spending the time together to keep the trail free of trash.
from parking space to park
PARK(ing) Day was started several years ago by the artists’ collective REBAR. They noticed that more than 70 percent of most cities’ outdoor space is dedicated to private cars, while only a fraction of that land is allocated to open space for people. Figuring that free or metered parking spots are cheap rent for a 10’ x 20’ plot of land, they pondered how that space could be used. The result: a growing movement to temporarily transform our parking spaces in to PARK(ing) spaces! Check out all the creativity on the PARK(ing) Day website, including this video. Maybe you’ll be inspired to create your own PARK(ing) space for Friday, Sept. 19, 2008. Look for Agnew::Beck’s PARK(ing) space in downtown Anchorage near the corner of 5th Avenue and E Street. (Photo courtesy of Britt Carlson)
so close yet so far
Which person in our A::B team has the pleasure of 90-degree blue skies, answering our phone calls every eight minutes and walking a panting dog through high desert foothills … and being really pregnant? Ellen has been living in Boise, Idaho, for, count ‘em – 10 weeks. And it looks like there will be plenty more since, we see her here fastening a shiny new firefighter badge onto hubby Derek’s lapel during his graduation from the Meridian Fire Academy! Congratulations! He recently started his new job as firefighter/paramedic for the City of Meridian, just outside of Boise. Ellen continues to work full-time for Agnew::Beck and is getting settled into their home. She reports that they’re all “enjoying the 350 days of sun per year, as well as the scorching heat while we eagerly await the birth of our first child at the end of August.”
that's how they roll
A rocking and rolling new recreation activity has made its way to Anchorage in the form of women’s roller derby. You thought this activity had seen its heyday in the 70s, but the sport has made a resurgence in towns and cities throughout the country – including Anchorage, thanks to Rage City Rollergirls.
Combining endurance, fancy footwork and a little strategic roughhousing with stage personas and cool costuming, roller derby attracts the high-minded athlete, the wicked trickster and the nonconformist. Women who go about their normal lives as “Jennifer,” “Michelle,” and “Julie” transform on the track into skaters called “Killa' Magilla,” “Spice Rack,” “War Hag,” and “Velvet Hammer.”
Rage City Rollergirls’ first Rollin’ Out Bout this past May at the Cellular One Sports Center was a sell out with more than 1,000 fans in attendance. The nonprofit plans to start a regular season this coming fall. Support this diverse group of attorneys, truck drivers and stay-at-home-moms-turned-Rollergirls by coming out for their next bout! Or better yet, donate, volunteer or become a Rage City Rollergirl yourself!
(Rage City logo rolled out by Ellen Campfield Nelson, A::B’s project manager and independent artist whose Rollergirl name would be "Hellon Wheels" if she weren’t in Boise with a baby on the way and if she could actually rollerskate.)
HELLO LITTLE LUCA
Our ever-ebullient Tanya and her husband, John, welcomed their first child into their family. Their mewling dark-haired son, Luca, was born May 20 in the same Anchorage hospital where Tanya was born once upon a perfectly happy time ago to Alicia and Bob. How’s that for symmetry?
TRANSFORMING THE ALICIA IDEN NATURE TRAIL
Other good news showering Tanya’s clan: Anchorage Park Foundation awarded a $40,000 Challenge Grant to improve Baxter Bog Park and the Alicia Iden Nature Trail. Tanya’s mama, Alicia, passed away May 24, 2005 after battling cancer. During the ‘70s, she helped organize her neighbors to establish Baxter Bog Park from an Eastside wetlands area threatened by rapid neighborhood development and infill. After her death, the nature trail was officially named in her honor. Now, with the Challenge Grant, Tanya’s family has found a creative way to honor Alicia’s bright mind, civic soul and dynamic love for the people and places in her community. To secure the funds, the Iden-Selkregg family must raise a matching $51,000 to transform the bog ecosystem into an outdoor classroom serving area schools with an overlook and educational interpretive signs. Please enjoy a walk through the bog and consider contributing. To donate or volunteer, visit the website.
sponsor a beginner bristol bay guide
A::B is helping to organize the Ekwok Fly Fishing and Guide Academy for Bristol Bay youth (ages 15-22) on the Nushagak River at Ekwok August 3-7, 2008.
This Academy is part of a Bristol Bay regional initiative. We’re excited to be able to offer this no-cost opportunity to youth who will gain hands-on job experience with experienced Bristol Bay fishing guides. Local instructors will share their experiences in hopes that these youth will become the next generation of home-grown leaders Bristol Bay's tourism industry.
While regional sponsors have generously stepped forward with funding, we’re hoping more people can help cover the costs of fishing equipment and air fare. Waders, fishing equipment and a fly kit for each student costs about $250. Please consider donating any amount to help a local young person in a big way if you can. The future fishing guides of Bristol Bay thank you!
- Donations can be made to:
Ekwok Lodge Fly Fishing & Guide Academy
c/o Nushagak-Mulchatna/Wood-Tikchik Land Trust
Attn: Tim Troll
PO Box 1388
Dillingham, AK 99576
- Phone: 907.842.2832
The organization is a tax exempt nonprofit 501(c)3 organization (Tax ID# 31-1721762).
For more information about our firm, please explore our website at www.agnewbeck.com.
Photos by Agnew::Beck Consulting 
