projects - active
- Veterans' Memorial Rehabilitation
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Project
- Anchorage Summer Flowers
- 2010 Challenge Grant Campaign
- Parks for All
- Youth Employment in Parks
- Volunteer Naturalists
- Get Outdoors Anchorage
- Neighborhood Parks & the Park Report Card
- Science in the Parks
- 2008 Challenge Grant Projects
- Honoring & Memorial Funds
- Citizen Weeds Warriors
- Trails Map
projects - past
Youth Employment in Parks
2010 YEP Project Summary
For photos of the YEP crews at work, visit our blog!
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Orientation
June 8 – 12
YEP participants were introduced to the Parks & Recreation staff, field educators, crew leaders and their work program for the summer.
Parks Side
Crews completed an introduction to tools and tool safety, introduction to their summer work sites and projects and environmental education concepts.
Recreation Side
During training week, recreation crews completed a variety of training sessions including park visits, team building, and how to plan fun and educational activities for kids.
Saturday June 12: Wyland Event
In partnership with Chugach National Forest, Alaska Geographic, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Credit Union 1, the Anchorage Community Land Trust, Rasmuson Foundation, the Parks & Recreation Department, the Youth Employment in Parks crews staffed a special event with internationally known artist Wyland.
“Art Starts in the Parks and Flows to the Forest” was the inaugural community celebration of Get Outdoors Day. Wyland led kids and families in painting murals of forests, oceans and parks for installation in Mountain View and around Anchorage.
Both the Parks and Recreation crews staffed the event. The event was a huge success! Photos and a news feature can be seen on KTUU.
- Watersheds I
June 14 - 18
YEP Parks crews worked in the Chester Creek watershed in University Lake Park. Recreation crews began summer programs focused on watersheds.
Parks Side
Crews completed stream-bank restoration work at University Lake this week under the direction of Davis Wigglesworth from USFWS and Tom Moore, of Moore Landscaping in Kenai. They planted a total of 6,000 dormant willow swatches, dug and placed over 600 square feet of veg-mat, and completed bank restoration at 3 different locations.
On Friday crews hiked Flattop to look at good and bad trail engineering in preparation for next week’s work!Recreation Side
Despite a rainy week, the Davis Park crew had up to 30 children participating in the free park and play programming Monday through Friday. Crews kept the activities going during rainy spells with board games, painting activities and excellent attitudes. The St. Anthony’s crew put on excellent programming all week and put on a great activity making father’s day cards from “your little monster” as a theme. Both Davis and St. Anthony’s crews staffed a Parks and Recreation Sand Castle event at Goose Lake on Friday.
- Neighborhood Parks I
June 21 - 25
Parks Side
Crews worked with trail builder Brian Vaughan to construct a soft-surface trail in Williwaw Park in the Russian Jack area. This trail project is a component of this summer's neighborhood park fix-it campaign, which engages the Anchorage community in rehabilitating its neighborhood parks. Parks Crews learned trail building techniques while improving connectivity in this popular neighborhood park.
Recreation Side
This week, the Davis Park crew teamed up with artist Stephen Blanchett to provide arts programs for neighborhood children at Mountain View Lions Park. Stephen is well known as a member of the performance group Pamyua, and he worked with YEP crews to introduce children to the tradition of Yup’ik song and dance, including the use of drums. The St. Anthony’s crew also put on excellent programming all week!
Civic & Environmental Education
Crews visited the C Street Community Gardens and learned about food production and soil contamination from guest educators Alli Harvey from Alaska Center for the Environment www.akcenter.org and the staff of ACAT. -
Watersheds II
June 28 - July 2
Parks Side
Crews built a rain garden at Westchester Lagoon this week, with funding from the Municipality of Anchorage Raingarden program and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Crews moved 60 yards of topsoil, planted almost 2000 separate plants including fully mature Birch trees, each weighing over 800 pounds and standing over 20 feet tall. In addition to the trees, crews planted native iris, high bush cranberry, columbine, geranium and beautiful day lilies.
Crews also participated in an invasive Reed Canary grass weed-pull along Westchester Lagoon.
Recreation Side
The St. Anthony's crew took a field trip to the municipal greenhouses on Wednesday and learned all about the effort and beauty that goes into growing the flowers you see all around Anchorage.
The Davis Park crew participated in climate change training with Alaska Geographic on Tuesday and Thursday this week and are actively recruiting for the Fairview Rec. Center Climate Change Science Camp.
Both crews have been busy preparing for city-wide recreation events and are currently gearing up for the Skyhoundz canine frisbee on July 11th and the Cardboard Boat Regatta on July 17th.
Civic & Environmental Education
Crews participated in a public speaking skills workshop and practiced their new skills in a debate about the Anchorage Highway to Highway Project.
- Neighborhood Parks II
July 6 - 9
Parks Side
This week, Parks Crews rebuilt a soft-surface trail at Cheney Lake Park, a popular park for fishing, walking, running and boating in Northeast Anchorage. They removed 45 tons of irregularly sized pea-gravel and replaced it with 45 tons of D-1 gravel. This resulted in a safer and more uniform trail surface, making it less likely that you'll roll your ankle on your next walk through the park!
Crews also participated in an education session about invasive species with Gretchen Gary and Ashley Grant (UAF Cooperative Extension) and conducted a terrestrial weed pull along the lake banks.
Recreation Side
The St. Anthony's Crew took a field trip along the Coastal Trail to Lyn Ary Park and had an experiential learning session about the importance of Cook Inlet for the Anchorage economy.
The Davis Park Crew led free Park & Play activities at Mtn. View Lions Park and continued preparing for the Climate Change Science Camp July 27- August 5.
Civic & Environmental Education
Crews practiced public speaking skills and began planning their presentations to the Anchorage Assembly.
- Trails I
July 12-16
Parks Side
Parks Crews re-routed and “de-rooted” a soft-surface trail segment of the Moose Ridge Link Trail in Far North Bicentennial Park under the technical guidance of Brian Vaughan. Crews removed large roots from 1.5 miles of existing trail, constructed 320 feet of new trail and hauled in lumber to make a 40' boardwalk.
Crews also participated in an education session with University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate student David Roon investigating macro-invertebrates on the North Fork of Campbell Creek.
Recreation Side
The St. Anthony’s crew staffed Paint Mania on 7/10 and the Cardboard Boat Regatta on 7/17. Guest artist Jen Joliff joined the Davis Park Crew to build fantastic, imaginative sand sculptures all week. This activity encouraged children to think creatively, develop team-building skills and draw inspiration from their environment!
Civic & Environmental Education
Thanks to YEP partners the Alaska Railroad and Chugach Adventure Guides, YEP crews had the opportunity to take a railroad trip from Anchorage to the Spencer Whistle stop, listen to a Chugach National Forest ranger talk about the Portage Valley and float the Placer river learning about the mining, mountaineering and land-use history along the way.
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Forests I
July 19-23
Parks Side
Parks crews felled, cut and hauled white/black spruce trees in FNBP M-TH, removing over 500 trees with help from the Anchorage Nordic Ski Association
7/19: Municipal Forester Scott Stringer provided environmental education on tree anatomy and identification
Recreation Side
Recreation crews prepared for next week’s Say What? Climate Change camp in collaboration with Alaska Geographic.
The Mountain View Crew saw it highest attendance of the summer with 85 drop-in participants on 7/22!
Civic & Environmental Education
On 7/23 both the parks and rec side completed a bike tour of Anchorage parks along the Coastal Trail, learning about the 1964 earthquake and its impact on land use, development and recreation in Anchorage.
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Trails II
July 26 - 30
Parks Side
Crews grubbed (removed roots from the trail corridor) and laid 200 tons of gravel on a new 1000 foot trail connecting the Anchorage Senior Center to the Chester Creek greenbelt.
On Monday, guest educator Darrell Hess discussed the social and environmental effects of homeless camps on the local environment with Parks Crews.
Parks Crews were joined by volunteers from the Senior Center throughout the week, by their parents and family members on Thursday and by a crew of volunteers from REI on Wednesday. Thanks to all the YEP volunteers this week!
Recreation Side
The Davis crew kicked off Climate Change Science Camp in cooperation with our partners at Alaska Geographic. YEP crews led middle school children in exploratory learning activities.
Guest artist Amy Hettinger joined the Recreation Crew at Mountain View Lions Park each afternoon to engage children in song and music. This activity encouraged participants to think creatively, develop their musical talents and draw inspiration from their environment!
Arts in the Parks: Amy Lou Hettinger
Civic & Environmental Education
Both Parks and Rec crews engaged in an experiential learning activity on Friday at the National Guard Challenge Course, consisting of team-building activities, learning about multi-jurisdiction recreational land use and completing a confidence building high-ropes course!
- Forestry II
August 2 - 6
Parks Side
Parks crews completed their second week of spruce bark beetle eradication work in Far North Bicentennial Park in the Hilltop Chalet. Crews cut and chipped infested trees in order to reduce beetle habitat and slow the spread of the infestation.
On Monday, August 2, the Department of the Interior announced that YEP is a 2010 Partners in Conservation Award winner. This award honors programs and organizations working with DOI agencies to accomplish significant conservation projects. YEP crews and partners celebrated this award at a press event at Margaret Eagan Sullivan Park, with the rain-garden YEP crews completed in July as a backdrop.
We thank our partners at the Fish & Wildlife Service who nominated YEP for the PICA award, and specifically David Wigglesworth who has lent his expertise to multiple projects throughout the summer.
Recreation Side
The Davis Crew wrapped up Climate Change: Say What? science camp with outings to Campbell Creek Science Center and an end-of-session party with partipants and their families. Children demonstrated the science experiments they learned to perform and played a rousing game of Climate Jeopardy.
The St. Anthony’s Crew staffed a booth at Mountain View National Night Out at the Mountain View Boys and Girls Club, offering fun art activities for all ages.
Both crews planned and staffed the successful back to school penny carnival at Fairview Recreation Center on Friday August 6with activities such as face painting, cotton candy, cake walk, crazy hair and a duck pond.
Civic & Environmental Education
On Monday 8/2 guest educator John Lundquist from the US Forest Service presented information on invasive species and their impact on Alaska’s environments.
Mentorship Week
August 9 - 13
YEP crews will come together for Career Week, including an intern/career panel, resumé writing workshop, job shadowing day, mock interviews, drug awareness training, a job fair, financial literacy training and opportunities to write a career & life plan.
What is YEP?
The Youth Employment in Parks (YEP) program is a program of the Anchorage Park Foundation, the Anchorage Parks & Recreation Department and Alaska Youth for Environmental Action, a program of the National Wildlife Federation. The goal of the YEP program is to positively engage a new generation of diverse youth leaders with the environment and the Anchorage community through meaningful training, employment, and outdoor recreation.
Each summer, YEP hires Anchorage teens to complete park improvements and offer recreation programs in Anchorage parks. Teens learn valuable natural resource management and recreation job skills by building trails, restoring stream banks or leading neighborhood children in content-based play. In addition, youth learn from civic engagement and leadership training and participate in "Career Week" at the end of the program to link their new skills to future careers. YEP puts teens to work making a difference in their community!
In summer 2009, the Youth Employment in Parks (YEP) program hired more than 80 Anchorage youth to offer high quality recreation programs in eight park and school locations and complete improvements in Anchorage parks. The YEP crews also made their annual visit to the Anchorage Assembly to introduce themselves and talk about the YEP program.
Please check out the YEP summary report and the week-by-week summary to see how YEP made a difference in a park near you!
YEP Goals
YEP seeks to:
1) Create a meaningful "first job" experience and career pathway for diverse youth to work in the outdoors and natural resources fields.
2) Expose youth to the outdoors and connect them with nature to support healthy lifestyles.
3) Provide youth with community action skills and character development so they may become effective citizens.
4) Build community through enhanced recreation opportunities, parks and public spaces.
YEP Partners
YEP is a partnership between the Anchorage Park Foundation, the Anchorage Parks & Recreation Department and Alaska Youth for Environmental Action, a program of the National Wildlife Federation. YEP receives major support from:
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- U.S. Forest Service
- Rasmuson Foundation
- Division of Business Partnerships, State of Alaska Department of Labor & Workforce Development
- Municipality of Anchorage
