Youth Employment in Parks 2009

June 29 - July 3

Parks crews kicked off their three weeks completing forestry health projects in Far North Bicentennial Park and Hillside Park. Recreation crews turned their focus to creating activities for children focused on forests. 

Parks Side Update

This week, Parks crews began work with Wade Collins, arborist and volunteer coordinator for the Parks & Recreation Department, on the forest health protection project in Far North Bicentennial Park.  The goal of this project is preventing the spread of spruce bark beetle activity in the wake of the wind storm in October 2008.  Crews are chipping downed spruce trees to reduce habitat for spruce bark beetles and promote a healthy forest.  John Lundquist from the U.S. Forest Service spoke to crews on Monday to introduce them to forestry in Alaska. 

Last, crew member Gaelen Graves completed a profile of his fellow crew member Caitlin McAlpine.

Recreation Side Update

Recreation crews continued providing Park & Play and SOLAR services all over Anchorage.  The featured artist this week for the Park & Play arts crew was Jimmy Riordan, who led children in constructing a traveling bicycle library in Sunset Park on Government Hill. 

At Goose Lake this week, twig and flower picture frames were a hit. Children also used recycled materials to make birdfeeders.  Kids at Davis Park made Thank You cards for the Lions Club members whose park they often use for activities.  At Sunset Park, children decorated the parachute by rolling painted balls around on it.  The parachute was then made into a shelter with the traveling bicycle library. 

At Bowman Elementary, students really enjoyed their Frisbee Golf outing and the sunny weather has given them lots of outdoor time.  Beigch Middle Schoolers have been hitting the bull’s eye in archery and had a trip to Kincaid for an archery tournament.  Participants at St. Anthony’s have been getting into arts and crafts and outdoor games.

Forestry II

July 6 - 10

Parks crews continued work on forestry health projects in Far North Bicentennial Park and Hillside Park. Recreation crews continued creating activities for children focused on forests. 

Parks Side Update

This week, Parks crews continued their Forestry work in Far North Bicentennial Park with Wade Collins, arborist and volunteer coordinator for the Parks & Recreation Department.  Teens are breaking up and chipping downed spruce trees to eliminate habitat for spruce bark beetles and promote a healthy forest.  From all reports, teens very much enjoyed the opportunity to learn forestry skills.

On Wednesday, parks crew members traveled to Seward for an educational special event organized by the Anchorage Park Foundation with major support from the Alaska Railroad.  Teens visited the Alaska Sealife Center, heard from Conservation Director Howard Ferren and completed a service project in Seward parks.  Besides the varied wildlife at the Sealife Center, teens saw bears, moose and Dall sheep from the train. 

Recreation Side Update

Recreation crews continued providing Park & Play and SOLAR services all over Anchorage.  The featured artist this week for the Park & Play arts crew was Mary Hertert, who led children in making felted rocks and other felted natural objects and doing natural art and painting projects using natural materials in Jewel Lake Park.

Trails II
July 13 - 17

Parks crews will worked on trails projects in University Lake Park and Helen Louise McDowell Sanctuary. Recreation crews continued creating play programs focused on trails.

Parks Side Update

This week, parks crews completed a pair of trails projects in University Lake Park and Helen Louise McDowell Sanctuary, learning sustainable trail-building skills with Alaska Trails builder Brian Vaughan.  In University Lake Park, teens removed unsafe pea gravel from trails and replaced it with trail-standard gravel.  In Helen Louise McDowell Sanctuary, teens established new soft-surface trails for community use from the south end of the park. 

On Monday, Kelcie Ralph, a recent UAA graduate, led teens in calculating the carbon footprint of the YEP parks crews.  Crews discovered that their grand total carbon production for the program totaled 15.37 metric tons.  Teens also discussed ways they can work together to decrease their environmental impact as individuals and as a program.

Parks crews finished the week with a potluck barbecue and Frisbee golf at Kincaid Park.  An extra thanks to Leroy Manamaleuna for inspiring and organizing this fun event.

Recreation Side Update

Recreation crews continued providing Park & Play and SOLAR services in parks and schools all over Anchorage.  Friday marked the end of the SOLAR program.  SOLAR crews will be reassigned to planning end-of-season celebrations and offering other recreation programs for the rest of the program.

The featured artist this week was musician and educator Amy Lou Hettinger, who led children in an interdisciplinary exploration of the concept of trails.  YEP crews led children in making maps, writing and singing songs, and learning more about trails. 

Trails III
July 20 -24

In Week 8, YEP crews completed projects and recreation programs focused on trails. 

On Tuesday, YEP staff met Mayor Dan Sullivan before attending the Assembly meeting.  Each crew member introduced themselves before the assembly and talked about their favorite projects of the summer.  AYEA’s civic engagement lesson this week focused on media, with guests from the Alaska Teen Media Institute.  Teens practiced recording their answers to interview questions and reviewed their answers. 

Parks Side Update

This week, crews completed a wide variety of projects throughout Anchorage.  On Monday, in partnership with the Great Land Trust, crews completed a Fish Creek Estuary clean up on the Coastal Trail, hearing lots of positive community feedback.  On Tuesday, crews made trail repairs and enhancements in Alderwood Park, in Government Hill.  On Wednesday & Thursday, crews were split into several groups to accomplish trail work on the Singletrack trails in Far North Bicentennial Park, forestry work in FNBP, a land-clearing project with Great Land Trust in Storck Park and neighborhood park work with municipal forester Scott Stringer in Wilson Park.  Crews had many opportunities to make a real and noticeable difference in many different parks this week.  On Friday, teens worked on a recreation/land assessment project with Alaska Geographic. 

Recreation Side Update

This week, rec crews continued to lead children in a variety of fun, exploratory activities at parks throughout Anchorage.  At Jewel Lake, crews led children in building and blasting off film canister rockets.  Some children got covered in fizz before perfecting their launching techniques and shared lots of laughs. 

Crews at Sunset Park were thrilled to welcome some new participants to their program this week.  The rock climbing wall visited Davis Park for an afternoon and many youngsters overcame fears and climbed higher and higher up the wall.  Crews enjoyed seeing their self-confidence grow. The highlight of the week for most was third annual Cardboard Boat Regatta at Goose Lake Park.

The Arts crews worked in Oceanview Park this week, using their imagination and creativity to make colorful puppets and characters with artist Carla Frances Diaz. 

Forestry III

July 27 - 31

In Week 9, YEP crews completed their work projects improving parks and offering recreation programs throughout Anchorage.

Parks Side Update

This week, parks crews completed their work on forestry projects in Far North Bicentennial Park with arborist & volunteer coordinator Wade Collins.  This project has successfully reduced the possibility for spruce bark beetle impact in Far North, reducing the danger of wildfires and creating a healthier forest.  On Monday, crews heard from Michael Rasy of the University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service on Monday about invasive bugs and plants. On Friday, crews toured Russian Jack Springs Park with Alaska state foresters Matt Weaver and Steve Nickel to learn more about identifying trees and animals in Anchorage.

Teens also conducted their own “Paper Plate Awards” and spent time planning the end-of-season events. 

Recreation Side Update

This week, rec crews continued to lead children in a variety of fun, exploratory activities at parks throughout Anchorage.  The rock climbing wall made the rounds of a variety of Park & Play sites, exciting kids all over Anchorage with the opportunity to challenge themselves and their climbing skills. 

The Arts crews worked in Davis Park this week, with artists Erin Pollock and Steph Kese, making sculptures with found objects and castings of their hands to be used in a permanent addition to the park. 

Mentorship Week

August 3 - 7

In Week 10, YEP crews came together for Career Week, organized by Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) and hosted at the UAA/APU consortium library.  Career week activities included 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.  Job shadowing hosts included Parks & Recreation staff, local public lands managers, architects, wildlife biologists and foresters.  Teens enjoyed the opportunity to see more of the job opportunities in a variety of fields.

The end-of-season dinner at Kincaid Outdoor Center was an opportunity to celebrate the successes of the season and distribute awards for Crew Members and Senior Crew Members of the Year. The week finished up at the Summer Festival in the Park at Cuddy Family Midtown Park, where teens offered recreation and art activities for hundreds of Anchorage families.  Parks side crews also planted 50 birch trees in the park and removed invasive weeds near the pond.  The event was a smashing success due to the hard work of YEP teens (and a little bit of summer sunshine). 

Finally, congratulations to all the crews and their families for a summer of great work.  It’s been a privilege to get to know so many young leaders, and we appreciate their positive attitudes and willingness to learn and work hard!