Summer is in full swing, and AWC is going full speed into it. This busy period was heralded in by our annual Scoop the Poop Day in April, and was quickly followed by our 38th Annual Creek Cleanup in May. Creek Cleanup was expanded to include a day devoted to cleanup by paddlers. Called "Flotilla", its inaugural popularity assures that it will become a permanent event every year.

June was every bit as busy with two exciting new projects underway. The first is a successful $25,000 grant proposal to the Anchorage Park Foundation for a Challenge Grant to build a viewing platform at the Waterfowl Sanctuary at Westchester Lagoon off of Spenard. The second is a $10,000 grant from the Alaska Conservation Foundation to upgrade monofilament recycling bins at local fishing sites and add lead recycling bins. We are working with USFWS Outreach Biologist Tamara Zeller and her summer intern Chloe Hansen as well as Bird TLC to educate on lead hazards to birds and other wildlife.

In addition, ConocoPhillips has again funded our ever popular Creeks as Classrooms program which was suspended due to the pandemic. We're excited to gear up for summer and fall activities with local youth.

Please keep in mind that all of the above as well as our regular activities (water quality monitoring, event coordination, issue response, and salmon toxicity testing) are carried out by AWC's small staff--a full-time director (me) and part-time staff members Thom Eley and Vangie Wight--and an 8-member working board that is expected to contribute dozens of hours annually to fill the gaps on programming needs. Funding and volunteers are essential to help us work for keeping Anchorage's creek and lake habitats healthy and enjoyable for all. Thank you to everyone who steps up!

Dog owners showed up en masse for Scoop Day! Thanks to all who ventured to University Lake, Connors Bog, and various local spots to clean up pounds of poop that sprouted up during breakup. It is always a fun day to gather and meet like-minded souls. Special thanks to Starbucks for providing coffee and snacks!

Anchoragites never disappoint us! Thank you to the 40+ teams that signed up and spread out across Anchorage's creeks and lakes over 12 days in May. Several tons of trash were picked up by hundreds of volunteers including Scouts, environmental engineering and consulting firms, local, state, and federal employees, NGOs, families, neighbor groups, medical staff, and elementary and high school students. The opening photo above shows 5th grade students from Pacific Northern Academy. Stewardship needs to be fostered early on.

This year was notable for exceptionally generous corporate sponsors who helped make Creek Cleanup a phenomenal success. A HUGE thanks to Matson's Caring for Alaska program, ConocoPhillips Alaska, CIRI, and GCI.

One of our long-time creek/lake cleaners, Larry Monsma of Team Orange, is constantly thinking up new ways to involve volunteers for cleanup events. This spring he decided that one day of Creek Cleanup should be designated for kayakers, canoers, and packrafters. He quickly pulled in AWC (in a heartbeat), Diana Rhodes of the Anchorage Park Foundation, and Ellen Devine of MOA Parks and Recreation. A few Zoom meetings later and the inaugural event was launched!

This event was entirely made possible thanks to Matson's Caring for Alaska program.

Larry Monsma and an intact bong from Westchester Lagoon just before it was dropped and shattered!

Rage City Roller Derby gals at Cheney Lake

A once pretty little pond in East Anchorage had turned into a particularly nasty place, and a frustrated neighbor wanted something done. A KTUU news story by Lauren Maxwell on this year's Creek Cleanup prompted a nearby resident named William to call and ask for help. He had spent a considerable amount of time (unsuccessfully) trying to get the attention of the MOA or AKDOT & PF to see who was responsible for an area that had been built near the highway interchange and was now home to grocery carts, vacuums, scooters, trash, and more.

I tried to sort it out, which was not easy. Ultimately, I contacted the MOA's Street Maintenance department and miraculously some large items--3 grocery carts a scooter, and 2 vacuum cleaners--were fished out and hauled off. That still left a significant and unsightly mess in what could be an attractive green space. The water feature is actually a catchment basin for runoff from north of the highway and the surrounding area. A path has been paved around it, an obelisk has been placed, and there were birds visiting the area. I decided that it needed an impromptu cleanup, so I put out feelers to the AWC board and the "love-to-volunteer-for-cleanups" Rage City Roller Derby gals. The date was set for Saturday, June 18. Five rollergirls showed up along with 3 AWC board members, Donovan Camp, Valerie Tompkins, and Bob Shipley, and all staff. It was completely transformed in about 2 hours! See for yourself.

Grocery carts and vacuums (?!?) in the pond

AWC board member Donovan Camp and Stormy retrieve a car battery

Rage City Roller Derby's "Bam" finishes up at a storm drain grate

BEFORE!

AFTER!

Bam, Donovan, Daniel, Bekah, Lorelei, Bob, Alex, Jessica, Vangie, Thom, Valerie & AWC mascot Stormy

Who doesn't love loons and other waterfowl that are icons of Alaska? Did you know that Anchorage has the distinction of being the largest city in North America to still have nesting loons?

“Love a Loon” is the theme for a new important program being developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage Waterways Council, Bird TLC, and several other stakeholders. The goal is to educate the public, in general, and fishermen, in particular, to be more mindful of how their actions can affect birds and wildlife—especially loons and other waterfowl that share the same waters.

There are 2 particular hazards that can have dire effects on birds, loons, and other waterfowl. These are monofilament fishing line that has not been properly disposed of and lead fishing tackle that birds ingest. Tangled birds unable to fly or feed are at risk of starvation or predation, and ingesting lead fishing weights and hooks can bring illness or death from lead contamination.

With a grant from the Alaska Conservation Foundation funded by a legacy donation from Jean Tam and Scott Christy--AWC has been able to purchase materials to build a new set of monofilament line recycling bins which are being placed out at popular fishing spots this summer. In addition, there is a new component--bins to collect lead tackle. Another aspect of this project is to provide anglers with information on why switching to lead-free tackle is important. USFWS intern Chloe Hansen is providing free samples of non-lead fishing shot at tabling events along with information on where to purchase them locally. Please consider getting the lead out!

USFWS Intern Chloe Hansen at the South Anchorage Farmers Market, June 18, 2022

More good news for waterfowl and bird lovers! AWC has received a $25,000 Challenge Grant from the Anchorage Parks Foundation (APF). The project is for restoring an area of degraded bank on Westchester Lagoon at Spenard. The "challenge" part of the grant means that AWC has to provide 1:1 matching funds either through donations, volunteer time, non-federal grants, or donated materials and/or services.

On Wednesday, July 6, ground was broken at the site. In attendance were AWC staff and board members, APF staff and board members, MOA Parks and Rec staff, and the fabulous YEP crew (Youth Employment in Parks). Most of the "heavy lifting" is being done by the YEP crew which is overseen by staff from Anchorage Parks and Rec. They have turned over the compacted soil, added new top soil, planted shrubs and grass, and added an ADA accessible path to the platform. The viewing platform will be delivered from Soldotna and installed in the next few weeks. New signage will also be added along with more landscaping.

YEP crew at Westchester trenching for willow staking and preparing soil for planting

Do these projects inspire you? These are some of the things that AWC is able to do with memberships and donations. Help us to more and be advocates for local creeks and lakes in the Anchorage watershed. Join an active community of like-minded citizens and businesses. Your support makes a tremendous difference to a small organization like AWC.

Fashion Pact is a new resale shop in downtown Anchorage where items you donate and purchase generate income for AWC. This is an excellent way to reuse items and keep them out of the waste stream. EVERYTHING in the shop is $5. Everything! Of that $5, $1 goes to the non-profit that you designate when you donate items, and if you shop--an additional $1 of the $5 goes to the non-profit of your choice. It has turned out to be a great source of revenue as well as a good place to donate gently used items. Please check it out, and consider us if you shop or donate there.

Our Fred Meyer Rewards program and Amazon Smile are additional ways to support our work.