Note from the Executive Director

Here at the Anchorage Park Foundation offices, we're celebrating the end of a successful summer of park construction, youth employment and healthy outdoor recreation, and looking forward to winter skiing, sledding and snowmen!

This summer, we invested more than $1 million in Anchorage parks and trails. We are already working hard on fundraising and project planning for summer 2011, including building new playgrounds, improving neighborhood parks and restoring habitats.

We are also pleased to introduce you to our new Program Manager, Michael Howard. Michael joins us from Agnew::Beck, with a strong background in community development and public involvement. Please welcome him to the Anchorage Park Foundation!

Beth Nordlund

2011 Neighborhood Park Fix-Its

After a full summer of investing in neighborhood parks, the Park Foundation and the Parks & Recreation Department are shifting gears into preparation for 2011 projects.

In collaboration with the Parks & Recreation Department and community members, APF has decided to focus 2011 efforts in these neighborhood parks:

• Carlson Park (Airport Heights)
• Cope Street Park (Spenard)
• Harvard Park (Government Hill)
• Ira Walker Park (Northeast)
• Little Dipper Park (Northeast)
• Sand Lake Park (Sand Lake)
• William B. Lyons Park (Mountain View)

We are working with community council committees to prioritize the fix-its to ensure that funds will be used to meet community needs. We will make these fixes with generous support from the Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska State Legislature and volunteers like you.

To join a Park Committee, participate in volunteer fix-its, or learn more about your neighborhood parks, please contact Park Planner Suzanne Little at littlesr@muni.org or 343-4586.

The APF is proud to fund neighborhood park fix-its with support from the Rasmuson Foundation & the Alaska State Legislature.

Anchorage Park Foundation Partners with Photographer To Meet Our Neighbors

The Anchorage Park Foundation is proud to partner with local photographer Carl Battreall to reveal the variety of small creatures in our backyards and neighborhood parks through the international Meet Your Neighbors Project.

In summer 2011, Carl will visit parks throughout Anchorage to discover the small forms wildlife living amongst us. He will photograph not just the large fauna that we are used to, but the small insects, mammals, amphibians and plants that make up the micro-ecology of our local parks.

Carl will work with Youth Employment in Parks Crews to connect Anchorage children to the wildlife in their neighborhood parks. Working as a team, Carl and the YEP crews will track and catch small animals in parks and photograph them while observing their behavior and learning about their role in the food chain.

The Anchorage Park Foundation invites you to get involved! If you would like to assist Carl in discovering what creatures live in your your backyard parks, please let us know.