Northern Alaska Environmental Center

2008 Calendar of Events

(updated May 9, 2008)

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EXHIBIT Through Sunday, May 11: Arctic Quest
Museum
of the North,
907 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks.  An International Polar year Exhibit Art features works by 25 Canadian artists celebrated the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen's navigation through the Northwest Passage with a journey of their own in the Canadian Arctic, recording their impressions on canvas, paper and film. In the Special Exhibits Gallery.  For more information, call (907)474-7505 or go to http://www.uaf.edu/museum/

 

TAKE ACTION Through Monday, May 19: Yukon Flats Land Trade EIS Public Comment Re-Opens!

Thanks to many requests from tribes, Tanana Chiefs Council, conservation organizations and the public, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is taking public comments for another 30-days on the controversial Yukon Flats Land Trade draft Environmental Impact Statement.  The land trade would remove lands from the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge to facilitate oil and gas development and there could be a road and pipeline corridor along Beaver Creek Wild River and through the White Mountains.   Please comment by May 19 

http://yukonflatseis.ensr.com/Yukon_Flats/Comments.aspxSee fact sheets at www.northern.org

 

Don’t Be Fuelish Competition:  May 1 – September 30, 2008 

This is a locally created program for Fairbanks, and it's a fun effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  It’s a friendly competition, open to all local organizations, to encourage employees to reduce their fossil fuel usage.   People can bike, walk, bus, or carpool to and from work to save miles traveled in a single occupant vehicle.  These miles are tallied each month, with a winner of the most miles saved announced at the end of the competition.  There will be individual recognition as well - most miles biked, most miles walked, etc...  Please sign your organization up today, and spread the word to others. Contact Lori Hanemann at lori@northen.org to sign up! Save money **  Be healthier  **  Have cleaner air!!

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Friday, May 9 – June 10: Elections for Golden Valley Electric Association

Watch your mail for ballots and be sure to vote. GVEA Board members make critical decisions about Alaska’s energy future. GVEA Ballots will be mailed to all District 2 members—vote for Tom DeLong!

 

Friday, May 9: Recycling Task Force Meeting

4:30 – 6:30pm @ Noel Wien Library Auditorium.  Assemblyman Mike Musick leads this group of interested citizens in finding solutions to the challenges of recycling in Fairbanks. This week we’ll hear about plastics from FAYEA and a recycling survey.  Also, Wal Mart’s manager will fill us in on their recycling efforts and how the community fits into their efforts.  http://recyclefairbanks.wordpress.com

 

Friday, May 9: Polar-Palooza National Tour—Stories from a Changing Planet
7 – 9pm @ West Valley Performing Arts Center. 
Hear personal stories of life, research and adventure in the world's polar regions from scientists on the Polar-Palooza national tour. This engaging multimedia show features high definition documentary video, hands-on artifacts and dialog with members of the Polar-Palooza team. Free admission.  International Polar Year event produced by Passport to Knowledge and supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

 

Saturday, May 10: Fairbanks Road Clean-Up
11am @ the Northern Center.  Meet at 830 College Road to get organized for our 1 mile clean up on College Rd. between Aurora and Caribou.  Then we’ll head back to NAEC for pizza to celebrate!

 

Sunday, May 11: Mother’s Day

A message from Mothers for Alaska to Moms and Grandmas Concerned about Climate Change:  

Hello, Mothers of the Next Generation of Alaskans! Please take a moment on this special day to call Governor Palin and ask her to approve the $50 million for renewable energy projects in Alaska. These funds are in the capital budget which she will be deciding on by May 23, 2008. (907) 465-3500 in Juneau.  Happy Mother’s Day!!

 

Monday, May 12:  Community Meeting for the Climate Change Task Force

6 – 7:30pm @ Noel Wien Library Auditorium.  A presentation by the Fairbanks Task Force on the vulnerabilities and opportunities from climate change – what they’ve gathered and what their goals are.  The climate is changing.

 

Tuesday, May 20:  BLM Eastern Interior (White Mountains and other areas) Scoping Meeting -- Chalkyitsik

Open House meeting 4 - 7 pm @ the Community Hall.  Meetings may include an Open House prior to the meeting. This is part of a planning process to help familiarize the public with the project and to gather issues, concerns and ideas that the plan should address. The scoping period for the Eastern Interior Resource Management Plan started March 1 and will end August 1, 2008. This is your chance to voice your concerns and help shape and direct the BLM’s planning process affecting White Mountains National Recreation Area, Steese National Conservation Area and other lands encompassing over 8 million acres that will be a single Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the first time.  Come to the meeting if you care about Beaver Creek, Birch Creek, and Forty-Mile Wild & Scenic Rivers; upper Black River region; and Pinnell Mountain Trail. For more information, contact Jeanie Cole, Planning Team Leader, Eastern Interior Field Office at (907) 474-2340.

Comments due to eirmp_comments@blm.gov.  For More information: http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/planning/east_int_rmp.html

 

Thursday, May 22:  BLM Eastern Interior (White Mountains and other areas) Scoping Meeting -- Central

Open House meeting 5 - 7 pm @ the Steese Road House.  Meetings may include an Open House prior to the meeting. This is part of a planning process to help familiarize the public with the project and to gather issues, concerns and ideas that the plan should address. The scoping period for the Eastern Interior Resource Management Plan started March 1 and will end August 1, 2008. This is your chance to voice your concerns and help shape and direct the BLM’s planning process affecting White Mountains National Recreation Area, Steese National Conservation Area and other lands encompassing over 8 million acres that will be a single Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the first time.  Come to the meeting if you care about Beaver Creek, Birch Creek, and Forty-Mile Wild & Scenic Rivers; upper Black River region; and Pinnell Mountain Trail. For more information, contact Jeanie Cole, Planning Team Leader, Eastern Interior Field Office at (907) 474-2340.

Comments due to eirmp_comments@blm.gov.  For More information: http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/planning/east_int_rmp.html

 

Wednesday, May 28: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—David Mollett

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  David Mollett, artist, describes the adventures and experiences of both large and small groups of artists painting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and nearby areas. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions, and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.


Friday, May 30: NAEC Annual Members Meeting & Picnic

5pm onward @ the Northern Center.  Come meet the board & staff and join us as we celebrate 37 years of conservation!  Annual meeting will start at 5pm.  Food, beverages, games and live music provided by NAEC.

 

Wednesday, June 4: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Bill Brody

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Bill Brody, artist, addresses all the phases of working in the wilderness as a landscape painter; how to get there, how to do the work while there, how to live there while working.  Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions, and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Thursday, June 5: NAEC Auction Team Kick-Off & Planning Meeting

5pm @ the Northern Center.  GET INVOLVED! Join the NAEC Auction Team! Food, drink & great folks to work with to plan our November 8 Auction!!  RSVP to Auction Chair Ritchie Musick at (907) 479-5336 or email her at ritchiemusick@gci.net.

 

Tuesday, June 10: Elections for Golden Valley Electric Association

Ballots must be returned to GVEA by 5pm!

 

Tuesday, June 10: NAEC Board of Directors Meeting

6 pm @ the Northern Center.  Meetings are open to NAEC members. Comments are welcome during the scheduled comment period at the beginning of the meeting.

 

Wednesday, June 11: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Kes Woodward

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Kesler Woodward, artist, will discuss his personal connection to the northern landscape through images of his paintings of the circumpolar North from Hudson Bay to the Bering Strait and Siberian Coast.  Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions, and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Thursday, June 12: Elections for Golden Valley Electric Association

GVEA Election results available

 

Wednesday, June 18: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Derick Burleson

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  The Poet’s North - Poet Derick Burleson will read poems from his new collection “Never Night,” and discuss poetic inspiration in the Alaskan Interior.  Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Tuesday, June 24:  BLM Eastern Interior (White Mountains and other areas) Scoping Meeting -- Chicken

Open House meeting 3 - 5pm @ the Miner’s Hall.  Meetings may include an Open House prior to the meeting. This is part of a planning process to help familiarize the public with the project and to gather issues, concerns and ideas that the plan should address. The scoping period for the Eastern Interior Resource Management Plan started March 1 and will end August 1, 2008. This is your chance to voice your concerns and help shape and direct the BLM’s planning process affecting White Mountains National Recreation Area, Steese National Conservation Area and other lands encompassing over 8 million acres that will be a single Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the first time.  Come to the meeting if you care about Beaver Creek, Birch Creek, and Forty-Mile Wild & Scenic Rivers; upper Black River region; and Pinnell Mountain Trail. For more information, contact Jeanie Cole, Planning Team Leader, Eastern Interior Field Office at (907) 474-2340.

Comments due to eirmp_comments@blm.gov.  For More information: http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/planning/east_int_rmp.html

 

Wednesday, June 25: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Susan Sharbaugh

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Alaska’s Amazing Avifauna (Birds) - Senior scientist with the Alaska Bird Observatory, Susan Sharbaugh will share the natural history of the Interior’s avian summer visitors and sourdough residents. She will enlighten you on the how and why of migrating birds and how the resident birds survive 40 below and the extended dark of winter. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Wednesday, July 2: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Peggy Shumaker

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Geographies of the Land and of the Heart - Writer Peggy Shumaker will read work rooted in the vastness of Alaska, and will explore how our inner and outer landscapes merge. Images painted by Kesler Woodward will complement her readings. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Wednesday, July 9: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Dan O’Neill

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  The Firecracker Boys: The Story of Project Chariot - With accompanying slides, author Dan O’Neill will tell the story of how a small Eskimo village along with a handful of Alaskan scientists and conservationists thwarted Edward Teller’s dream of using a massive nuclear explosion to create an instant harbor on the coast of Alaska.  Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Wednesday, July 16: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Monique Musick

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Painting with Light - Photographer and lifelong Alaskan Monique Musick will share photographic tips through a slide show lecture. Learn how to best capture the unparalleled beauty of Alaska on film or in digital format. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Wednesday, July 23: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—John Whitehead

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Remembering The Statehooders—The Legacy of Alaska’s “Greatest Generation” Former UAF historian and author of “Completing The Union,” John Whitehead will share his interviews with many of the delegates to the Alaska Constitutional Convention of 1955-56, and highlight their accomplishments, particularly the Alaska Constitution, the Tennessee Plan, and their adroitness in maneuvering the U.S. Congress to approve the Alaska Statehood Bill in the summer of 1958. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Wednesday, July 30: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Gary Laursen

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Mushrooms of Alaska - With unbridled enthusiasm mycologist Gary Laursen will share with you his expertise on the critical role that fungi play in the northern environment. Gary will be showing slides of Alaskan mushroom species. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Wednesday, August 6: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Jamie Smith

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  25 years of Cartooning in Alaska - Alaskan artist and UAF adjunct faculty member, Jamie Smith who is said to be “afflicted with an unremitting sense of absurdity” will offer a window into the world of the Alaskan cartoonist. Jamie has published four collections of his Freeze-Frame and Nuggets cartoons. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Tuesday, August 12: NAEC Board of Directors Meeting

6 pm @ the Northern Center.  Meetings are open to NAEC members. Comments are welcome during the scheduled comment period at the beginning of the meeting.

 

Wednesday, August 13: Discovering Alaska: A Summer Lecture Series—Carolyn Parker

7pm @ Schaible Auditorium.  Alaska’s Native Flora - Through images and stories long-time Alaskan field botanist Carolyn Parker shares her exploration of Alaska’s native flora—its origin, beauty, diversity, and mysteries. Series presented by the UAF Summer Sessions and NAEC’s Northern Voices Speaker Series, in cooperation with the UAF Center for Research Services, the International Arctic Research Center, and the UA Geography Program.  Admission is free.

 

Tuesday, October 14: NAEC Board of Directors Meeting

6 pm @ the Northern Center.  Meetings are open to NAEC members. Comments are welcome during the scheduled comment period at the beginning of the meeting.

 

Saturday, November 8: NAEC Annual Auction

@ Wedgewood Resort.  Details forthcoming.

 

Tuesday, December 9: NAEC Board of Directors Meeting

6 pm @ the Northern Center.  Meetings are open to NAEC members. Comments are welcome during the scheduled comment period at the beginning of the meeting.